Recent newsletter

Community spirit evident during unusually harsh winter

Amidst the excitement of Christmas, Kansas and much of the Midwest was stricken by one of the worst snowstorms Kansas City had seen in years. A week later a new blast of snow hit Kansas City, and to say the least, the cold was not pleasant.

While most of us did our best to stay warm, there were many who saw the storm as an opportunity to help the community. Jeff Lysinger, a member of the RDA board, and Derek, his son, could be seen all around Rosedale with a tractor and a plow, helping many people in Rosedale, especially older folks.

Dan Millam, of Jim Millam's ditching, also cleared snow with his tractor in particularly needy spaces.

As a California native, I myself was inundated with offers of warmer clothing for my daily trek between home and RDA. I finally broke down and accepted a warm Carhartt jacket and an extra thick sweater from two different sources.

More importantly, local tree-trimmer Ralph Williams, a long-time Rosdalian continued his tradition of providing wood, free of charge, for needy families who can use the wood to heat their homes during the cold Kansas winter. Throughout the years Williams has helped stave off the winter chill for many residents.

RDA thanks all those community members who did things big and small, seen and unseen, to help their neighbor. It is this sort of spirit that makes a strong community and it is this type of community action that reinvigorates us in our quest to make Rosedale the best it can be.