Holiday Decorating Contest Winners!

The results are in for Oakhurst's first Holiday Decorating Contest!  It has been a treat to see our neighborhood in lights this holiday season.  Congratulations to the award winners and honorable mentions below, and thank you to all of our neighbors.  Happy holidays!

Winners

1st Place - 2337 Honeysuckle Ave

2nd Place - 2221 Yucca Ave

3rd Place - 1800 Wisteria Ct

Honorable Mentions

1905 Bluebonnet Dr

2128 Primrose Ave

1955 Bluebird Ave

2200 Yucca Ave

2320 Marigold Ave

ONA's Oak Leaflet Wins Another Award!

Last month, at the Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) conference in Memphis, TN, our very own Oak Leaflet was awarded 2nd place!  This is a national award in the category for newsletters, printed format, published 7 or more times annually.

First place went to the Oakwood News of the Historic Oakwood Neighborhood in Raleigh, NC, and third place to the NET News of the Northeast Tacoma Neighborhood Council of Tacoma, WA.  Other finalists included the Dahl Update of Dahlman Neighborhood Association in Omaha, NE; the TONAPU News of the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parent's Union in Omaha, NE; and the South Shore Current of the South Shore Community in Chicago, Illinois.

ONA's Beautification Committee was a finalist in NUSA's Social Revitalization category, as was an East Fort Worth organization.

Congratulations to editor Libby Willis, all of the volunteers that contribute to the Oak Leaflet on a regular basis, and the membership of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association on another national award!

Oak Leaflet Wins Newsletter Award!

Congratulations, ONA, for winning a 2015 Newsletter Award at the annual Fort Worth Neighborhood Awards Luncheon!  President Kathryn Omarkhail and Secretary Glenda Shelton accepted the award.

The citation reads, "For outstanding achievement in communicating news about neighborhood events and issues.  This commitment to your community makes Fort Worth a great city."  This marks the second award in the past 12 months for the Oak Leaflet, which won a national newsletter award from Neighborhoods USA last spring.

Speaking of the Oak Leaflet, you can read the January 2016 issue online.  And read about all of the latest neighborhood awards on the City's website at this link.

Kathryn Omarkhail, left, and Glenda Shelton, right, are joined by District 9
City Councilwoman Ann Zadeh at the Neighborhood Awards Luncheon

Remember to join us for the first ONA meeting of 2016 THIS Thursday, January 14, at 7pm in the Calvary Christian Academy library to hear Liz Casso present a program on economic incentives for landmarked structures!

Liz Casso, City Preservation Officer

ONA Newsletter Receives Recognition from NUSA (Again)!

For the third time, ONA's Oak Leaflet has received national recognition from Neighborhoods USA, placing 3rd in NUSA's annual Neighborhood Newsletter Competition!  The award was presented at this year's annual NUSA conference, held May 20-23 in Houston, TX.

From left: David Collyer, Phyllis Anglin, Fred Anglin, Ad Manager Angela Redding,
Glenda Shelton, ONA President Kathryn Omarkhail, Oak Leaflet Editor Libby Willis,
Printers Larry and Arlene Brown (Instant Reproductions), and Fran Burns.

The award reads, "Neighborhoods USA Neighborhood Newsletter Competition, Print Category, 7 or more issues annually, Oakhurst Neighborhood Association, in recognition of excellence in newsletter design and communication for their publication, THE OAK LEAFLET, May 23, 2015."

Libby Willis has been authoring and editing the Oak Leaflet for almost ten years now, with regular contributions from a small army of fellow Oakhurst residents (those pictured above, as well as past presidents and officers).  Ad Manager Angela Redding and printers Arlene and Larry Brown have also put in a great deal of time over the years to see the Oak Leaflet published.

Thank you and congratulations to all!

Visit the newsletter archive on ONA's website to view past issues of the Oak Leaflet online.

 

ONA Resident Libby Willis Wins Volunteerism Award!

On Thursday, January 31st, the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods held their annual citywide neighborhood awards dinner.  Neighborhood of the Year and several other awards were presented to neighborhood and homeowners associations, as follows:

Neighborhood of the Year:  EastGate Neighbors Neighborhood Association
Fort Worth Pride Award:  Villages of Sunset Pointe Homeowners Association
Spirit of Fort Worth Award:  Ridgmar Neighborhood Association
Community Collaboration Award:  Lake Como Community Churches

In addition, the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods presented the 2012 Ben Ann Tomayko Good Neighbor Award for volunteerism and years of service to neighborhoods to our very own Libby Willis!  Congratulations to Libby on her hard work and service to both ONA and the FW League of Neighborhoods over the years.

