What do you think of when you hear the word community? Some people think of Labor Day barbecues, town meetings and other gatherings. Some think of houses and buildings. When I think of community, my thoughts turn to Parkway Drive.
 

I spent a lot of time in my pre-driving days hoofing it up and down Parkway going to and from the library, the swimming pool, the tennis courts (mainly to watch boys – I never cared that much for the game) ballet lessons at the community center (something else I never much cared for) and beginning with seventh grade, school. I also had several friends who lived on Parkway at whose homes I spent an appreciable amount of time.
 

So for a lot of my growing up years, community, in my mind at least, meant Parkway Drive. And because we lived on the street behind the junior high school at the north end of Parkway, it was almost as quick for my brothers and me to walk to many of the places we wanted or needed to go as it was for Mama to dig out the car keys and drive us.
 

But as I grew older, I came to appreciate the meaning of community on a broader scale. I now understand that the concept of community is not limited to immediate surroundings or to the people you see every day. It’s a whole lot more.
 

In casting around on the Internet for a way to succinctly define community, I ran across a list of what I consider some essential points. A strong sense of community involves:

• A feeling of belonging.
• The idea that all members of the community are important and have something to contribute.
• Common beliefs and shared values.
• Bonding among the members of the community.
• A common concern and sense of responsibility for the well being of the community.
   

While each and every point can be applied to our physical Trussville community, they can also be applied to our online Trussville community at TrussvilleAL.com. And we can even take things a step further by using our community resources to benefit other communities, as so many have done in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
 

In that regard, please join us on Saturday, October 8, for TrussvilleAL.com’s First Annual Trussville Community Kaleidoscope in the parking lots of Massey Corral and Comfort Inn on Norrell Drive. The event will include entertainment, a scavenger hunt, drawings for prizes, face painting and lots of other family-friendly activities.
 

Most importantly, however, Kaleidoscope will give you an opportunity to join your community in contributing to the Hurricane Relief effort. Look for more details in the coming days as to specific ways you’ll be able to help. In the meantime, plan to participate in a Red Cross blood drive that day.
 

Communities helping communities is one of the most effective ways to overcome the devastation Katrina left behind on the Gulf Coast. So please join us in this worthwhile cause.
 

And if this is your first time to visit TrussvilleAL.com: Welcome to our community! 
 

June Mathews is a middle age freelance writer who possesses all the typical neuroses of growing up a middle child. She can be reached at jmathews120@charter.net