Neighborhood Watch and Emergency Preparedness need two volunteers with special talents ASAP. Have you a flair or desire for editing or writing? The quarterly NEWSLETTER is in need of an editor. It’s fun work for the right person. You can design a new newsletter or use the old design. Some of the information will be given to you to edit. You will be helped by a number of volunteers. Other information will be yours to gather. Depending upon your computer abilities, it will take only about three hours per quarter. Please call me at 487-4012 for any questions. The pay isn’t great, but the satisfaction is. Also, you can be published - that’s kind of nice.

Our next need is for a Guy/Gal Friday. That simply means coming in on Friday mornings ( or any other morning or afternoon you want ) and taking charge of organizing our office: xeroxing, maybe some filing, getting mailers out (with the help of other volunteers), adding up Timesheets (once a month), keeping a scrapbook and brochures up to date, checking phone call messages. If you are an organizer, we need you. Very friendly office. Call me at 487-4012.

More block parties were held on Tuesday, August 1 "National Night out." We know there were more block parties than we have reported, but they did not check in. (And we hope they will next year.) Our latest information after my last column on July 20: in Westwood (District A), there were two blocks getting together - Oculto Way and Oculto Place - they had a pot luck on the Oculto Way cul-de-sac. In Swim and Tennis (District D), Parma Court and Camberwell Court cul-de-sac hosted parties, and in Oaks North (District C), Senda Acantilada, Camino Emparrado, the Via Nasca cul-de-sac and the Corte Arauco cul-de-sac had get togethers. Bernardo Heights (District F) hosted a "Night Out" party at the Las Brisas clubhouse. Their residents got up-to-date security and safety information, as well as an opportunity to update the new Checklists.

Remember the reason for these parties and get togethers: they are part of the Neighborhood Watch National Night Out. This is a National happening. It helps all residents understand that keeping their lights on every night defeats criminal behavior. It costs pennies a day and it is so worthwhile; remember the bad guys like the cover of darkness.