2018/08/27 - Mayor's Column: Examples of a Special Community
“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
How do you know that you live in a special community? In my opinion, it is when you see people, regardless of their socio/economic status, race, religion, etc., able to come together and enjoy each other’s company. In a special community, the residents and businesses are generous and willing to go the extra mile to help. O’Fallon is a special community and I’ll give you a few examples of why.
On Thursday, August 23, 2018, RE/MAX Preferred “Community Action Team” (CAT) donated $2,500 to the O’Fallon Police Department and OTHS. This donation will help provide the P3 Campus App for the entire 2018-2019 school year at no cost to the school or city.
The P3 Campus app will allow O’Fallon High School students to report a wide range of concerns, from mental health issues to threats of violence, all while remaining anonymous. The app allows students to attach photos, screenshots, videos, documents, or audio recordings to their reports, in addition to engaging in a two-way dialogue with a real person. Members of the O’Fallon Police Department School Resource Officer Program, OTHS school administrators, and mental health professionals will work together to ensure every student’s needs are met.
Another example – pop-up barbecues. Over the past few weeks, our police department has been taking advantage of the nice weather and hosting impromptu barbecues for residents. These barbecues are a great way for our residents to meet O’Fallon’s Police Officers in a laid-back and friendly setting. The Chevy Chase Apartments and Castle Acres Community have both been visited.
These types of events are nothing new for O’Fallon City Employees and first responders. The Fire Department and EMS are also active in the community throughout the year. Halloween Safe Stops, EMS Week Open House, fire drills at over 25 schools/preschools/daycares, and numerous truck and flag displays – the list of their contributions can go on and on. Oh, and they also help save lives and protect O’Fallon.
I touched on this in last week’s column, but I want to repeat it again – O’Fallon’s staff members are not just employees, they are also your neighbors and part of this community. The City of O’Fallon’s employees are genuinely interested in the betterment of this community and their hard work, during work hours, and on their own time, is evident of that.
This is part of what makes O’Fallon a special community.
As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!