In North Camden, six neighborhood billboards are changing the message – promoting positive messages, events, and resources for the community! Tired of seeing negative ads for funeral homes, cheap divorce, and alcohol on North Camden’s billboards, CLHI Executive Director Betsy Clifford started “Change the Message” in January of 2017. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great for kids to see a back-to-school billboard, or for families to see more of the programs available in their neighborhood?”” said Betsy. “I was standing at Ms. Mary’s barber shop (What’Ser Names Place) at N. 7th and Elm, staring at negative ads on those two billboards, with graffiti on the store-front and the building and just thought ‘This is the first thing people see when they come into North Camden. We’ve got to do better.’ And we did. Check out the photo below.
Since January, CLHI has posted over 50 positive billboards in the neighborhood – sharing resources from Parents for Great Camden Schools, the Camden City School District, Respond, Inc., the Camden Community Development Association, the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, Connect the Lots, the Block Supporter Initiative, Decorative Board Up, and Camden-Corps – and promoting positive messages like “New Year, New You!,” “Celebrate Spring in North Camden!,” and “Happy Fall, North Camden!”
Through this program, anyone can apply to have a positive billboard posted for free through the Change the Message Application, accepted monthly by CLHI. Guidelines can be found on the first 2 pages of the application. So, if you have good news to share with North Camden, reach out to us!
