Sunday, January 25, 2015

Message from the President of Genesis Neighborhood Association

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Genesis Neighborhood Association has been incorporated and active since January 2010. Every year since we started, we have attended Palm Beach County Resident Education to Action Program and for two years in a row, we have acquired grants. We have also acquired other funding through our very successful efforts, thanks to local small businesses and resident donations.

This year we are working with the city to identify a city owned property in order to acquire it and install playground equipment within the Genesis boundaries.  We have acquired three corporate sponsors as well as two church organizations that stand in solidarity with our efforts.  We have initiated, developed and maintained a healthy productive line of communication with municipal, county and state elected officials and staff.  Shelly Vanna personally awarded Genesis a certificate of recognition for our accomplishments at a meeting before Genesis was even one year old.

When Genesis had its first meeting, the majority of residents clamored for the paving of the major avenues that traverse our east - west boundaries and speed bumps on A Street.  In 2011, we got our speed bumps after Genesis distributed a petition that acquired a 90% approval from all the residents who lived on A street between 6th and 12th Avenues South.  It took nearly five years of constant attendance to commission meetings, meetings with multiple Directors of Public Services and two different city managers and here we are today happy to announce that 10th Avenue South is no longer a sand dirt road, 8th Avenue south is under construction and 7th Avenue South is a green light to begin paving in 2015!

Countless residents can attest to the assistance, advocacy and compassion and care they have received from Genesis members and the board of directors, one of whom is known as the “Grandmother of Lake Worth.” We are most proud of her testament. We have painted so many homes in our city and county.  This year we will launch our Leocadia Fonseca Endowment Fund which will award a $1,209.00 dollar grant to a worthy Lake Worth neighborhood association that does not have funds to perform a community improvement project of their choice.  A twelve member Board of Directors will vote to approve one application.  This was due to launch this month but with my four major life threatening hospitalizations, the roll out schedule had to be pushed back.  Genesis has also negotiated commercial space that we toured last month in the new La Joya Villages development where we can have our meetings and a Genesis Community Center.

On the eve of our first quarterly meeting in 2015, I extend an open invitation to the board of directors of Memorial Park Neighborhood Association.  They are listed on the NAPC website for approximately a year now but are not legally incorporated nor have they ever held any meetings or yet done anything for the neighborhood.  If they are serious about doing something positive for the community, then I extend my hand in a sincere invitation to join forces with an organization that has a five year track record of amazing results.  We need as many hands on deck to accelerate or progress.  There should be no room for egos or personality conflicts if the common goal of community improvement is sincere.  I will reiterate our willingness to take part in the call for spirit of unity in our city for the New Year.  Let us make a difference as a team! Best wishes,

James Ward and I look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Monday, 6pm, January 26, 2015 at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 928 S. E Street, Lake Worth, FL. Come on out and meet your candidates!

Mark A. Parrilla
Genesis Neighborhood Association, Inc.
Genesis Website

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank You Mark! This city needs a mayor and commission like you who do things! Run for mayor or commissioner, this city needs you. We still have a lot more dirt roads and sidewalks to pave and you can be the man to do it in this city. It is amazing how someone like Mark can do all of this, yet our elected cannot do a damn thing in this city. Thank you Mark for caring and for all you are doing in this city!

Anonymous said...

It is incredible how one NA can do so much for the city. The elected and CRA cannot even do this much. There is supposed to be a report the coverups of CRA's on the PBS Miami Chan 2:
ISSUES REPORTS
with HELEN FERRE
Friday, Jan. 30, 7:30pm
Sunday, Feb. 1, Noon
Sounds like this report is finally showing the real scam that the CRA is pulling over citizens and cities. Pretty sad.

Mark and what he is doing in Genesis is grassroots, he is working miracles in our city, we need more of this. We need someone like Mark as Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Go Mark!

Lynn Anderson said...

"Mark for Mayor"---has a great little ring to it. :) :)

Anonymous said...

Mark can't keep a job for a year, unstable employment history is not a good indicator of a good employee.

Tech Recruiter

Anonymous said...

Please don't bash Mark, he has done so much for this city for years, many years, his history of service to this city and the NA is commendable. I bet if he were our mayor he would prove you wrong in a minute. Some people love to attack others, never looking at all they have done. Mark and his account here of all he has done in this city and his NA is commendable and if he can do this, just think what he could do as a our mayor for the entire city. He cares and that is what matters. Yes Lynn, Mark for Mayor!

