Get Involved With CA
This article is published at The Villager, November 2016 Issue.
Dr. Chao Wu
The Columbia Association (CA) has been actively involving community members to participate in Columbia’s operations and visions. CA has twelve resident advisory committees that serve this purpose: information technology, sport and fitness, health and fitness, aquatics, tennis, golf, green, watershed, art center, international and multiculture, senior, teen and middle school. CA staff has recommended phasing out the sport and fitness advisory committee, suspending the health and fitness committee, and combining the golf committee and green committee into one committee. The main reasons for these recommendations are the low participation rate. The goal is to improve the efficiency of the advisory committees by clearly stating staff liaison’s responsibilities, improving committee operations, and using annual reports to inform the CA Board of progress.
These advisory committees are very important for board members to have a better understanding of a wide scope of topics. Personally, I participate in the International and MultiCulture Advisory Committee. Recently we formed a new sister city partnership with Haiti. We are working to form a new partnership with a city in China. Columbia is a very diverse community and we value the multicultural environment. I believe better engagement with the world is very valuable to our future.
So please volunteer to join one of CA’s advisory committees and advocate for matters of interest to you. It is in our community’s common interest to have residents serve in this capacity. It will help you and help others. Your services will be greatly appreciated.
Recently, the student member on the River Hill Community Association’s Board of Directors and River Hill High School senior, Jennifer Zhang was awarded a 2016 Maryland Governor’s Service Award. This is a great honor for her and our community. Ms. Zhang has devoted several hundred hours to the River Hill community during her four years of service on the Association’s Teen Advisory Committee and Student Member Committees. Congratulations Jennifer and thank you!
When this message is delivered to you in November, there is a great task for you to complete. Please vote in the general election. I have experienced four presidential elections and this election is unique in many aspects. It may define different paths for this country. Please make sure you take time and vote on Nov. 8, 2016 or before.
We will see changes are coming in different ways. Your engagement in various issues are defining or shaping those changes. So please get involved, in a big or small way.
Your feedback to my articles is greatly appreciated. Let’s stay involved with each other.
Thanks.
Chao Wu, Ph.D.
River Hill Representative to Columbia Council and Columbia Association Board of Directors
Email: chaowu2016@gmail.com Website: http://chaowu.org
Disclaimer: This letter only represents Dr. Chao Wu’s personal opinion. It does not represent River Hill Board of Directors nor Columbia Association’s Board.