One Year Anniversary

Forks Action Committee

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY F.A.C.!

YES! It's hard to believe that this summer marks the
one year anniversary of the FORKS
ACTION COMMITTEE! - And they said that it
would never last! ;-')

As we look back on our first year we want to share some of our
accomplishments with you:

1.	We created a website that gives residents "a place to go when they want to know..." what is happening in our community. If it's true that imitation is the finest form of flattery, the township's own new website gave us two thumbs up with its look and feel. ;-')
2.	We have provided a venue for residents to express themselves (without fear of backlash or ridicule) via our weblog. While our blog is highly read and visited, the participation level has been a bit disappointing and will be a huge goal for us in year two.
3.	We have raised public awareness on key issues (a hallmark for us). In March we were lucky enough to have Professor Mary Roth (Lafayette) speak to our group about sinkholes and in May we were fortunate to have Professor Roger Ruggles (Lafayette) talk to us about hydrology and water runoff. We look forward to hosting more great speakers in our second year.
4.	We conducted a voter registration drive in 2004 in time for the November elections. We were well received and the traffic to our website and blog increased tenfold.
5.	We issued a call for candidates for the 2005 Board of Supervisors race. Six people answered and after careful deliberation and interviews we chose to endorse *C. David* *Howell*. Though Howell is not yet widely known, we respect his independence, his grasp of the issues and his commitment to the community.
6.	We brought people together through our common concern over the state of affairs in our township and our common desire to see an even brighter future. Strangers became friends through their affiliation with F.A.C.
7.	We challenged both local newspapers to do better in their coverage of Forks Township. Since we started posting meeting notes on our website and comments in our blog, more in-depth coverage has appeared in the local press. No doubt about it!

Considering that there is NO paid staff, no formal funding, nor any office/meeting space to call our own, we think that year one
has given us much to be proud of!

Year two looks even brighter and we are committed to bringing you more of the same, including our guest speaker line-up.
And, we will be working non-stop to increase the participation in our weblog.

Despite what a very small group of people say, we are not "the group of no." We are in fact the group of hope and the group that
sees a brighter day ahead for Forks Township.

We have great ideas and plans. And, if you live in Forks Township, this is your group as much as ours. Drop us a line or post a
note in the weblog to let us know what you think as well as tell us how you would like to get involved with F.A.C. To all of you
who contributed to our blog, helped edit or correct our meeting/web notes, attended our meetings or contributed in any
other way to the success of the Forks Action Committee, THANK YOU for helping to make this a great first year!