Southside Block Watch finds home at church

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish, 2143 Homewood Drive in Lorain, will become the new home of the Southside Block Watch program.

Leigh McKimmie, captain of the Southside Block Watch, said Rev. John Retar opened the doors of the church to the program on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

“We are very thankful to Father Retar for allowing us to use his church as a designated place for our meetings,” McKimmie said.

The program is still in the beginning stages, as it has only held four meetings to date.

Residents had been meeting at the Lorain Public Library System’s South Branch, 2121 Homewood.

McKimmie started the Block Watch after attending one of the Lorain Historical Society’s charrettes in March.

“I attended a couple of the charrette meetings that engaged the community about helping Lorain, and so I began to think about ways I could contribute,”she said. “I also spoke with the president from the Eastside Block Watch and decided to start one on the south side.”

Since the first meeting, the program has done well with at least 22 people at each setting and six to seven individuals returning for each gathering, McKimmie said.

The block watch program is more than just watching out for crime, she said.

“It’s about bringing the community together to make a difference,” McKimmie said. “There is no community involvement and I am trying to change that.”

She even has an event planned to help paint at Oakwood Park with the Rotary Club and Lorain City Council-at-Large Mitch Fallis the weekend of Sept. 9.

McKimmie also is looking to expand on the other side of Grove Avenue, also known as state Route 57.

“I am looking for people who want to get involved because in order for me to expand, I need more block captains,” she said.

In addition, McKimmie said she is raising money to help fund neighborhood block watch signs for the area.

The Southside Block Watch will hold its fifth meeting Oct. 24 at its new home.