|
Message to the Membership
Dear BTCA Member:
The year 2012 was an
important milestone for the Association. We turned 60 and we
celebrated in four remarkable ways. We are proud to tell you that we
helped the township preserve land, we started a community garden in
Holicong Park, and we adopted a food pantry. In addition, State
Representative Bernie O’Neill marked our anniversary by presenting the
Association with a citation from the Pennsylvania State House of
Representatives recognizing the long, rich history of the BTCA.
Last summer, for the
first time in its history, the Civic Association contributed to the
preservation of 50 prime acres of farmland situated along New Hope and
Forest Grove Roads. As a result of diligently saving money in our
Conservation Account for many years, we were thrilled to be able to
donate thousands of dollars toward the purchase of the development
rights on a beautiful tract of land, currently planted with sod and
corn. Now, we can be sure that these acres will be plowed, not paved,
in perpetuity. The amazing vistas stretching all the way to Buckingham
Mountain and Bowman’s Hill will remain for all to see.
At this time last year,
our community garden site was growing nothing except for grasses and
weeds. The Township Supervisors liked our idea of a garden and allowed
the Association the use of a piece of land in Holicong Park, supplied
a water hook-up, provided compost, and lent a crew and machinery to
turn the soil. Due to an extraordinary effort by many dedicated
volunteers, including CB East students, master gardeners, a Boy Scout
troop, and residents who maintained their individual plots, the garden
came alive last summer. We saw people of all ages—little children,
teens, families—bonding over the shared experience of learning to
raise crops.
The Association realized
that hunger is a severe problem in our area, so we asked the Food
Program Manager of the Bucks County Opportunity Council to match us
with a food pantry that needed our help. Thus began our relationship
with the Jesus Focus Ministry of Southampton, which struggles to feed
over 800 people. As a result of the determination and dedication of
our volunteer gardeners, we were able to grow and donate over 900
pounds of produce in our community garden. Perhaps you have never been
without the means to buy fresh vegetables—many of us are indeed that
fortunate—but you could not fail to be moved by the enthusiastic
reception those tomatoes and squashes and cucumbers received at their
destination.
We are particularly
proud of our sponsorship of the award-winning Doylestown Farmers’
Market. Every Saturday morning from springtime to autumn, the
market brings together local vendors selling a variety of fresh
seasonal produce including herbs and unique types of mushrooms. Plus,
the market features baked goods, organic meats, duck eggs, prepared
foods, olive oil, llama wool, soaps and lotions, grains, flowers and
plants, and even organically prepared dog food. Shoppers are
entertained by musicians, tempted by chefs’ demos, enticed by a free
book swap, and encouraged to bring children for craft events. We were
voted best farmers’ market by the readers of the Intelligencer for the
last two out of three years.
That is not all we do. The
Association sponsors a flea market and the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Two
years ago, we started inviting high school students to join the
Association’s Board of Directors as affiliate (non-voting) members.
Our student board members have been enormously helpful and supportive
of the market and the garden and the pantry. Plus, we award a
scholarship to an outstanding college-bound graduate of CB East High
School. This year will mark our third annual scholarship. We are proud
to select a student who combines scholarship and community service.
The Association also sponsors Candidates’ Nights to give
our residents the opportunity to meet and ask questions of those
individuals who are vying for positions at the local level.
The BTCA hopes that these many
accomplishments encourage members to submit their dues so that all of
these important programs can continue in 2013.
Sincerely,
Jan Tompkins
President
Contact us at
info@buckinghampacivic.org
or at 215-230-0711.
Your dues allow the Civic Association to sponsor the Doylestown
Farmers’ Market, which supports our local farmers and our economy
while bringing you a remarkable array of edibles; to conduct our Easter Egg Hunt,
which has delighted the children in our township for generations, to
publish the
Civic Sense Newsletter; to continue our scholarship program; and
to finance the many other projects we
sponsor during the course of each year. .
We count on your membership dues to sustain our organization. If you
would like to join us we encourage you to do so. A printable
application with instructions can be found at our sign-up page. We also encourage
your feedback and your active participation in helping us to ensure
that Buckingham continues to be a wonderful place to live. We thank
you in advance for your continuing support.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |