I certainly haven’t kept count, but can say with confidence I’ve repeated some street names in this city over and over. These are streets known not for their thriving businesses or trendy nightlife, but instead for the type of crimes that can send most neighbors running. At the top of the offenses there are drug activity, prostitution and theft. Every now and then there is even a murder. And in one Charlotte neighborhood where all of these things happened, a woman dedicated to her long time home remains hopeful she’ll see a change.

It was 79 years ago when an infant Bette Rae Thomas and her parents moved to Enderly Park. She says it was a wonderful neighborhood of small single family homes, with a farm or two still in operation nearby. Thomas still lives in the impeccably maintained house her parents bought years ago. But much of what’s around her has changed and most would say it’s not been for the better. Thomas, however, holds out an amazing amount of hope.

Thomas is the long time head of the Enderly Park Neighborhood Association. So when the county wanted to build a community center in the area, it made perfect sense to give it Thomas’s name. She’s conducted neighborhood watch patrols, held countless meetings with Police and government officials and never given up hope that her neighborhood can become the place she envisions. Thomas says, “I want it to be a lovely neighborhood that draws young people that want to buy homes and live in them because we’re so close to Uptown. It’s an ideal spot.”

I asked her if she’d ever been a victim of a crime personally. It was earlier this year, after 70 years in her house, she says she heard something that sounded like a gunshot. Police later found a bullet under a chair in her home. Had she been standing in the room where that bullet entered, she says could’ve been hit. Police think it was some type of shooting out on the road, and not intended for Thomas.

She told me about that scare as I interviewed her for a story about city demolitions. She’s lobbied for some in her neighborhood, including the house right next door. She says she’d rather see the old homes repaired, but when that can’t happen, she’d rather they be torn down.

After we talked, I came back and told several people about this woman I’d just met. I found her so inspirational and wondered what I would’ve done in her situation. If I’m being honest, I probably would’ve moved from the area years ago, long before that bullet ever hit my house. But Bette Rae Thomas is tougher than I am. I, for one, hope her dream of a safe and vibrant, crime free neighborhood come true. She’s worked hard for it.