Running head COMMUNITY PROFILE 1 Community Profile Learning Team ETH 316 Ethics and Social Responsibility Community Profile 2 Community Profile Social responsibility is the belief of people developing the responsibility toward the greater welfare of society Each individual has his or her beliefs that determine what it means to be socially responsible Each individual team member has selected a community in which he or she is familiar with for the use of defining social responsibility in each community These communities include Champaign Truth or Consequences Mountain View Crossing Lyons and Lubbock By reviewing the profiles of each community the team can determine both their differences and similarities as well as selecting the community that has the most effective social responsibility Differences and Similarities Because every community is different each has a distinct quality that defines its character One difference between the communities presented by this team is through their financial incomes that range anywhere from average to high Age also can be seen as a difference between these communities as these ages range between the mid twenties to mid forties Champaign is a town in Illinois home to the University of Illinois The university houses half of the countries Internet service Lubbock is a town in Texas that serves as the home for innovation and renewable energy sources Although differences are apparent within communities similarities are present as well Truth or Consequences and Mountain View Crossing both show signs of respect Even though there may have been no mention of respect within the individual reports there is no question that respect is not present Communities implement local festivities along with resident appreciation days The purpose behind these gatherings is so residents can become familiar with the people in their community Building a certain type of camaraderie is a result of this interaction With this Community Profile 3 residents can become familiar with the different faces in the community which can aid in the prevention of crimes from individuals who reside within and those who do not Evaluation of the Effects of Socially Responsible Efforts In Bonnie s community of Lyons Illinois she shares that Meals on Wheels is a significant community outreach to those less fortunate and in need of a life sustaining meal Lyons also conducts food drives and hosts charitable giving and volunteerism Cody Martin describes that in Truth or Consequences New Mexico an important social event that honors the community s heritage is its annual Fiesta which began in 1950 and hosts a parade consisting of local business and civic organizations displaying their goods and charitable causes The community within the Mountain View Crossing apartment complex where Armando lives hosts an annual summer cook out where families can interact strengthen their neighborly relationships and share in the morale and excitement that the summer months bring Each tenant also has a responsibility to his or her neighbors by keeping the noise to a minimum and to be respectful of the working and sleeping hours that each person has The town of Champaign Illinois according to Cody Meyer prides itself as a green community Cody describes the streets present with recycling containers charging ports for electric cars solar powered lights and smart buildings He further reports that the citizens are cognizant of doing their part by reducing the amount of power each uses and tries to shop at the local farmers market as much as possible As Mike reports Lubbock Texas is leading the way in the southern plains region of west Texas in renewable energy and strives to serve as a corridor to the nation s alternative energy needs primarily through research at the Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Community Profile 4 Research Center Lubbock is also home to several other educational institutions that strive to shape the nation s future through education and health care development Most Effective Socially Responsible Efforts Not only did the team look at what each community provides to its citizens but also what its citizens provide to the community The community most responsible is Lyons Illinois a small town west of Chicago with a population exceeding 10 000 AmericanTowns com 2011 The community of Lyons has many positives going for them like the local fire and police departments that offer a service to inspect the homes of its citizens The fire department checks for any potential fire hazards and the police will look for any potential threats to home security This ensures the safety of the local population and also serves as a communication line within the community In addition this community holds annual events where the community can come together and interact Such examples are Landmark Day Family Day and Movies in the Park Lorence 2011 The proceeds go back into the community and provide an opportunity for the citizens to come together and celebrate The community of Lyons also holds a monthly meeting for its elected officials where the voters can attend Lorence 2011 Residents can interact with their elected officials and address any concerns or opinions with their community Last the community hosts Meals on Wheels a program to bring meals to senior citizens who cannot support themselves any longer This program comes full circle those who volunteer their time will someday be recipients of the program in the community Even though Lyons Illinois does well for its community there is always room for improvement Because not everyone can attend its monthly meetings one way for improvement Community Profile 5 would be to record the meetings or post them live on the Internet through the city s website This would allow people to more easily stay connected with their electorate The local fire and police departments could improve by hosting a safety fair This would be a more efficient way to educate the people and bring the community closer These departments could also incorporate a cookout for which the benefits could fund city projects Social responsibility is the belief of people acquiring the responsibility toward a greater welfare of society Each member of the team selected a community to profile in which he or she is familiar with Although the communities of Champaign Truth or Consequences Mountain View Crossing Lyons and Lubbock have their differences similarities are also apparent The main similarity