Wednesday, June 15th, Charleston Promise Neighborhood collaborated with The Upper Peninsula Initiative, The Sustainability Institute, BoomTown!, Enough Pie and Loving America Street to give our Residents an opportunity to gather, fellowship, and hear about exciting progress within The Neighborhood. It is vitally important to keep open lines of communication with our Residents, because the bottom line is that they are the very fabric of our community. As a nonprofit, we are always interested in hearing what they need from us, and events like this are the perfect way to find out.
This event gave us an opportunity to sit down at the dinner table with our Residents and hear how we can best serve them; person to person. It also gave other organizations and businesses a way to introduce themselves to the Neighborhood. When Residents are able to express concerns, share ideas, and convey local traditions, newcomers to the area are not only more well-received, but they become immersed in the uniqueness of that community in an authentic way.
The highlight of the evening was the amazing food prepared by a neighborhood resident, known to the entire community as Mr. Townsend. Conversing over a delicious meal about how we can work arm-in-arm to move mountains to make the Upper Peninsula a better place to live became that much more personal as they shared his food with everyone.
The children let the adults do the talking, while they worked with Enough Pie to complete art crafts, play basketball, and jump on the bounce castle. BoomTown! introduced themselves to the Neighborhood and even offered free coding classes at their new facilities for the residents. Loving America Street presented information about Laundry Matters and the myriad of services they offer. The evening truly was special, and everyone took the extra food over to Our Lady of Mercy Neighborhood House Soup Kitchen when it was over.
As we continue our fight to break the cycle of poverty and see “transformation within a generation,” sustainability of our Neighborhood is at the forefront of our minds. The Unity in Community is so important, because we can accomplish so much more together.
You too can join the Promise and be a part of this positive change. Visit our website at www.charlestonpromise.org to find out how to volunteer or to make a donation to make more community events like this one possible.
