If optimism could be bottled and sold, Amanda Olsen would be a very wealthy woman, except she’d likely give it away for free. Her optimism is matched only by her generosity, and we all benefit.
Days after giving birth to her second son, when most of us would spend any spare second sleeping, Amanda was at the mic at our AGM convincing people to volunteer for the pop-up shop team (which she was leading at the time). She puts her hand up over and over and inspires others to follow.
Amanda Olson, aged 37 and 1/4 (Adrian Mole is one of my fave literary characters).
One thing people don’t know about me is…
By day, I help put books on your shelves. I work for a publisher, but sadly, I can in no way whatsoever help get your novel published.
I moved to Danforth East ….
Four years ago this summer. I was determined to buy a house in Leslieville because I liked the restaurants and shops. On a whim, we decided to check out a place further east than I thought acceptable. We can’t get over our luck of landing in such an amazing neighbourhood.
One change I’ve seen over the years….
Everyone will say the more vibrant retail strip, so I’ll point out the increase in community involvement. We have a Visioning group the size of a small army; we see more people come out to the DECA meetings; the board is at full capacity. It’s a great time to live in Danforth East. And of course those gains on the retail strip have been a big part of the increases in the overall community cohesion!
My advice to new neighbors is.…
Get on the DECA Diaries blog mailing list. Sign up and you’ve just become part of a community in a single click. I’m forever grateful to my friend Janina for passing on this advice when I first moved here.
The thing I love most about Danforth East is…
The local retailers. I love being able to go to the butcher to pick up dinner from Carmen, then wave hello to Houman, the owner of Bella Lite (1989 Danforth Ave, just east of East Lynn Park), and his daughter on my way home. Houman just installed the perfect chandelier in my dining room and now that he knows my style he’s on the look out for something for my hallway. If you haven’t been in yet, you really need to check it out next time you need lighting fixtures.
My biggest local pet peeve is.…
Storefronts that aren’t accessible. The places being used for non-commercial purposes drives me bananas. They make their neighbours’ attempts to attract customers that much harder.
My neighborhood secret is.…
Lunch at Grumbles Deli (290 Main St, south of Danforth) after an hour of torturing my boys with swimming lessons. Mother and daughter, Franzi and Denise, are lovely and the sauerkraut passes muster with my husband–he comes from Latvian stock and knows his pickled foods. Remember to go to the bank machine across the street, though, as it’s cash only.
The thing I’ve done as a DECA board member that makes me most proud is….
I dabble in a bit of everything, but I do love being a @DECAdiaries tweeter and helping share the news about the hood. I’m also particularly proud of the Danforth East Dreams event I helped put together last spring. 400 neighbours came together to talk about what they wanted the neighbourhood to be and we could make those changes happen. Everyone was engaged and excited. The atmosphere was electric. And the map of the giant map of the hood plastered with hundreds (Yes, we recorded them all!) was the tangible proof.
This year, I hope to finally ….
Help our fearless Volunteer & Membership leader, Jane, get organized about emailing volunteers on a regular basis when people need help on projects, big or small. By year end, if the same 5 people don’t have to put up posters for every event, then I’ll bust out the good sparkling wine.
My final word….
Sign up for the #DanforthEast Garage Sale, June 13! It’s a blast and will just get better the more people participate. Last year I teamed up with a neighbour since neither of us had enough stuff to do a sale on our own. We played music, got to see our neighbours, spelled each other off to do some shopping. You can even donate your leftovers to charity. Email Bruce, deca.yard.sale@gmail.com, if you want to help out. The more, the merrier (see Goals answer). Sign up here: http://danfortheastcommunityassociation.com/yard-sale/
Good for you Amanda, good for all of you. Lots of potential still to grow creatively. Some great retail gems already. Take pics – the street will look different in 5 years!