While many Cameron Station (CS) residents might be familiar with the Communications Committee, they might not realize that it is composed of several subcommittees designed to enhance the community and help everyone feel welcomed. It is my pleasure to share how the Communications Welcome Subcommittee came about.
An Idea Is Born
My name is Susan Klejst, and I joined the Communications Committee in 2018. At that time the focus was on the website, The Compass newsletter, and photography around community events, in addition to supporting the CS management staff with community communications. The idea of creating a Welcome Subcommittee was first discussed by the Communications Committee during the spring of 2019, under the leadership of the new Communications Committee Chair, Tricia Hemel. The concept was for a team of volunteers to reach out to new residents and present them with a welcome bag to better help acclimate them to the CS community.
It All Comes Together
I’ve been involved with the Welcome Subcommittee from the very beginning. It took the Communications Committee a few months to plan, design, get Board approval, and produce the components for the welcome bags, which included a newly minted CS folder to organize community handouts and a canvas tote bag to hold everything, which could also double as a grocery tote. Printed resource materials included a colorful CS map, a list of CS amenities, a list of local retailers and restaurants, and other helpful materials provided by local businesses, including Dash Bus schedules, various welcome coupons, and items from local retailers and health professionals.
And Then COVID Hits
The Welcome Subcommittee officially began welcoming new residents in early 2020. The concept was working well for a few months, and then COVID-19 changed everything. People weren’t comfortable with meeting in person or accepting welcome kits. We needed to pivot and figure out the best way to continue communicating with new neighbors without meeting in person. We then turned to writing emails. I created a detailed e-welcome with various web links and pdf attachments that covered all the hardcopy information we had been handing out. Our website volunteers updated the site to include all welcome materials that we could easily hyperlink to, and things moved forward quickly. That template morphed into the Welcome Subcommittee Email Template, which I regularly revise as needed for our welcome volunteer team to disseminate, based on any information updates or changes made to the CS website.
We Came Out Strong
Our team enjoyed the challenge of pivoting around COVID restrictions and creating a helpful (and inexpensive) digital email template that we continue to share with new neighbors. On average, over the past few years we have welcomed about 170 new families each year. The busiest months have been March through September. As the lead member of the Welcome Subcommittee, I’ve been managing the new neighbor volunteer assignments and keeping the welcome email template current. I, along with several volunteers, do try to meet new neighbors in-person after we’ve communicated by email. It really depends on the circumstances and availability.
The Rewards Are Many
I enjoy helping people, and it’s been a great opportunity to utilize skills learned throughout my career while working in the non-profit arena. It’s been fun getting to know the volunteers on the subcommittee as much as it is meeting new neighbors by both email and in-person.
I believe our welcome team volunteers would agree that it’s always a great feeling to receive responses from new neighbors who appreciate the welcome communication and offer of assistance. Many times, we have also helped new neighbors with questions, connecting them to CS management or other CS committees, or Northern VA resources as needed. I have kept in touch with several of the new neighbors welcomed over the years, as well as previous CS Welcome Subcommittee volunteers. It’s so nice meeting our new neighbors and helping them become acclimated to our community.
Meeting and Greeting the Neighbors
I’m excited to share that we hosted our first Welcome Subcommittee New Neighbor Meet & Greet on October 19, 2024, at the Cameron Club. After fine-tuning plans with the Communications Committee and the CS Management team, we invited all new neighbors whom we had welcomed thus far in 2024. We had representatives from the CS Board, CS management, volunteers from each CS committee, and welcome team members. With the success of our first live welcome meet and greet event, we will continue the momentum and host future live events twice a year.
Save the Date
Our next Welcome Meet & Greet will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2025. New neighbors will receive an email invite. The event is open to the entire community.
There are so many good reasons to help welcome new residents to our wonderful community, and we have a great team of volunteers who enjoy doing so. The friendly people, the beautiful, well-built community surrounded by public parks, the easy-to-commute location to the DC metro area, informative weekly communications, fun member activities and events, and all the amenities that CS has to offer make the Welcome Subcommittee’s job easy.
Susan Klejst enjoyed a 28-year career in nonprofit management as the senior development lead for non-profit organizations through resource development startup, change, revitalization, turnaround, and accelerated growth. She achieved significant fundraising success by leading philanthropic efforts that included social service agencies that provided relief and safety resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and membership and environmental organizations, by progressing them from grassroots to 21st century operation.
Susan retired in 2022 as Vice President of Development with the American Horticultural Society based at historic River Farm in the Mount Vernon section of Alexandria in Fairfax County, Virginia. Prior to relocating to Virginia and Cameron Station more than ten years ago, she and her family resided in New Jersey. She enjoys living in the CS community with her husband, Steve. They are thrilled to be grandparents and enjoy spending time with their family.
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