When Harrisburg resident Dan Fulton first heard about his neighborhood association, Midtown Action Council (MAC), he wasn’t all that interested.
His neighbor had to drag him, a self-professed introvert, to his first meeting, but Fulton soon began volunteering at cleanup and beautification events.
Fulton never would’ve thought that he would serve as an officer and later board president for the group. But there was a need for a leader, so he became one.
However, attendance at MAC events was waning and fewer people were volunteering for leadership positions on the board. At the same time, Fulton was feeling burnt out in his role and was ready to take a step back.
“I quickly realized that, not only were we not going to find a new president, but we were losing most of our officers,” he said. “It’s not just a MAC problem. It’s a problem that a lot of [nonprofits] are going through.”
However, Fulton didn’t want to completely dissolve the group. He wanted the neighbors to still have a place to plug into, and he definitely didn’t want MAC’s history as the oldest continuously operated neighborhood association in the city, dating back to 1977, to be lost.
So, he called up Hannah Witwer, president of the board for Friends of Midtown (FOM), another neighborhood group, and the two groups formulated a plan.
Just recently, MAC and FOM merged to form one unified organization for the Midtown neighborhood. The now-expanded group has joined as one board, operating as Friends of Midtown, while incorporating MAC’s history into its own.
“It was a very bittersweet thing,” Fulton said. “I was very emotional about it because I’ve invested a lot in MAC. But it’s a good example of two nonprofits making it work. It’s really a good combination.”
For Witwer, the merger was a “no-brainer” as the two groups hosted neighborhood cleanups and events together previously, which always went well.
“We all want to revitalize Midtown and plan fun events and keep the community beautiful,” she said.
Good Bunch
In the past, both groups essentially functioned the same. The main difference: MAC’s boundaries included a smaller section of Midtown.
FOM spreads across an expansive area—from N. Front to N. 6th streets and from Forster to Maclay streets. And while MAC membership included everyone who lived in the neighborhood, FOM asks for a membership fee to support its activities.
The merger will help the groups combine resources and eliminate competition for grants and funding.
“It’s going to help the community by having one group focused on Midtown,” Witwer said.
Six former MAC members have since joined Friends of Midtown’s board, and the transition has gone smoothly, Witwer added.
Ed Jaroch joined MAC as an officer a few years ago and decided to transition onto FOM’s board after the merger. Jaroch has participated in many neighborhood cleanups and said that he looks forward to helping with Friends of Midtown’s events.
“I fully supported the merger,” Jaroch said. “They’ve got a good bunch of people at Friends of Midtown. I’m looking forward to working with them.”
Friends of Midtown hosts trash cleanups, landscaping projects and other community service activities. They also hold candidate debates and forums for those running for local office. Their Midtown Makers Series has been running since April and continues this month with opportunities for the community to take classes from local artists.
This summer, Friends of Midtown will take over Midtown Cinema’s parking lot each month for its annual Outdoor Film Series featuring family-friendly films on the big screen.
And while Fulton understands how hard it can be to put yourself out there and get involved in a group like FOM, through his years of volunteering, he found that it was worth it.
“To me, the best part was getting to work with my neighbors and meet new people,” he said. “It’s important to have an organization that is here to support the community and take care of things.”
Fulton will not hold a leadership position with Friends of Midtown, but still does plan to be involved in community events.
Witwer and Jaroch encourage Midtown residents to get involved with the neighborhood group, if they haven’t already, as it gives residents a way to invest in and make a difference in their community.
Considering the recent merger with MAC and the new board members, Witwer feels hopeful about the future of Friends of Midtown.
“It’s been re-energizing,” she said. “We are stronger together and can do more now. MAC did so much good for the neighborhood for so long. I’m so excited for what we can do together.”
For more information about Friends of Midtown, visit www.friendsofmidtown.org.
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