Civic group kicks off fundraising, new membership efforts

The focus is on the future at the Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association, and on seeking an infusion of funding and new members in the months ahead.

The group, which held its quarterly meeting on Saturday at the Jamesport Meeting House on Main Road, began with a treasurer’s report and executive board changes. After years at the helm, the civic’s president Georgette Keller passed the gavel, literally, to Angela DeVito, who will take on the role.

Keller will assume the position of secretary, sharing duties with Andrew Benners, and spend greater time focusing on Save Main Road, which will become an incorporated separate entity this year, she said. John Newman will continue on as vice president, and Pat Carey will remain as treasurer.

Also on the agenda at Saturday’s meeting was a new approach to fundraising for the coming year. Keller said rather than focusing on big-ticket events that take time and money to kick off, the goal would be to focus on new initiatives.

“We have to find a way to do fundraising for the civic, a good way to augment the coffers,” Keller said.

One idea, she said, is to team up with Aquebogue artist Gabrielle Bradford, who has begun to create a line of notecards using North Fork photography. The civic could put a shout out to residents to submit photos, Keller said; a number of different lines, including a holiday series, could be sold at area businesses to generate funds. While calendars were also discussed, Keller said they have a shelf life and notecards seemed the better road to take.

Another idea on the table would be to create coasters. Civic members, Keller said, could have arts and crafts nights and create the merchandise. The civic could sell the new items at booths during fairs and fundraisers around Riverhead Town, Keller said, in a bid to raise funds and awareness simultaneously.

Getting the word out about the civic is critical, members agreed.

“A lot of people don’t know what the civic is or what it does,” member Ethel Sussman said.
The civic has no website, Keller said, and to create one would require a webmaster. Instead, she suggested a Facebook page for the group, as well as enhanced social media efforts.

DeVito said another possibility is to create a traditional brochure that can be handed out to new neighbors and others in town.

Looking around the room, member Larry Simms noted most of the 15 in attendance were over 50. In order to keep the group vital, he suggested the focus needed to be on cultivating a younger crowd and organizing events that might appeal to residents in their 20s through 40s.

“They don’t like hanging out with old people,” he joked.

Keller suggested a cocktail party. Other ideas pitched included a dance party with a DJ, a barn dance at Hallockville, and raffles, as well as perhaps offering free car wash tickets in exchange for membership.

Community service would be a good way to keep the younger generation engaged and instill lifelong lessons of civic responsibility, Keller said. Giving a scholarship toward a young person’s education might help them remain mindful of their civic roots and help plant the seeds of future involvement, she said.

Part of the impetus for revving up fundraising efforts, Keller said, is to allow for legal fees, as the threat of development in the sleepy hamlets escalate.

“These issues are not going to go away. We need to be prepared,” she said. “If we have $2,000 to $3,000 in the coffers, that limits our ability to have representation, and the town is aware of that, so we’re not too much of a threat, but if we have a war chest, we’ll be prepared.”

The group would need to keep the amount lower than $10,000 or else face tax issues, she said. The civic also would need funds to file for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, she said.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included trees that have been down in South Jamesport since Sandy, as well as the overall poor condition of South Jamesport Road. Keller said a letter would be written to the town to ask that South Jamesport be included in plans for future road renovations and cleanup. Concerns over trash at the town beach were also raised.

DeVito said the creation of pocket parks around Riverhead has sparked the question of how to maintain them. She suggested Sheriff Vincent DeMarco be enlisted to send inmates from the Suffolk County Correctional Facility to help the cleanup efforts.

Another suggestion, Devito said, is to consider the creation of a youth conservation corps.

“We need a solution to keep our beaches beautiful,” she said.

The next meeting of the Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association will be held on June 7 at 10 a..m. at the Jamesport Meeting House.

Correction: This story, reported and written by Lisa Finn, was originally published under the wrong byline.