It is extremely common when meeting someone for the first time to ask them where they live. I am from Wheeling, West Virginia, and so when asked this question, I would always answer, “In Woodsdale, on the way to Olgebay Park”. Woodsdale is a neighborhood that is part of the city of Wheeling, and Oglebay Park is a state park that has been in existence (first a family farm and then it was later donated to the state) for over 100 years. In Florida, when you ask someone where they live, you will usually get the name of the subdivision they live in. When I first moved to Florida, I thought it was kind of sad to not see a lot of what I considered “real neighborhoods.”
The Celebration Community
Now that I have been in Florida for more than 7 years, my opinion has been altered as I have experienced more people and places. The idea of community does not necessarily have anything to do with whether or not the area was a planned unit development (subdivision or not).
It has more to do with how it was laid out to encourage personal interaction and how the people that make up that community participate in it. With that being said, I have experienced a wonderful sense of community and neighborhood by
living in Celebration.
Celebrate a Sense of Home
The first thing that people seem to notice when entering the town of Celebration is the white picket fence. Whenever we return from a trip, we get that sense of “home” as soon as we see it. As a family with a young child, we take full advantage of all Celebration has to offer; we spend time at the parks meeting other families; use the bike paths to see the birds and other wildlife in the area; walk downtown on the trails to eat dinner or have ice cream; and of course, we are only a couple of miles from Walt Disney World. We have enjoyed this immensely, but I think one of the best aspects of Celebration is the people, our neighbors.
Nectar’s Community Involvement
I am the current president of the
Women’s Club of Celebration. This is a non‐profit organization that raises funds to support local charities for women and children. Most of our fundraising efforts go to the Osceola County Help NOW, which is a battered Women & Children’s Shelter in our County. Many times I have gone on our public town forum to ask for milk donations, volunteers for events, and clothing for the shelter, and I have always been humbled by the outpour of support that I have gotten from Celebration residents. They have time and time again been willing to donate items as well as their time.
On December 4th and 5th, WCC has our annual fundraiser where we get all of our funds to help the aforementioned charities. Seven Celebration families have graciously agreed to allow people to walk through their beautifully decorated homes as part of our 13th Annual Holiday Home Tour. People purchase tickets to do the tour and support our causes. It is amazing to see people look forward to the tour every year and are willing to purchase tickets, volunteer to stand in the homes, or donate items we may need to be successful.
