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Neighbors Helping Neighbors Intentional good deeds are at the center of a weekend event in Central Point Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 21, 2016 at 5:06 PM Updated Jun 21, 2016 at 5:07 PM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 21, 2016 at 5:06 PM Updated Jun 21, 2016 at 5:07 PM » Social News CENTRAL POINT — While a June 25-26 happening called "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" is a community effort of intentional good deeds, organizers hope it will become a mindset as well as a recurring event. Central Point resident Debbie Saxbury, known for her community Facebook page "What's Happening Around Town," spearheaded the event and rallied business sponsors, who plan to take on projects in the neighborhoods surrounding their businesses. The goal, Saxbury explained, is for neighbors to offer help by doing good deeds for those in need, such as yard work or repairs, and for people in need to speak up and ask for whatever help they might need. An intended side effect is community beautification, she noted. Saxbury grew up in Central Point when the main "drag" was unpaved and her late father ran the furniture shop where local high school kids could borrow spare change to get into weekend dances. She said she wants to highlight the good things that bring people to live in small towns. "I just remember how we all helped each other way back when, but not everyone knows how to do that," Saxbury said. "I think most people want to do good deeds, we just have to train people and set the example." Saxbury said tasks next weekend could include anything from trash pickup and mending fences to painting walls or mowing yards. "Kids and families don't get out and do things like they used to, so I'm really hoping this event will get parents to grab their kids and say, 'Hey, let's be good neighbors and walk around and see if there are ways we can help someone out,' " Saxbury said. "I hope people will go out and walk up and down their street and look for ways to make things better. Everyone can help. If you see an older person who needs their lawn mowed, you say, 'Hey, can I help you?' It's really simple." The Facebook page Neighbors Helping Neighbors- Central Point Oregon, is available for residents to offer — or ask for — specific kinds of help. But some of the good deeds will be impromptu. Graham McPartland, an optometrist at Oregon Eye and Vision Center, plans to roll up his sleeves and help clean up the neighborhood around his Front Street offices and, with his four kids in tow, to help with any requests made around town. McPartland, a California transplant, said the weekend event is symbolic of why he moved to a small town. "We are very supportive of this, and we really want to try to anchor ourselves here in Central Point and be an active part of the community," he said. "I've been up here for about eight years, and I feel like we live in the best little community. This is really what it's all about." Hi Tech Transmission owners Dave and Heidi Hix plan to go around to various neighborhoods and find ways to help. "I think people need to help their neighbors every day," Dave Hix said. "We all need to kick in a little bit to help. It takes as much effort to not do anything as it does to do something good, so why not do good?" Saxbury said she hoped the event would be held annually, to highlight the importance of being neighborly, and she hoped the mindset would be contagious year-round. "It's not hard to be nice, and it's not hard to be a good neighbor. People are so timid about being good to their neighbors anymore, but a little bit of kindness can be something that takes only five minutes," Saxbury said. "I didn't want it to have to be overly organized, so to speak, as much as I wanted it to be a reminder. Central Point is a really cool community, and I love it so much. When you have people who are helping each other out and looking out for their neighbors, it cuts down on crime. And it just feels good to live somewhere that people care about each other." Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected]. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 21, 2016 at 5:06 PM Updated Jun 21, 2016 at 5:07 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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