Welcome to the neighborhood!! I was recently in a conversation with someone who said, “Springfield is a city of neighborhoods.” That comment stuck to me like velcro and I think about it a lot. I also often reflect on how diverse our neighborhoods are and I truly believe we should celebrate our diversity. My goal this year is to see our neighborhoods thrive in ’25! There have been so many things to fix and changes to be made that we have had our heads down focusing on what’s wrong. But I am challenging our neighborhoods this year to look up and celebrate the assets in your neighborhood. You may have schools and organizations, businesses, churches, parks and green spaces, streams, bridges, caves, lakes and certainly awesome neighbors. Now, if you haven’t met those awesome neighbors yet, this can be your year!
Neighborhood association gatherings, events and meetings are a very good place to start. You can find your neighborhood information in this newsletter, or on the City’s website at springfieldmo.gov/neighborhoods and by attending a meeting or visit the Facebook page or website for your neighborhood. Whatever helps you connect, take that step and connect. You can always contact me at nac.sgf.658@gmail.com with any questions as well.
We have just completed our first Neat Neighborhoods competition for 2024. These activities alone brought neighbors together to share our desire to be proud of where we live. This was a fabulous experience and helped us connect with those who have an interest in our neighborhoods.
Think about who your stakeholders are. A stakeholder is a person, group or organization with a vested interest, or stake, in the decision-making and activities of a business, organization or project. We don’t have to do everything by ourselves. We don’t have to be limited to the faithful few who do everything. NAC will be offering opportunities to learn how to grow our neighborhood associations. Stay positive about what’s Clean, Safe & Friendly in your neighborhood.
I found some good tips on the website of Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you need some ideas, take a look at these: https://www.cabq.gov/office-of-neighborhood-coordination/neighborhood-toolbox/tips-for-recruiting-volunteers. We are building strong, stable neighborhoods in SGF. Yes, it is a process and takes time and effort, but we can help each other do that by sharing our successes.
With a renewed focus at growing our neighborhood associations, the City’s Planning and Development Department has made some changes with our Great Neighborhood programs. We are about to launch into the next Neighborhood Works grant program season, which is an opportunity to bring capital improvements to targeted areas of our neighborhoods. There are a number of good things on the horizon. Keep your eye on the goal, not to focus on the hurdles we are jumping along the way. We are making progress and our voices are being heard by our City leadership. I am encouraged!