Submitted by Lisa Boyd, Past President.
Dear Lakewood United Members and Supporters,
I address you today, representing four of the five members of the Executive Team of Lakewood United, myself included, who have tendered resignations. Initially, the Executive Team’s discussion leaned toward the dissolution of our organization. However, amidst this contemplation for transition to closure, one member of our team, Tink Kinney, has expressed a desire to explore the possibility of reorganizing Lakewood United with a newly established executive team and the out-going team has agreed to allow her to do so.
Lakewood United has been dedicated to fostering positive civic engagement, empowering our community, and enriching the quality of life in Lakewood and its surrounding areas through dialogue and information sharing. We owe a debt of gratitude to our members and supporters whose unwavering dedication has sustained and supported the organization through a myriad of endeavors.
Reflecting on our efforts to navigate the challenges that we have had in trying to bring Lakewood United back to a thriving organization, it has become evident that despite our tireless attempts to bolster our ranks and broaden our active membership base, our endeavors, unfortunately, have not yielded the desired results. With only a few committed individuals striving to uphold our mission, we find ourselves unable to re-engage the necessary active membership needed to provide for effective operations to meet our mission, purpose, and vision.
Therefore, we have announced the temporary closure of Lakewood United until a new leadership team is assembled and prepared to guide the organization forward. This decision was reached after careful deliberation by the Executive Team.
To the countless individuals who have supported Lakewood United since its inception, we extend our deepest gratitude. Your passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment have been the driving forces behind our endeavors. Whether you contributed your time, resources, or expertise, your impact has been immeasurable, and for this, we are profoundly thankful.
While the decision to temporarily close our doors may evoke mixed feelings, we remain hopeful that the spirit of civic engagement and community empowerment, which Lakewood United embodied, will endure. We urge you to continue championing the values and principles that guide the organization, and to seek opportunities to positively impact the lives of those around you.
Thank you,
Lisa T. Boyd
Outgoing President, Lakewood United
I attended Lakewood United breakfast meetings at Bowlero regularly in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s when Shirley Winsley was the leader. The meetings were especially valuable during presidential election years. I would encourage you to reopen the group and try to make it happen over the next several months before the election. It’s very important.
Sad to hear since Lakewood United has been a mainstay of discussion and debate about issues that are important to Lakewood residents. It was an “institution” that met at Burrs for decades. It was always welcoming to proponents on both sides of the issue and I made several presentations before membership debating issues to include gambling and pot shops in Lakewood among others.
However I got a sense over the last several years that Lakewood United became increasingly oriented to the left side of the political spectrum both in leadership and subject material. I also suspect that its membership had also become increasingly aged. I’d like to get past President Lisa Boyd, other Board members and Lakewood United members to weigh in on my the public apathy regarding Lakewood United and what it’s going to take to turn that around.
No doubt it should be resurrected in a manner that for decades gave it relevance to the issues faced by Lakewood residents. Political power is based upon an informed public.
LakewoodCARES.org
The pandemic and its ongoing aftermath did in A LOT of organizations, programs and more. The visionary people who have tried to keep Lakewood United going were kind to give so much energy to it. Thank you for trying, and for being transparent about the next step. You’re community leaders who care, and I hope you can get some satisfaction from doing the right thing regardless of whether it catches on.
Lakewood United came out of a time pre-cityhood when people did not feel informed and needed a place to go to learn what was going on in the community. Today, people can feel informed just by checking into Facebook or social media or news sites hosted by the people who used to speak at Lakewood United meetings. Whether people really are as informed as they were when they want to a physical Lakewood United meeting is another question.
Oftentimes, community comes out when a) there’s free food and/or b) a crisis or big challenge that inspires emotion. What we might be waiting on is an active group of people who want exposure to newsmakers and people with information. What will trigger these people to care enough to come out of their homes and to a physical meeting remains to be seen.