If you’ve been thinking about getting involved in the Cooper-Young Community Association but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. Here’s a rundown on our committees and what they have going on this year. Want to join a committee or volunteer for an event? Simply email info@cooperyoung.org or stop by 2298 Young during office hours (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.).
Beerfest Committee: The Beerfest Committee … you’ll never believe this one … is going to host the Cooper-Young Beerfest this year. The date is tentatively set for Oct. 20, back at Midtown Autoworks. There are a ton of ways to get involved, from helping brewers pour beer to setting up for the festival to selling t-shirts to helping publicize the event.
Beautification Committee: The Beautification Committee is interested in doing more clean-up days this year in Cooper-Young, probably on a quarterly basis, as well as creating a community “tool bank” to allow neighbors to borrow tools from the association.
Block Captains Committee: We’re committed to improving our block captains program this year. We’d like to see more welcome wagons, more block parties and more eyes on the street. Interested in being a block captain or want to help organize the program? We want you!
Communications Committee: Want to write for the LampLighter? Submit articles for our website? Create brochures about our programs? Then the Communications Committee is for you! We’d love great writers and designers to help us out here.
Friday 4 Miler Race Committee: Similar to the Beerfest Committee, the race committee has a singular purpose: organizing and hosting the Cooper-Young Festival Friday 4 Miler. This is the CYCA’s biggest fundraiser of the year (Beerfest is our second biggest), and it’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of event. We can use help planning, hosting the day of, cleaning up, basically everything. That weekend we also host a booth at the Cooper-Young Festival, where we can always use help selling t-shirts and answering questions.
Landmarks Committee: So far, the Landmarks Committee has been the group that researched and drafted our historic guidelines, but should our application be approved by City Council on April 10, the committee will also take on the job of being the first step in the approval process for new construction, demolition or habitable additions. We’d like a diverse group of folks working on this project to ensure balance.
Membership Committee: This committee is all about attracting members. We’d love to get some new ideas about what our membership should look like, how to get people to sign up and what kind of events we should have to keep them engaged. This year, the Membership Committee is also planning a cross-community picnic called A Place at the Table, for late spring, and we’d love your help with that too.
Sustainability Committee: The Sustainability Committee is committed to educating neighbors on sustainable practices, including through creating a sustainability library, and to making the CYCA a zero-waste organization.
Transportation Committee: The Transportation Committee is looking into a group-discount sidewalk repair program as well as hosting a spring event called Paint to Pavement, that will examine what an intersection on Barksdale would look like as a more pedestrian-friendly place.
Volunteer Coordination Committee: The volunteer coordinator makes sure our events are staffed and that volunteers are taken care of. They recruit and communicate with volunteers and make sure the CYCA base maintains an engaged group.
Youth & Family Committee: This committee is in it for the kids. The Youth & Family Committee hosts two main events every year, the 4th of July Parade and the Halloween Party. We can always use more hands at both of those events, but this year we’re also aiming to provide a scholarship for a deserving area high school student. We’re still fleshing that idea out and would love your help!
