Tribune Staff Reports
The Crossing subdivision on Seymour’s far west side is the next host of a Jackson County United Way neighborhood block party from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Neighbors will set up a block party on Spurgeon Drive for the 130 households in the area and connect to neighbors.
“We saw a great turnout with the neighborhood garage sale through the Next Door App,” said Monica Lyon, leader of the neighborhood block party. “After talking to Tonja (Couch, executive director of Jackson County United Way) at the Jackson County Public Library summer learning program kickoff, I knew a neighborhood block party would be fun.”
After Lyon posted the idea on the Next Door App, she had four other volunteers who said they would be happy to help plan and promote the block party.
The event will include a children’s parade at 5 p.m., followed by a pitch-in dinner. There also will be activities for kids and music.
From March 2016 to February of this year, Jackson County United Way engaged 475 members throughout the county from all walks of life and backgrounds in 37 conversations about the kind of community they want Jackson County to be, Couch said.
In return, the United Way is committed to broadly sharing what was shared so anyone in the community who wants to take action can get involved.
The purpose of these conversations was to listen to county residents in order to change the United Way’s culture to be one that is turned outward, Couch said. A turned-outward culture makes decisions and actions on what is best for the community based on shared hopes and concerns.
Jackson County residents said they want a community where people choose to live that is healthy and safe; a community that is alive, vibrant and growing with places to go and things to do; and a community that is known as a place where people work together for solutions to take care of neighbors and generations, Couch said.
“We will do our work in a way that helps build community connectedness at the same time,” she said. “This includes convening members of the community to talk about how they can get involved and organize spaces where people can come together to create informal networks and take action on issues and community conditions.”
The United Way has been promoting hosting a neighborhood block party all summer.
“How can we ensure that neighbors are helping neighbors if they don’t even know their neighbor’s names?” Couch said. “Neighbors take care of us and we take care of them by setting up a neighborhood watch or a meal train if someone needs a little extra help. It builds a safer community when you know your neighbors.”
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What: Jackson County United Way neighborhood block party
When: 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Spurgeon Drive in The Crossing subdivision on the far west side of Seymour
Who: The event is for the 130 households in the area
Details: Children’s parade, pitch-in dinner, activities for kids and music
Information: To host a neighborhood block party in 2019, contact Tonja Couch, executive director of Jackson County United Way, at [email protected] or 812-522-5450
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