In a growing city like Springfield, each of its 21 registered neighborhoods has its own personality and history.  However, they all share three common traits – interacting at a grassroots level, extending a helping hand and advocating for common concerns with a shared voice.

Grassroots interaction

The summer season is a great time to venture down the street to socialize with your neighbors in fun, free and friendly activities.  Midtown hosts the Fourth of July Parade and concerts in Washington Park. Bradford Park will offer its “Back the Blue” event on July 16 to honor police and fire fighters. West Central discards its monthly meetings in June and July for summer socials at Mother’s Brewery Backyard and the Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park.

The pages of this newsletter are full of easy ways to get more connected.

Helping hand

As neighbors get to know one another, opportunities arise to extend a helping hand. Our schools and families always have unmet needs. Seniors and those with disabilities need help with keeping up with the mowing or removing fallen limbs. Bulky items like mattresses, sofas and tires accumulate over time and must be hauled off.  Vacations are more easily taken when a trusted neighbor is keeping an eye on the house and caring for our pets.

Neighborhoods can coordinate with churches, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, the City and other civic organizations to find creative ways to help those who aren’t sure where to turn.

Shared voice

After getting to know neighbors socially and then spending time with each other at a clean-up or on a special project, we have a better idea of our shared concerns and points of pride. Each neighborhood has its own unique set of challenges. Thankfully, Springfield has a City Council and staff who actively seek out input from neighborhoods to shape how they deliver core services for safety, public works, parks, planning, transportation and much more.

The Neighborhood Advisory Council is an important platform where neighborhoods can raise issues and offer suggestions to improve the quality of life for our residents. Tangible results of our efforts can be seen in the increased City funding for dealing with chronic nuisance properties, investments in sidewalks and parks, Police presence at the NAC meetings and fire fighters at many neighborhood meetings, clean-ups for every registered neighborhood, the printing of this quarterly newsletter and more.

Thank you to everyone on NAC and in each of our neighborhoods who make the time to get to know their neighbors, find ways to offer a helping hand and speak up with a shared voice. Springfield is a better place because of you!