Similar to the African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child," so, too, it takes a community to run a community association.

Bonnie Hoffman, president of the Belle Grove Improvement Association, needs her community off Belle Grove Road to step forward and fill several roles that will keep the association running smoothly. She also has big ambitions for what she'd like to accomplish if she had more volunteers.

Although Hoffman has some volunteers, she needs more. The community of row homes just south of the city line has had issues for years with gangs, drugs and zoning violations, community activists and state and...