There are always conversations I am overhearing about how little there is to do in Merced, how people don’t care about the youth, how Merced is “Merdead”. Yet, as I was looking at the schedule this weekend I was amazing once again at the many things that are going on in Merced and the community support that is there for activities for our young people. Every time a community member comes out to fund raiser they are saying “we care” and we want to invest in the programs. There was the Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser - we care about our youth. There was the NAACP Fundraiser - we care about dismantling racism and social injustice. There were church services across the city inviting people in community - we care about your isolation. There was recovery groups to to help be connected and have a support system that states: we care - you are not alone. There were community clean ups to state to the neighborhood - we are in this together. There was homeless outreach - we care that you don’t have a place called home. There were “Hocus Pocus” parties going on everywhere inviting people to come together. There were restaurants filled with people and servers who cared. There were movies shown to give us a break from reality. There were car shows and destruction derbies to bring people together. There were sports events everywhere you looked to keep youth and adults physically engaged. There were kids playing in the streets and on playgrounds. I know I missed a ton of things, but it was just a sampling of what happens on any given weekend in Merced County.

Merced is a city, a county, that has so much to offer and our (yours and mine) engagement makes the place an even better place. While I, personally, can’t be at every event, or support every cause, I do want to express my support for the amazing organizations in the County, the many people who care, who invest their time, energy and giftedness to enhance our neighborhoods.

I am working on a book “Stories from the neighborhood”and wish I could record every one of these stories, these connections, these amazing opportunities to make Merced County a place where all people can thrive.

YES!!! Is the answer to “anything good happening in Merced?”