Positively Bella Vista: Positive impression

Photo submitted Members of the Facebook group, Positively Bella Vista, posed for a photo before stacking the wood that was donated by Bunting Tree Service to help a neighbor. They are Jo Lowrey, Chris Taylor, Steve Montz, Josh Soto, Joe Becker, Josh Bunting, Dixie Jenkins-Montz, Tom Ross, Jaylen Macy, and Kolla Bunting.
Photo submitted Members of the Facebook group, Positively Bella Vista, posed for a photo before stacking the wood that was donated by Bunting Tree Service to help a neighbor. They are Jo Lowrey, Chris Taylor, Steve Montz, Josh Soto, Joe Becker, Josh Bunting, Dixie Jenkins-Montz, Tom Ross, Jaylen Macy, and Kolla Bunting.

The founder of the Facebook group "Positively Bella Vista," has been surprised by the direction the 1,200-member page has gone.

Chris Taylor created the group last summer in reaction to the negativity expressed by some of the existing groups.

"We set it up without knowing where it was going," he said, and it's gone in a direction that's a little unexpected.

Besides giving Bella Vista residents a chance to post and comment on the good news in the area, it's also opened up volunteer opportunities.

It started, Taylor remembered, when one of the regular posters mentioned a neighbor who had been cited for an unmowed yard. The owner of the yard wasn't able to do the work, so a couple of the group members suggested they should just do it themselves.

Another post mentioned a dangerous situation where young children were playing under some dead limbs. A member of the group runs a tree service and was willing to donate some time to deal with the limbs.

Taylor said he had been looking for a way to help his community, so he was happy to volunteer some time. What he didn't expect was the camaraderie.

"We've had a great time," he said, and it's not always the same volunteers. Each project draws a few new people.

"It's a great way to get out and meet people," he said.

After the group started to grow, Taylor and his wife, Barbara, needed some help -- so they started recruiting volunteer moderators. Jo Lowery was already moderating several groups of E-Bay and Etzy sellers when Taylor asked her.

"It's been amazing," she said.

The moderators keep an eye on the posts and make sure they stay positive, but it's not difficult, Lowery said. People appreciate the group's attitude and are mostly willing to obey their rules. In six months, Lowery banned only one person.

A few people have gotten warnings, she said, and at least one of the ones she warned explained that they didn't realize they were posting on the Positively page.

Lowery believes that some other community pages that are often negative and sometimes a little mean will actually drive newcomers away from Bella Vista. Positively Bella Vista will have the opposite effect.

Neither Taylor nor Lowery is worried about people taking advantage of the group's volunteerism. Taylor usually drives by a home before he brings volunteers over, but he doesn't do much other research.

Lowery depends on karma to keep people from taking advantage of their neighbors. They're the ones, she said, that have to face themselves in the mirror.

Their most recent service project came about when someone posted in a different Facebook group that his firewood -- needed for heat -- had been stolen. Josh Bunting of J.C. Bunting Tree Service offered to donate some wood, so word went out to the Positively group and on a cold Saturday morning, seven or eight members gathered to unload and stack the wood. Lowery brought hot coffee.

Anyone can have a difficult time, Taylor said, and he knows that many people are uncomfortable accepting help. But that doesn't stop him from helping.

Meanwhile, Lowery is looking at a recurring volunteer opportunity, picking up litter along U.S. Highway 71. She's been in touch with the city and with other volunteer groups that have worked there in the past.

There is also a social aspect to Positively Bella Vista. The moderators have already gotten together and found they enjoy each other's company.

Although they have more than 1,200 members, they're considering an open invitation to meet at an area restaurant, Lowery said. Next summer, they will probably host a cookout at Blowing Springs.

General News on 02/15/2017