Sense of Community - Moody PTA and WFD Working Together

Synergy:  syn-er-gy; noun: a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct business participants or elements (as resources or efforts).

As a volunteer organization, the Westfield Fire Department faces many challenges.  Recruiting, retention, morale, member participation, training, "work/life balance", fund raising, etc.  These challenges are faced by all volunteer fire departments and ambulance corps.  In any given month, you're sure to find an article in Firehouse Magazine or a similar publication where the issues and potential solutions are discussed.  Meanwhile, just down the street at Van Buren Moody Elementary School our friends and neighbors on the Moody PTA are experiencing similar challenges.  So it was a not-so surprising sequence of events that really brought both organizations a little closer together over the past 5 months.  Back in October, the PTA was running their annual Halloween party at the school.  In order to address the parking concerns (including fire lane violations) experienced in the previous year's event, the PTA worked with the WFD FMO to arrange for a fire watch and for a few firefighters to help coordinate parking.  Voila!  The results were immediate and significant.  Not only were there NO parking problems to speak of, but feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive thanks, in part, to the coordinated parking provided by the WFD.  With that initial success under our collective belts, the WFD approached the PTA in January to talk about ways the PTA could help in a recruiting effort.  At the same time, we talked about ways that both organizations could help each other on a more regular basis.  For anyone reading this who happens to live in the Westfield District of the City of Middletown, what you're benefiting from (as you should) is a synergistic relationship between two volunteer organizations that each provide significant benefit to you and your families with VERY little cost to you.  Some upcoming planned events coming jointly from the WFD and Moody PTA include a "Touch a Truck" fund raiser for the PTA (April 2010 timeframe) using WFD fire apparatus and a WFD recruiting mailer to be sent home with each Moody student along with other PTA-related material.

Cara Williamson, President of the Moody PTA will be featured on the monthly Middletown Public Schools "Spotlight on Education" that will air on Comcast Channel 15 on February 24th at 8:00 p.m.  Among other things, Cara will speak about the synergistic relationship that both the Moody PTA and WFD feel will provide greater benefits to both organizations than similar efforts would yield with each organization operating on their own.  I strongly encourage everyone to tune in!  Click here for more information.