Looking at a calendar, every one of us can say that we are busy. Our jobs, families, friends and various involvement take up our days. The reality of not having enough time to spend with the ones we love can sometimes take away from our desire to build new relationships with our neighbors. In order to overcome this often-felt detachment, our goal is to bring neighbors together, celebrate the work we all have done and share ideas for the future.
What was amazing to see on the last Thursday in August is what small acts of kindness can do to improve the atmosphere around us. Just under 200 neighbors gathered to celebrate our neighborhood and build community. While some of our neighbors talked about positive experiences in the neighborhood, others shared stories of recurring bats in their apartments and fear of walking on poorly-lit streets at night. And as for improvements that can be made in the future, almost everyone praised SDCDO's efforts to organize community events. One of the biggest takeaways was that block parties make our neighbors feel safe and accepted.
Another amazing detail about the August Block Party was that, aside from neighbors, local businesses, city officials and volunteers came together to help with food, music, and entertainment. There are a lot of things that make this world go 'round but none quite like music. Seeing many of our community members enjoy the sounds of Bibianna & Json Martin, as well as 23rd Vibration Band, was incredible. Delicious food kindly provided by Lulu's on N and chalk drawings on the sidewalk made for a really special block party.
There is no doubt that our lives are busy and that we are usually more tired than we would like to be. Yet, every minute spent at an SDCDO's block party is a minute that gives us more life and energy.
On September 26th, our neighborhood came together again.
150 generously donated mini Runzas. 60 Juju's sliders. A shared meal cooked by 4 Everett Family Literacy parents. A veggie van from Community Crops. 2 volunteers. A button making machine that put a smile on the faces of many children. Live music from the Andes as the sun fell on our neighborhood. A chalk-painted sidewalk. 7 resident surveys. 11 voter registrations.
175 happy neighbors.
These numbers are only a glimpse into what community events mean to our neighbors. Real success is in authentic conversations and shared laughs. Block parties like these help us share our services, talk about affordable housing and neighborhood safety, as well as make it known that your quality of life comes first to us.
Check out the full reports with our findings at the links below:
