Stephanie Gaines has plans and the determination to see them through. Recently hired as Union City’s special projects coordinator, Gaines envisions a greater community participation geared to empower residents and unify and strengthen neighborhoods.

Gaines graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, followed by two years experience as a fourth-grade teacher in DeKalb County. Her academic goals sent her to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated in May with a master’s in public administration. Upon graduation, she set her sights on Union City.

“After I saw the ad on Georgia Municipal Association’s Web site I looked at Union City’s Web site. A lot of the details regarding Union City reminded me of the suburb I came from in Birmingham,” she said. “So I saw that it was a good focal point because it had a lot of room for growth and I knew that a lot of the initiatives that would be started in Union City would be the first of their kind.”

Her brief introduction to Union City is already reaping benefits. Not one to stand around and wait, Gaines sees her role as one that builds bridges between residents, neighborhoods and city government.

“I’ve had the pleasure of going out in the community and I noticed that a lot of people here are hard workers, they’re blue-collar and white-collar, and they all want the same thing. They want a good community, they want their children to be active in various programs within the community,” Gaines said. “And my job is to bring that to them. What I want to be is a liaison between the community and the different departments within City Hall.”

Barely two months into the job, Gaines has helped the Highpoint Commons area organize a Neighborhood Watch group. Doing so, she said, is the first step in forming a neighborhood association. A similar effort is planned for Oakley Townhomes, she added.

“I went out last week and spoke with a resident who is interested in starting a homeowner’s association as well,” said Gaines. “Until they get their transfer draft letter, we’ll start with the Neighborhood Watch program so that way the community and the residents can start to get to know each other and feel comfortable with one another. That can be the bridge for the homeowner’s association.”

Community involvement, resident by resident and neighborhood by neighborhood, can lead to a phenomenon all too rare in America today. With rapid growth such as that experienced by Union City, neighbors and neighborhoods tend to take on increasing anonymity. And with it often comes a loss of identity and a need for unity.

“With unity comes strength. So if we can get the residents involved with the different activities going on in the community it can grow into something on a larger scale,” Gaines said. “It’s important for a neighborhood to have cohesiveness because that’s where it all starts. It’s a bridge. And you want to bridge the gap between the youth and older people because there are different morals and ethics that will be passed down among them. And I feel that’s important, to have a feeling of security and togetherness in your neighborhood.”

The ongoing development of unity between people and the communities of a city pays dividends far beyond any geographical boundaries, far beyond the confines of agreements on paper. Solid community relationships, where one person purposefully interacts to benefit another, helps facilitate a positive future for everyone, one person at a time.

“To me, the most important thing in my life was that I had mentors and they were able to pass down what they learned so I wouldn’t have to go through the same mistakes, whether professionally, personally or spiritually,” Gaines explained. “And how can you care about someone if you don’t even know them or know anything about them. Caring (for others) starts within a community. I think it’s important so that you can grow as a person.”

Council members recently endorsed the Neighborhood Initiative programs Gaines proposed. The focus of the initiative, she told the council, is to capitalize on the strengths and assets that residents and community organizations contribute to their communities. The initiative is intended to empower residents to successfully shape the future of their communities by providing a unified approach to the utilization of resources within the city. Three outcome areas identified as starting points beginning in January include strengthening neighborhood-based participation in the affairs of their communities, utilizing neighborhood-driven strategies to shape the future of those neighborhoods and producing safer neighborhoods through resident participation.

Gaines’ goal between January and May is to reach each of Union City’s 12 neighborhood associations. With that beginning, Gaines envisions an empowerment that extends to residents throughout Union City.

“The main thing I want to do is to empower the residents of Union City by being a resource and a voice for different topics they want to bring up,” said Gaines. “And community empowerment transcends so many levels, on things like beautification, crime prevention and economic development. I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel, so if one community has a great idea they can be the model to show others what can work. A lot of times people know what they want to do but they don’t know the proper steps to achieve a goal. So I’m there to give them the step by step guide.”

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