BY GAIL SUMMERS
Special to The Insider
The Seven Lakes North and South National Neighborhood Watch Program is about to celebrate its first anniversary.
Despite a couple of false starts, this program has been going since the middle of June 20, 2023. Within the first few days, an application was made and approved for us to be part of the National Neighborhood Watch Program.
A private Facebook page was started so the Watch members could communicate in private. A Seven Lakes Safety Group page was started to keep non-members informed as much as possible as well as offering tips on topics such as phishing, email and phone scams, personal safety, making your cell phone safer from hackers and more.
The Neighborhood Watch program is atypical in that we can do more than just help with prevention or watch for criminal activities. Yes, we have successfully stopped speeders, slowed down underage drinking and drug use and held classes on crime prevention, how to better secure your home, what to do if you have been vandalized or burgled. We also partnered with the Seven Lakes Fire Department for free smoke detector checks.
However, living in a gated community like Seven Lakes North and South, we are more than just a neighborhood, we’re family. That is why our Neighborhood Watch program also fixes meals for the sick, provides transportation to those who need it, helps with housework or yard work. We even instituted a program for the elderly to “check in” at a certain time of day of their choice. If we do not hear from them, someone goes to their house to make sure they are OK.
We hold monthly meetings at the North clubhouse on the third Thursday of each month. For convenience, you can choose to come at 10 a.m. or 7 p.m.
Even if you call 911, call Neighborhood Watch at (910) 975-2339. We have a 24-hour phone line where you can report anything you see or hear that you deem unusual. Neighborhood Watch “See it, Hear it, Report it” forms are on the Seven Lakes Community Website and the SevenLakes SafetyGroup FaceBook page.
Gail Summers is leader-liaison of the Seven Lakes North and South Neighborhood Watch Program
