Concerned residents are invited to attend the upcoming Blair County Neighborhood Watch meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 12. This month’s meeting will begin earlier and will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at Blair Senior Services, Inc., located at 1320 12th Avenue, Altoona.
The meeting provides a place for friends and neighbors to join together to help keep their homes and community safe. Participants are encouraged to bring a friend to the meeting.
The guest speaker this month will be Cheryl Smith, a Crime Victim from the Survivors’ Speakers Bureau.
These meetings provide a safe way for community members to meet and share information regarding the safety of their neighborhood and its residents.
Everyone is invited to attend the upcoming meeting to see what it is all about, and bring a friend.
Neighborhood Watch, a growing program with Blair Senior Services was initiated with money from a Homeland Security Grant.
The purpose of the grant was to establish neighborhood watch groups throughout the county, identify volunteers to assist with emergency management and to provide educational opportunities to the people of the county.
In a Neighborhood Watch, volunteers and members of the neighborhood meet at a designated place once a month to talk about concerns they are having with the neighborhood. Guest speakers talk about issues like how to stay secure during the summer months with the windows of the house open, self defense and basic safety awareness. Also, members of law enforcement are often present at the meetings to provide information to the members of the community.
A Neighborhood Watch is established in a neighborhood when a citizen has a concern or interest in the program and approaches Blair Senior Services with the idea. While this meeting is for the Blair County Neighborhood Watch, there are also many neighborhood watch groups in areas throughout the county including Tyrone, Bellwood and Tipton.
The role of the volunteers in the Neighborhood Watch Program is simple. Volunteers are asked to become more aware of their neighborhood and to report any suspicious behavior. There is an anonymous reporting system for those who might not want to report something otherwise. The purpose is through this sense of awareness, the Neighborhood Watch Program should bring a sense of community to the neighborhood.
Volunteers are never asked to become involved in an unsafe situation, but are to be aware of their surroundings and report any possible problems within the neighborhood.
For additional information about the Neighborhood Watch program, individuals are invited to contact Maureen Adams at 946-1235, extension 1040.
The Blair County Neighborhood Watch Program is sponsored by Blair Senior Services, Inc. and local police departments.
