“I felt very proud to accept the award on behalf of the Neighborhood Association and I think it is really a reflection of how a small group of people who band together as a team can effect so much positive change in such a short amount of time,” Siouxie Boshoff said.

Siouxie Boshoff stepped up as president of the Old Clearwater Bay Neighborhood Association last November. Previously, the Neighborhood Association had not been active and it took some crime occurrence to bring the neighborhood together. There was a discussion about reactivating the board in the area, and Siouxie, who lives and works in the area, volunteered her time. “Obviously I have a vested interest in the area doing well so I decided the right thing to do was to take more responsibility,” she says.

Currently the Neighborhood Association is active with social events and community awareness projects. They put on an anti-drug march with the North Greenwood Neighborhood Coalition, and a big all day Seafood Festival in March. “It was a blast,” Siouxie says. The Mayor, city council and city employees even attended. “The neighborhood is definitely improving. Neighbors know neighbors.”

Upcoming events for the Neighborhood Association include the next association meeting on September 1st where they will go over hurricane preparedness and evacuation route, “so members of our community and neighborhood are prepared for the hurricane season,” explains Siouxie.

The Old Clearwater Bay neighborhood is located south of Venetian Point, west of North Fort Harrison Avenue, east of the intercoastal waterway and north of Cedar Street.