ABOUT US
This website is designed to bring neighbors together by sharing news, events, knowledge, ideas and resources.
We all moved to Glenbrooke with the idea of enjoying this stage of our lives to the fullest. Our sincerest wish is that this website will help you better enjoy your community and neighborhood.
The only requirements for posting are to obey copyright laws and keep it friendly. there are many issues that people will disagree about but we will insist that all posts remain civil.
We are counting on the contributions of neighbors to make this site successful. Submit articles or Contact us at newsofglenbrooke@gmail.com.
9/21/09
The other night, I was asked why I started this website, I used the easy answer; I wanted a place where neighbors could share ideas, get to know one another and be involved in Glenbrooke.
While those reasons are certainly valid, I also needed a sense of purpose and the ability to feel I could still contribute.
When I left my last position, it was with a sense of new adventures, travel and consulting. Those plans dissipated several months later when I suffered a stroke.
I have worked very hard both physically and cognitively to recover. I had to relearn many things - including the value of numbers, how to add and subtract. I spend 2-4 hours a day on cognitive exercises- hey card games count! While I can use the computer keyboard, I still have trouble writing and making letters. Thank goodness for spell check in computers!
I was feeling lost - I was just a consumer in society and had nothing to offer. Then my best friend, Doni Greenberg, suggested I write a blog for her website www.anewscafe.com. I wrote everyday at first. As I wrote, I started to be more comfortable with my limitations. I finally felt I still might be able to do SOMETHING. Doni helped me find my voice again. Then we moved to Glenbrooke.
We didn’t know anyone in the area, let alone the neighborhood. But we quickly found people here are accepting and friendly and I now have a new community.
The experience at anewscafe.com gave me exposure to a tool that can help build a sense of community. So, gather around the virtual “water cooler” to exchange ideas, chat with friends and meet new residents.
It is something I CAN do. I may have to do it in small increments and I need a lot of help correcting errors, typos, grammar and spelling. My new friend our neighbor Vickie Glaser graciously agreed to edit the newsletter. We quickly worked out a system to post GlenbrookeNews.com weekly. Jim Gore is the technical support behind this website - without him, I would still be lost. Doni and all the writers at anewscafe.com are so supportive. I know you will come to love them as much as I do as we have been given permission to reprint their articles.
Is this a business? No, it’s a productive hobby. There is no way I could deal wiith the need for advertisers, structure, or pressure of a business at this stage in my life. GlenbrookeNews.com is limited to THIS neighborhood.
Will we charge a subscription? No, we paid the nominal fee for web hosting and no one gets paid for contributions - so there is no need for income.
Do we want to take over or be in competition with Ourglenbrooke.net (now glenbrookeca.com)? No, I needed a hobby not a job. The HOA website is just that, a HOA website for the business of HOA and is controlled by staff. Recently adopted policy limits resident’s participation and coverage of city or community events.
This is why I started GlenbrookeNews.com. Now I hope you will help by commenting frequently, submitting articles, tips, recipes, notice of upcoming events pictures, your ideas and talent to change this from a website I started to our neighborhood newsletter.
Darcie has a master's degree in Social Work and has worked with diverse populations for over 30 years. She is a stroke survivor and is assisted by Bailey, her service dog. Darcie has been married to Jim since she was 17 years old. They have two grown children, Laura and Jeff, and she loves living in Glenbrooke.
Very professional!
Well done.
I have learned more from just my first reading of your website than I have from reading the 'official' Glenbrooke website for all these months. Good Job! Site is well structured and very readable.
Darcie, it just gets better every day. You're an amazing lady and someone I love to kid around with, great sense of humor. Talking about "spell check", I can't write three sentences without it. You've got what I call "spunk"! (is that a word?) Spell check didn't work on that one!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Darcie and Jim, your website has come to replace, supplant, dominate, loom over, whatever you want to call it, anything our association can ever do. Thank God for freedom of (respectful) speech, too.
You might be amused to know that I was recently "admonished" by a Lodge employee to exercise caution about postings on your website, inasmuch as "people were asking questions" (about Lodge staffing, workplace practices, etc.). My goodness, we wouldn't want people in Glenbrooke to start asking questions! Before you know it, that could lead to an aware, informed resident community - and then they might even want accountability from the hired help!!! Gotta nip this in the bud early - there's no telling where this kind of probing inquiry could lead (but wouldn't you love to find out)!!!
Keep up the good work and thank you for giving us a forum for expressing our concerns.
Thanks for the kind words - I'm pretty happy with the community-building effect the website has. It probably has played a modest role in identifying areas for improvement in our association.
