6 associations, 1 neighborhood

First Posted: 9/16/2014

LIMA — Six neighborhood associations exist in the south side of Lima, Jacquline Tyre of the Dr. Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association said, and a new organization is forming.

“I don’t understand why there are all these fragmented neighborhood associations when we could all work together,” Tyre said. “We’ve got more neighborhood associations on the south side of Lima than we do anywhere. I don’t know why we keep getting all of these on the south side instead of coming together and working as a unit. There’s strength in numbers.”

Vickie Shurelds, the founder of the newly-forming Mizpah Neighborhood Association and director of the Cheryl Allen Southside Community Center, said, “there’s so much need in the south side that we really … need extra help and more people focused on that.”

Mizpah is the Hebrew term for watchtower, the central part of the Association, Shurelds said.

“We want to go back to the place where we’re all looking out for each other,” she said.

The goals of the association include “attacking” the impact of poverty on the south side by bringing jobs to the people, Shurelds said. To do this, the neighborhood must hire themselves as well as looking after the elderly.

To strengthen the south side, Shurelds said she believes strength, resources, and knowledge must be combined.

“I think that we’re so far down in the hole that it’s going to take us a while to climb out and as long as we’re still climbing out, people can’t hear us,” she said.

The Mizpah association has a little source of funding, Shurelds said. The association is accepting small checks and donations from business owners, but is not actively seeking funding. Shurelds said the organization is functioning entirely on volunteer work and has not been proactive in grant-seeking.

The Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership, is an organization that advocates for the improvement of safety and quality of community life through neighborhood partnerships and personal responsibility.

With the multiple neighborhood associations in the south side, it may be confusing for residents in the area in that “how do you know which ones to go to?” Tyre said.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association is a member of LACNIP, and offers many projects for members in the south side neighborhood, including fundraisers, beautification projects, child activities, and others. Associations that wish to join LACNIP must follow guidelines and processes, Tyre said.

Tyre said the Dr. Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association has worked with the Cheryl Allen Center in the past, and Shurelds has not expressed interest in joining their organization.