Medfield Magic, The Healing Power of Connection

I was just coming down from co-teaching a powerful training on organizational change and leadership in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I was very tired, drained to the core and headed to Baltimore to see my daughter and her wonderful family. I had not slept enough nor had I eaten as mindfully as I should have and my body was telling me.  We arrived in Baltimore and let ourselves in to my daughter’s homey row house. We got a little rest and felt revived before the family started arriving.

We heard the key turn as my daughter arrived and the laughter, hugs, and celebration of togetherness began.  We picked up the grandkids after school and discussed the upcoming school bingo fundraiser that parents, kids and a smattering of grandparents would attend later that evening. I love Baltimore, and it was there and then that the Medfield magic began.

After dinner we began our walk to the school and I watched as family after family arrived to fill up all the seating available in the dining and stage area of the school.  Everyone was laughing and enjoying the moment.

Local businesses had donated a multitude of prizes to the school to be “won” by participating families.  Adults and kids got 10 bingo cards and a marker.  The numbers were announced by a huge video screen and as the winners began calling “bingo,” no adults went forward, only children with the verified winning card   got to pick a toy from the toy table.  Everyone cheered the winner. All of this was free and open to all the children who attended this school.  There was also an raffle in the hallway where adults could buy tickets with all proceeds going to the school.  It was fun and the feeling of connection was joyous. I was feeling better already.

The next day we headed to the National Aquarium located in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, a soothing place about 10 minutes away. The focus of the aquarium now is combating climate change.  There is a huge new element being built to regrow a tidal salt marsh which existed in the harbor before it’s destruction due to industrial waste. This will be a walk-through element outside of the aquarium and open to the public, free of charge during operational hours.  The goal is to attract blue crabs, American eels, Eastern oysters and night herons.  We were able to watch some of the construction and I was once again washed in the feeling of well-being.

When we returned to the house, I found a newsletter on the kitchen table. It shared information that revealed more of Medfield’s magic.  The newsletter was called “The Medfielder,” a monthly publication of the Medfield Community Association.  In it I discovered that Medfield, a district of the city of Baltimore, does a plethora of supportive and innovative things to bring its citizens a good quality of life. Here are examples of just a few of the things the Medfield Association (made up of Medfield citizens) does for and with the community:

• The Baltimore Department of Planning has created a process called INSPIRE (Investing in Neighborhoods & Schools to Promote Improvement, Revitalization & Excellence). This group gathers ideas for community improvements and gives them to the planning commission. Medfield has received grants from this work.
• Any family who receives public assistance can receive a free Chromebook for their children through grants from state and local agencies and programs. The Medfield Association gets the word out.
• The Medfield Association has merchandise available to build community at www.merch.medfieldmd.org for kids and adults. Profits support the group.
• Volunteers from the community deliver the monthly newsletter.
• There are grants available to community members for programming such as yoga, art, exercises, and music in their parks.
• Medfield boasts schools with testing scores above city averages and the neighborhood is adjacent to two well-regarded institutions: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Western High School.  Medfield is one mile from Loyola University Maryland and two miles from Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus.
• Residents from the Medfield, Hampden and Woodbery neighborhoods are collectively exploring the development of a dog park.

Medfield has a population of 2,352 and growing.  The community is intergenerational and family focused. On my daughter’s block all the neighbors with kids often block off the alley for a few hours for playing games, modified sporting events, birthday parties and general fun for the entire block.

Medfield sits in north Baltimore between the trendy Hampden neighborhood to the south and the affluent Roland Park neighborhood to the north. Medfield itself was developed from the 1920’s to the 1960’s and is reflective of classic row house neighborhoods of the era. Medfield survived the urban decline of other areas of Baltimore and reflects its blue collar working middle class legacy with pride. 

I am always made to feel at home when I visit this neighborhood.  I am overwhelmed with the wonderful feeling of community, connection and caring for each other that permeates this urban oasis.  For me it is powerful evidence of the strength of human community which cares for its inhabitants and their quality of life.  Neighbors here watch over each other, support each other in times of need, share joy with each other and live their lives in an interconnectivity that is inclusive of the myriad of races, religions, world views and backgrounds of those who live there.  It is a community that builds well-being, and I for one, raise my hat to them!  They give me hope.

As always,

Yours in well-being,

Sandra (Sandy) L. Place

sandy@asandyplace.com

www.asandyplace.com