Growing up in Eastmoor was not our choice. Our parents moved here in 2001 after being persuaded by their family that it was a great place to raise kids. Eastmoor is a place where the kids walk to school, hand-me-downs are dropped off on your porch, neighbors walk the neighborhood, and generations return to raise their families. Just two weeks after our parents moved in, they realized they made the right decision when, after Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen’s house fire, clothes, food and furniture appeared on their porch.

Just like 22 years ago when they moved in, this community has supported us as well. We have had lemonade stands, sponsored our T-Ball team at St. Catharine, bought Girl Scout cookies, and bought raffle tickets for our St. Charles football team. When the Eastmoor Pool needed repairs, they opened their patios to host a fundraiser to keep it the last community-owned pool in Columbus. For many summers, this neighborhood has supported us as we operated Lawler Lawn Care around our busy sports schedules.

Our favorite memories are cold, early morning swim practices at Eastmoor Pool, playing in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning on the Virginalee Circle, playing wiffle ball in our front yard with the neighborhood kids, riding to our bikes to Main Street, walking in a pack with over 30 friends down Harding Road to school at St. Catharine, walking home with a funnel cake from Funfest, and learning why in the fall our Jewish neighbors campout in their backyard.

While growing up in Eastmoor and attending St. Catharine, Bishop Hartley, St. Charles and Ohio University we have realized just how special this close-knit community has been for us. Eastmoor may not have all the fancy, flashy things that other communities have but it has the one important thing, people that care. The people of Eastmoor have made us better people and we would not trade it for anything. In many years, when we return to Eastmoor for FunFest with our kids, it will be that place where people will know our name because Eastmoor is HOME.

Photo by @OBXislandphotgraphy