Sentinels guard Charlotte County neighborhoods
SUN PHOTO BY DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@sun-herald.com
Neighborhood Marine Watch founder Bill Guenther has 80 like-minded citizens who volunteer their time to patrol canals in Punta Gorda Isles. Guenther said the group has helped to curb crime along the city's canals since being founded three years ago.
SUN PHOTO BY DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@sun-herald.com
Members of the Adorn Avenue Neighborhood Alliance listen to Port Charlotte Middle School principal Demetrius Revelas give a presentation during their monthly meeting Tuesday. The group has more than 40 members.
SUN PHOTO BY DREW WINCHESTER, dwinchester@sun-herald.com
Signs like these, provided by the Charlotte County Sheriff''s Office, let potential criminals know the neighborhood is being watched by its own residents.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY — There were two times when suspicious vehicles passed through the Adorn Avenue neighborhood and it didn’t sit well with homeowners. It was a warning sign for Valerie Van Valen, who didn’t want to see the wrong element start to get comfortable in a place she cherished so deeply, so she decided to do something about it.
At the first meeting in the Van Valen home, there were 15 like-minded neighbors who felt as passionately about the issue as Van Valen did. They wanted their way of life to remain both safe and viable, and they also wanted to take care of themselves, to be responsible for their own homes. It was then that the Adorn Avenue Neighborhood Alliance was born.
