Where I Live: Berkshire Brings Residents Together In Trying Times

Arlington TX

23 August, 2021

4:21 PM

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By Brooke Colombo, Fort Worth Report August 22, 2021 For this edition of Where I Live, several residents of the Berkshire community came together to provide a collection of essays on what their neighborhood means to them. Carolina Rey is a high school student in Fort Worth. She and her family moved here in 2011. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)Carolina Rey: Berkshire builds communityMy parents' dream has always been to build their own house. My mom has a degree in architecture, and when we finally bought the land from American Legend, she enjoyed customizing the different aspects of our future home. When I was 12, we finally moved in after about nine months of construction. We were so excited to move into a house we had built just for us. We immediately noticed that Berkshire had an amazing sense of community and family life. It was such a different atmosphere compared to the other places I've lived. Even the small things make such a big difference here. We have a Facebook group for the neighborhood, and in it there's a section where everyone with pets puts a picture of them and their contact information in case they ever get lost. There have been so many instances where someone's dog has snuck out and a family has found it and posted about it to find the owner. It's helped a lot of people keep their pets safe, including our dog, Hope. The group is also a great way to meet neighbors since there is always someone hosting some activity, whether it's a workout class, a cooking class, or someone looking for a babysitter. I've met so many families through it. I babysit for multiple families in the neighborhood, and I have met all of them through the group. There are specific moments that come to mind when I think of what we've done for each other, one of them is from right after the February storm. Our neighborhood was hit hard. We lost power for days, and it was incredibly frustrating. While all my friends were having rolling blackouts, we were all stuck inside with no electricity and heat for days on end. Not once did the power come on. During this time, we all kept each other updated on the Facebook page. We helped each other where we could and continued to do so throughout the aftermath of the storm. Many of the houses in the neighborhood were flooded, and some people's roofs even caved in. My family came back from a hotel to our water heaters broken. There were many of us that also had this problem, and heaters were out of stock almost everywhere. This meant my family had no way to take showers, and we had to boil water constantly to use. We finally found a water heater, but it would take about two weeks to deliver. During this time, our neighbors volunteered to let us shower at their house. This made such a difference for us! My brother and I had to go to school every day and we couldn't have gone if it wasn't for them. There were also men in the neighborhood that checked people's houses for flooding when they were still out of town and tried to fix the heaters as best as they could. Those few things are just a few examples of how Berkshire always comes together to help each other through tough times. Here at Berkshire, we are family, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Carolina Rey is a student who has lived in Fort Worth since 2011. She is originally from Rhode Island and enjoys all the things there are to do in Fort Worth. SJ Jumonville and her son Logan pose for a photo outside. The two have lived in the neighborhood for about a year. (Courtesy: SJ Jumonville)SJ Jumonville: Putting down new rootsGrowing up in my hometown, my neighborhood was full of families with kids my age. I remember riding bikes up and down the streets with all the kids from the block, long summer days spent at the pool, and the playground. My career took me away from my hometown, moving from state to state every few years. I longed for my son to have the same tight-knit community upbringing that I had as a child. When the opportunity presented itself to move back to Texas, I searched many communities until I found Berkshire. It fit all my criteria, including a top-rated school district. Our evenings are spent riding our bikes throughout the neighborhood on the bike paths or fishing in the community fishing pond, afternoons swapping between the community pool and the park. I know that if I ever need a helping hand, our community steps up to the task. For example, during the snowpocalypse earlier this year, families kept in touch to ensure that other neighbors were safe. Anything from batteries and water to larger things such as gas and generators were shared to safeguard others' well-being. From the neighborhood amenities to the neighborliness of the families around me, I know that my son will have the same community upbringing that I did living in Berkshire. SJ Ellis Jumonville is a High Volume Recruiter for JPMorgan Chase & Co., her regions include Indiana and Kentucky. She and her 13 year old son Logan, have lived and played in the Berkshire neighborhood since early 2020. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.