Building Strong Communities One Block at a Time!
 IN THE NEWS 2011
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In the News 2003 - 2011
'Cross the Street' offers an excuse to meet neighbors LYNN HEITKAMP-TIMES STAFF WRITER May 14, 2003 The people of Saginaw County need an excuse to be friendly, City of Saginaw resident Rhonda Webb says. On May 17, she is going to give them one. She is asking people to get out of their homes between noon and 5 p.m. Saturday and introduce themselves to their neighbors. The plan is called "Cross the Street" and she came up with it as a capstone project to her three-day Vision 2020, 1000 Leaders class when she had to come up with a community outreach project that encompassed everything she learned. Read more _____________________________________________________________________________ Time to meet your neighbors In this civic project, a simple "hello" and a handshake are all that matter. MIKE THOMPSON-THE SAGINAW NEWS May 15, 2003 The requirements are simple for the Rev. Rhonda A. Webb's new project. Participants in Cross the Street need only do as the title suggests, then extend their hands and make neighbors out of strangers. Webb's designated hours are noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, but if Saginaw County residents choose another time, she says that's fine with her. She also won't mind if neighbors are up or down the street rather than across. Her point is that unity in Saginaw starts with people getting to know one another. Read more ____________________________________________________________________________ Time to meet a neighbor THE SAGINAW NEWS May, 14, 2004 Saturday is Saginaw County's second annual "Cross the Street Day." Activities are not formal. Instead the Rev. Rhonda A. Webb is encouraging neighbors simply to cross their streets and say hello to someone they may not have met. Webb is a minister at Faith Harvest Church, 1902 Stone, and a graduate of 1000 Leeaders through Saginaw County Vision 2020. For her 1000 Leaders community outreach ptoject, she came up with the idea of Cross the Street Day. She noted that when she moved to Saginaw's northwest side from Detroit in 2001, none of her neighbor's came to greet her. Read more ____________________________________________________________________________ 'Cross the Street' and say hello BARRIE BARBER-THE SAGINAW NEWS May 17, 2005 When Rhonda Alexia Webb moved to Saginaw from Detroit three years ago, she knew no one on her block. She decided to change that.- for everyone in the community. Webb, 46, kicked off "Cross the Street" Day in May 2003, a call to turn neighbors who are strangers into acquaintances or even friends. "I don't think its unusual for people to live, even for several years, on a city and not really know the people who live there," she said. "Because I've taken the time to go and meet my neighbors, I'm able to personally recognize the people in my neighborhood," said Webb, who started the event as a graduation project after completing the 1000 Leaders Initiative of Saginaw County Vision 2020. "I consider it an avenue to make relationships and build them." Read more ______________________________________________________________________________ 'Cross the Street Day' Saturday SCOTT DAVIS-THE SAGINAW NEWS May, 19, 2006 Rhonda A. Webb remembers a time when people knew their neighbors children and homeowners waved to passer-bys from the front stoops. The Saginaw woman is working hard to bring those days back. The 46-year old is spearheading the fourth annual "Cross the Street Day" on Saturday in Saginaw and surrounding communities. Her request is simple. Cross the street, knock on a neighbor's door and introduce yourself - or, if you already have done so, say hello again. She hopes the overtures counteract a longtime societal trend of residents retreating to their backyards, sometimes behind wooden privacy fences. "It's not entirely our fault," said Webb a minister at Faith Harvest Church, 1734 N. Mason. Read more ______________________________________________________________________________ Got Community? . . . Cross the Street! THE MICHIGAN BANNER April, 2006 SAGINAW-Efforts are now underway to make Saginaw County one of the friendliest places in the state of Michigan! Although it appears to be a challenging and complicated task, it really has a very simple concept behind it . . . just "Cross the Street." On Saturday, May 20, 2006 families across Saginaw County will have the opportunity to create a greater sense of community in their own neighborhoods by participating in the 4th Annual Cross the Street Day. The premise behind Cross the Street is simple; on Saturday, May 20th just cross the street to a neighbor's house and say hello. You choose the time and the neighbors you'd like to visit. Introduce yourself to one you've never met or if you already know your neighbors use it as an opportunity to renew and strengthen standing relationships. Read more ______________________________________________________________________________ Neighbors Reach Out on "Cross the Street Day" THE MICHIGAN BANNER May, 2006 Saginaw-Saturday, May 20, 2006 marked the 4th year anniversary celebration of Cross the Street Day. People across Saginaw County commemorated this day by the simple act of being neighborly by reaching out to a neighbor and making a new friend. This county-wide event puts forth the simple question "Got Community/", and then opens the door for people to demonstrate their friendliness in fun, non-intrusive ways. Read more _____________________________________________________________________________ Got Kom*mu ni-ti? THE MICHIGAN BANNER May, 2007 Saginaw-Got Kom*mu ni-ti? If you are unable to understand this question chances are that you don't have it. Got community is the question being asked of citizens all across Saginaw County who live in neighborhoods who may or may not be aware of the fact that they are sharing their everyday existence with numerous strangers. Directly or indirectly, we are affected by those who surround us and one thing that is becoming vitally clear in today's society is that neighbors, those whom we live among, can add or take away from our quality of life. Read more ______________________________________________________________________________ Cross the street to meet neighbors The intentional effort takes place Saturday. TAMAR RANKINS -THE SAGINAW NEWS May, 2008 Step beyond the familiarity of your front door and cross the street. This simple action is Rhonda A. Webb's plan to spread neighborhood camaraderie throughout Saginaw County. The Saginaw resident is the founder of Cross the Street Day, which prompts residents to introduce themselves to new and old neighbors. The sixth annual event takes place Saturday. "It starts with a smile, a friendly hello, and a handshake," Webb said. "Cross the Street Day opens the door to initiate relationships and turns strangers into friends." Read more _______________________________________________________________________________ One Saginaw woman's mission to unite neighbors nationwide By Bob Johnson on May 20, 2011 at 2:03 PM SAGINAW — Rhonda A. Webb felt like the new kid on her block when she moved to Saginaw in 2002. “I was the stranger on the block,” said the 52-year-old Saginaw Township resident. It was that feeling that prompted her to start Cross the Street, Inc. — a nonprofit organization with the purpose of getting people to get to know their neighbors. “I started it out of personal experience. I was a new resident to Saginaw and to the neighborhood,” Webb said. Saturday, Webb is encouraging residents to get to know their neighbors for the One Day - One Neighbor - One Nation campaign. Read more |
