To the Editor:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” said Helen Keller.

Local government alone cannot be expected to address and handle all the needs and problems affecting a town. It is only when its people are willing to get involved and lend a hand that a town can achieve its full potential.

In an effort to fill some of those gaps, a group of concerned residents in the town of Berne has started preliminary discussions to form a team that will get together and “chat” about issues facing the residents of our town.

Playing off this concept of an informal gathering to assess community needs, the group will be known as Berne’s Community Hilltown Action Team or CHAT. With the underlying theme of neighbors working with neighbors to build a better Berne, the mission, vision, and goals have been identified as follows:

Mission: To assess the needs of the community, identify resources, and develop a plan to meet those needs.

Vision: To create opportunities for neighbors to join with other individuals and work with groups, organizations, churches, and relevant government officials to improve our community well-being.

Goals: To engage the community, increase volunteerism, and reach out to neighboring towns to share ideas, resources, and solutions.

The next meeting will be on April 2 at 1 p.m. at the Helderberg Evangelical Lutheran Church at 1728 Helderberg Trail and is open to all. Bring your ideas, concerns, and willingness to help.

Please RSVP your attendance or any questions via email to . If you cannot attend this meeting but wish to be informed of future meetings, please let us know.

Margaret Christman

Jean Guarino

Berne

Editor’s note: Jean Guarino is a co-founder of A Hug From The Hilltowns; she ran on the Democratic line for Berne town clerk in 2021. Margaret Christman ran for Berne town supervisor in 2021 on the Democratic line.