National Neighborhood Day: Mobilizing Grassroots Power Nationwide
National Neighborhood Day is September 16
New Initiative Dedicated to Mobilizing Grassroots Power
with Neighborhood Gatherings Nationwide
All across the country, people will gather with their neighbors on Sunday,
September 16, 2007, to celebrate National Neighborhood Day. This nonprofit
organization was created to strengthen neighborhood ties and improve the quality
of life from the ground up. National Neighborhood Day promotes neighborhood
gatherings across the country each year on the third Sunday in September to
enable a broad array of neighborhood activities from meeting new neighbors to
exchanging practical information to planting trees to improving security.
Neighborhood Day creates, builds, and restores neighborhood connections that
enable positive change year-round.
Initiated in Providence, R.I., the effort is growing with the support of
that city's mayor and his staff. "As Providence continues to strengthen its
neighborhoods through community policing and the creation of historic partnerships,
I'm proud to support National Neighborhood Day. I strongly encourage neighborhoods
across the country to use this day to bring people together with the goal of
building relationships and strengthening neighborhoods," says Providence Mayor
David Cicilline.
National Neighborhood Day gatherings are being promoted by leading state and
national organizations including the United Way of America, the YMCA of the USA,
the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Boy Scouts of America,
Community Foundations, the National Congress for Community Economic Development,
state councils of churches, National Crime Prevention Council, Social Venture
Partners International, and Americorps.
Information available at www.neighborhoodday.org includes tools for planning
neighborhood gatherings as well as sharing stories and pictures from your
neighborhood.
National Neighborhood Day boasts an impressive list of advisors, including
Thomas Ryan, CEO of CVS; Tom Cerio, executive vice president of HBO; Suzanne
DuBose, former president of the Verizon Foundation; Candace Lightner, founder
of Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Al Verrecchia, CEO of Hasbro; Steve Palmer,
former national chairman of the YMCA of the USA; and Dave Duffy, former national
chairman of the National Conference for Community and Justice.
###