ONA Wins Neighborhoods USA Gold Award for Neighborhood Newsletter

Oakhurst Neighborhood Association earned another award from NUSA, this time for its long-running monthly newletter, the Oak Leaflet, now in publication for over 30 years. Thank you to the hard-working volunteers that continue to make the newsletter possible!

Oakhurst Wins National Recognition from Neighborhoods USA

Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) announced winners of its 2011 national neighborhood awards at its conference in Anchorage, Alaska. ONA won second place in the Social Revitalization-Neighborliness Category for its "Connecting Oakhurst—Landscape Series, Revival of Events, and Landscape Column" Project. The first place winner was Fort Worth's Fairmount Neighborhood Association for its Community Garden Project. Winning recognition in the same category was Fort Worth's North Beverly Hills Neighborhood Association for their program assisting seniors in the neighborhood.

The is the second time ONA has won a NUSA award. In 2007, NUSA presented the first place award to ONA in its Multi-Neighborhood Partnerships Category for the Patrol Appreciation Dinner.

Fort Worth Weekly Gives Critic's Choice Award to ONA

In today's column, the Fort Worth Weekly named Oakhurst Neighborhood Association the winner of its Critic's Choice Award for best Neighborhood Group!  The Weekly writes:

Year after year, the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association just northeast of downtown is one of the busiest in the city.  They don’t just talk it, they get out and do it, with monthly meetings, a beautification program, children’s activities, a citizens-on-patrol team, and more.  Oakhurst also puts on barbecues and a Halloween costume contest and gives out a yard-of-the-month award.  This year they’ve also been fighting two issues that leaders think will harm the community: a zoning change that would allow a metal recycling plant nearby and the use of Riverside Park as a floodwater storage area — a plan that would put a chunk of parkland beneath potentially contaminated water for parts of the year.  Now that’s an active group.

Congratulations (and thank you!) to all that have worked so hard to to make our neighborhood association an active, positive influence in our local community.

Oakhurst Named Fort Worth's Neighborhood of the Year Again!

What an amazing honor for Oakhurst to receive the Neighborhood of the Year award a second time! No other neighborhood has ever accomplished this. ONA received 10 street sign toppers as a part of the award, which are proudly displayed in the neighborhood. Thanks to all residents that made this award possible!

Oakhurst Wins National Award!

The Oakhurst Neighborhood Association won 1st place in the Multi-Neighborhood Project Partnerships Category of the National Neighborhood Awards competition sponsored by Neighborhoods USA (NUSA). The award was presented at the National Neighborhoods Conference held at the River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a luncheon attended by approximately 750 attendees.

Libby Willis, ONA President, and Dwight Mason, Citizens on Patrol Captain, represented ONA. A panel of judges selected 4 finalists to compete in the multi-neighborhood projects partnerships category. Finalists, besides Oakhurst, included the Bluff Heights Neighborhood Association of Long Beach California; the Lake Worth Alliance of Fort Worth; and the Island Village Corporation of Detroit, Michigan.

Finalists were invited to make presentations and judging was based on the extent of innovation, grassroots participation and capacity building exhibited by the nominated organization. Oakhurst’s project, the 19th Annual Code Blue Police and Firefighters Dinner held in October 2006, was judged the best multi-neighborhood project partnership for this year. Congratulations, Oakhurst Code Blue, ONA and all Oakhurst residents!

Oakhurst Named Fort Worth's Neighborhood of the Year!

On Saturday, February 3, the Fort Worth League of Neighborhood Associations and the City of Fort Worth named Oakhurst "Neighborhood of the Year" for 2006. This award is the highest honor for neighborhoods and neighborhood associations in the city of Fort Worth. The Oakhurst Neighborhood Association received a $200 check, a plaque, and street sign toppers announcing the award. As neighborhood of the year in Fort Worth, Oakhurst will automatically be entered as a National Neighborhood of the Year candidate in the national "Neighborhoods USA" (NUSA) competition.

ONA President Libby Willis accepted the award on behalf of the neighborhood association from Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. Several Fort Worth city council members (including District 2 Councilman Sal Espino who represents Oakhurst) were also present along with the crowd of approximately 200 neighborhood activists from around the city. Present and former Oakhurst residents helping to accept the award included Glenda Hartsell Shelton, Ginger Bason, Judy Grunewald, John James, Billie Vaughn, Dwight Mason, Doris and Bill Gray and Doyle Willis, Jr.

This is a milestone event in the 25-year life of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association and the 83-year life of the Oakhurst neighborhood. Congratulations to all who have worked to support the association and the neighborhood since ONA's founding 25 years ago!