Anonymous said...

Gee Mark,since 2005 my neighborhood has been trying to acquire a park for our neighborhood also ! It's called the Sunset property! Lake Worth has done nothing but kick my neighborhood, ROLO, in the ass. Maybe you can talk to them for us. Katie Mcgiveron

Anonymous said...

Katie,
Mark has done so much for this city and his NA, I bet he could help get that park. What we need to do is work on getting Mark to run for Mayor next year and get rid of these cash grab idiots that are in office that do nothing and blame it on not having any money, so many excuses. All the current comm. all only have lots of excuses why they cannot get anything done. Bet Mark could move mountains for us and put his heart and soul into it. He cares. We need people like Mark and Mary L in these office to get this city cleaned up and beautiful the way it was 100 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Mark doesn't play well with others. He proves that over and over. That's exactly what we need for a mayor? Does anyone remember Susan Stanton?

Anonymous said...

Mark doesn't play well with anyone. He changes with the wind.

Anonymous said...

Mark seems to do a lot for our city and his NA. We all have egos, maybe his can be a little inflated at times, but he does it with his heart and the best of the city in mind. Most have huge egos here.

Mark A. Parrilla said...

The jobs I have taken on have purposefully been temporary because I do not need to work for anyone, my own business does quite well for me doing what I love to do, photography and videography. Please try to be informed before making such inaccurate judgements about my work history. I have many stellar reference letters from former employers when I used to work for someone else. The one job I took on to do permanently was unfortunately cut short due to a massive cerebral brain hemorrhage that was supposed to kill me. Have a bless day anonymous.

Wishing you love and peace in 2015 sounds like you need some!

Mark A. Parrilla

Mark A. Parrilla said...

The only time this leopard changed his spots was when I first moved into this city and made the mistake of believing the lies I was told by Cara and her crew. That lasted no more than three months before I did a total 180. I have never wavered from where I stand and my principles and beliefs ever since.

Breezingly,
Mark A. Parrila

Mark A. Parrilla said...

Susan Stanton and I only clashed because with Stanton because of the choice SS made to pay Cara Jennings and Suzanne Mulvehill's campaign manager Annabeth Karson and Shauna Coolican 30k of our taxpayer dollars to do something the Community Relations Board had voted to do for free. Pay to play never sits well for me in city government. We were in a financial crisis, not that there is ever a good time to throw away taxpayer money! Stanton was verbally disrespectful and degrading to so many staff members and to me as well, while volunteering at city hall, on two occasions and I did not return the favor other!

If I did not play well with others I would not have the kind of alliances today that make what I do possible in the city. Your statement has no logic.

Lovingly,
Mark A. Parrilla

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mark for finally responding, you are the man. Would you please consider running for mayor in our city or comm. in dist 1? We need you! Thanks for all you do! You care and that is what counts. God bless you always!

Anonymous said...

Maybe we all need to attend this meeting tonight in Mark's district and support him and make this his campaign kick-off for Mark as Mayor for next year!

Lynn Anderson said...

It's what I've been saying for years, The neighborhood associations are ALL political, for the most part. Too bad and all too sad.

Mark A. Parrilla said...

Lynn Genesis is not political at all. I truly believe that I can get more done as a concerned citizen who cares about helping improve our quality of life, than I ever could if I were to ever run for office and make it. I am in school full time finishing my Bachelors, my photography business is doing quite well and I take care of my Mom and still do my service to Lake Worth. Who could ask for more, not me! I would never run against Pam Triolo or Scott Maxwell. I believe that it is enough for me to honestly care about my community and help others who need it, politics would just get in the way of my passion to serve. I am humbled by all of those who have expressed and encouraged me in this feed and also two years ago when I was approached by a group of residents who insisted I run. I meant what I said in the past since I arrived in this city and that is I do not do what I do seeking political gain or aspirations to political office. I respectfully decline and again thank you for the kind gesture of support. I would rather you come out and support me by volunteering in March, when we paint the next house in Genesis. Or if you would have given a campaign donation make it a donation to Genesis. We will be posting the date next month on our website www.genesislakeworth.org and our Facebook page. We will also send a press release to the blogs and all three local print media so everyone can say in the loop of our efforts. I can not express enough thanks to those of you who have acknowledged my efforts of living up to my grandmothers legacy.

Love,
Mark A. Parrilla