I haven't personally spent any time digging into staffing issues, although I have considered it, just because it's another area that I know little about. I don't know who evaluates employees, what criteria are used, how superior performance is rewarded ( I do think we have some superior staff) , or how they receive feedback on the job they do. I admit to speculating that one reason that staff may take a long time to complete a simple task (like striping the courts), is because they don't have enough to keep them busy and are savoring each task.
On the official HOA website, I think it has improved. Compared to the old one, it's more attractive, faster responding, less expensive and requires less staff time to maintain.
Thanks Peter. I feel I have to comment too. People who know Jim and I know that we often have different opinions – heck we even vote differently-38 years of marriage hasn't changed it one bit
Anyway, I want to say that I started the website because the GCA Board of Directors made the decision to limit their website to only cover GCA business. That’s fine, it is their decision, but it leaves a big void in resident’s ability to communicate with each other or learn about non-association events or community activities.
At this same time, I was feeling pretty worthless, and frustrated that I was no longer able to do anything (with my disabilities). I was spending 2 hours a day on boring, repetitious, cognitive exercises.
Eureka! Perfect solution, we had been a part of developing http://www.anewscafe.com with my friend Doni, and thought, I could maybe do a little on-line newsletter for the residents (with help from Jim).
I can’t remember anything unless I make notes. I can no longer read my writing unless it is typed, I can’t work under deadlines or pressure, spell, or control impulsive behavior (hey, you always know what I am thinking!). It sometimes takes hours to write several paragraphs or depending on energy level, it can take a week to get one article written.
I CAN work on Glenbrookenews a little each day on my own timetable, with spell check, amazing technology and help from a whole bunch of our neighbors and Jim. I have to tell you, it’s sure a lot more satisfying than those boring “brain exercises.” It is a productive hobby.
Glenbrookenews is not in competition with http://www.glenbrookeca.com. The GCA website has a whole different purpose – that of GCA business only. We work together in getting the word out for events (still tickets available, sold out, changes, etc.). We refer to and link to the GCA website.
As a matter of fact, Jim and I sat down with Mina and Erin in 2008 and showed them this format, technology, and what it could do for about $200.00 per year. We again offered it to them when they were looking at the redesign of the GCA website this year. It was clear they wanted/needed a design and tech support geared towards and experienced with Homeowners Associations.
I am disappointed that you were "admonished" by a Lodge employee to exercise caution about postings on your website, inasmuch as "people were asking questions.” No one should feel defensive if I ask questions. Asking questions is a way for me to understand things (I have never lived in an HOA before). This is OUR Association, we are the members, if someone gets defensive and doesn’t want to give us information which we are entitled, it makes me wonder what they are trying to hide.
I don’t see this as my website. I see this as the neighborhood’s website. Everyone is welcome to participate and so many contribute to make it interesting and fun (I loved your skunk story!).
I too, love your website. I look at it every day, even if things have not changed from the day before (they usually have) and I use it exclusively to know what is going on in the neighborhood.
I also was not actually admonished but eyebrows went up when I mentioned posting on your website. It made me want to do it even more.
I am so glad that you found this hobby to keep you occupied because it entertains and informs me as well.
And also, if I may say so, I am glad there is somebody else who cannot spell. I seem to have lost all spelling ability, even easy words sometimes. And the spell checker does not work so well on my email. So people just have to guess at what word I am trying to say. OK, so I never could spell very well in the first place, I have to admit to that. I think I was in some other line when "they" were handing out the spelling gene.
Anyway, thanks again so much to everybody who participates and contributes to this wonderful website.
LOL....don't quiet understand why Peter was "admonished" when he posts very few times. Better you than me though! "Exercise caution", "people were asking questions".......GOOD FOR THEM, that's how you learn. To condemn a web site and limit free speech was crossing the line. We're no different than any other community, a mixture of interests, races, religions and more and would never have a consensus on every issue. That's why it's so interestng to have people comment and give their views......a good discussion is healthy. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to not have this web site? Believe me, there are comments posted that I do not agree with or enjoy reading, just like the evening news or newspapers...all you have to do is turn the page or change channels, didn't do any personal damage that I'm aware of.
We just have to thank Darcie & Jim for giving us this arena to communicate. I'm trying to think how I would feel if I had spent hours and days keeping this web site up and this information was communicated to me, what would I do? I would be deeply hurt for sure, guess it would depend on the support I received, just not sure!
There is a large jar for pennies (and change) at the Lodge. It is for Elk Grove Community Toy Drive. The Toy Drive is organized by both police and CSD fire departments.
the deadline to turn-in the money is Dec.13. If any of the residents are also interested in a full scale toy drive, i would be available to help with that too. A.D. Dopson
I wanted to Thank Darcie for informing me about this website and letting me join in on the Hand and Foot game. Or should I say , Thank you, Jim for that one.
This is just one way to keep everyone informed and I really appreciate it!