June Council Message by Lee Ann Bissmeyer
We know we are living through times that for years to come will be recounted in history books for future generations. While we hunker down in our homes spending time with our families, we are taking up new hobbies that we never found time for, catching up on reading, baking, and learning new ways to educate our children and work remotely. We have access to non-stop world news about what is going on outside of our four walls. We also know that we are living in a very special community. While we might be seeing distressing news on TV, we have been busy making the best of this Covid-19 crisis, in typical Montgomery fashion.
We’ve invited food trucks to visit our neighborhoods to help their business and give us a break from cooking, we’ve decorated our sidewalks with drawings and words of hope, we’ve conducted social distancing birthday parties with the help of the Montgomery Police and Fire Departments to lead car parades by homes to wish the recipient a happy birthday! We have posted used books and puzzles online left on our porches for other to pick up and find enjoyment from and we’ve connected with friends and neighbors over Zoom meetings.
The schools have been working tirelessly to not only learn quickly how to educate our children remotely but to do it in a way that they are still receiving the outstanding education they are accustomed to.
Our residents are using their time and talents to make masks for our first responders and health care providers. We are collecting food to donate to our local organizations to feed our hungry during this time of economic uncertainly. Montgomery residents have been checking on our neighbors and proving grocery shopping to those at the greatest risk. We’ve had residents purchase thousands of dollars of local restaurant gift cards to provide stability for our restaurants and their employees, then donate the cards to our health care workers.
The City collaborated with local business to place blue ribbons and lights on our main roads to show that we are grateful for the work our healthcare workers are providing in this time of uncertainty.
None of these things come as a surprise, as we see the generosity of our residents throughout the year. We know we live in a very wonderful community and in times of crisis, we truly shine.
I’m optimistic that by the time you are reading this, we will have begun to resume our old way of living, getting back to work, and spending time with family and friends in person. Hopefully, we will also remember to continue to slow down and take care of ourselves and others.