It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to Beverly-Mt. Greenwood Patch. 

This is an exciting day for a number of reasons. This marks the very first Chicago neighborhood site for Patch. When we began to think about new areas that would make for a great Patch town, this neighborhood immediately came to mind. 

At its core, Patch is about bringing a community together. It is about informing people and providing an outlet to share and discuss news, events, local business and community efforts in one easy-to-use venue.

From day one, I knew we were in for an exciting ride. Beverly, Mt. Greenwood and Morgan Park are just brimming with passionate residents who care deeply about their neighborhoods and the people who call them home. 

I want to tell your stories. I want to demand answers to your questions and solutions to your problems. Most of all, I want to give you a place where you can share your expertise, discuss your community's issues, celebrate its triumphs, and work to build an even stronger neighborhood. 

There are an endless number of ways you can become involved with Patch and contribute to this site. A one-way flow of information is not how things will be done here. 

Residents and groups from other South Side neighborhoods are more than welcome to contribute. I absolutely encourage you to use the site and its many tools. 

You can start your own blog on the in our Local Voices section. There you can share information about what's important to you. Everything from local organizations to youth sports and mom advice to political issues is fair game. If you care about it, you can write about it.

Our events calendar is open to everyone to post their groups or organizations event information. Use it to post garage sales, fundraisers, benefits and anything else the neighborhood might be interested in.  

Leave reviews of your favorite businesses in our Places Directory and add your own announcements to the site. 

There are a number of ways you can keep up with the us. Our Facebook page is off and running, and for all you Twitter users we are there as well. Make sure you sign up for the newsletter so you can get the latest scoop delivered right to your inbox. The breaking news alerts are always a useful favorite. 

I want the site to reflect its audience. Part of that is giving you the tools to add your own information. The other part is my own reporting. Feel free to reach out to me at anytime with story ideas, questions or concerns. I love hearing from readers. Drop me a line at: Daniell@patch.com 

In the meantime, feel free to use the comment section of this post to offer your own story suggestions or ask questions about Patch and the ways you can use it.