COLORADO SPRINGS — May 18 kicked off the opening day of the 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings Initiative in Colorado Springs. One of the first gatherings took place in the Spring Creek neighborhood.
The 1,000 Neighborhood Initiative was an idea created by Springs City councilmen. It aims to help address mental health by encouraging residents to connect with one another through gathering and building a social support system in their own neighborhoods.
It can be anything from a small lunch on the porch or a large block party. On Saturday Kimberly Gold hosted one at her house. Kimberly is a military spouse, she said since she moves around a lot it can be lonely and hard sometimes to meet neighborhoods.
“Being a new neighbor in this neighborhood, I've only been here three months, I really wanted to be that spark to say, Hey, let's be good neighbors. And what a cool initiative for the city and for Kono, I mean, let's just get to know each other, let's bring some of that old school like Good Neighbor vibes back,” Kimberly said.
She got to know many of her neighborhoods at the gathering.
“It's nice to put a name to a face to some folks that you just see that you might just wave at or you just drive past. And so you know, to know, and for me, especially being military affiliated, and sometimes my husband has to leave, it's really nice to know that there's a neighbor right there that I can call on,” Kimberly said.
Kimberly encourages other people to host a gathering in their neighborhood.
“It doesn't have to be in your home, it can be in your driveway, it can be on your porch, it can be in your backyard, but you know, be that good neighbor, be be a person be a light for somebody, you know, like, it means so much just to have a friendly person in the neighborhood, that one wave can change so much in your day, that one smile can change so much in your day. So please, please, please host a neighborhood gathering,” Kimberly said.
Governor Polis and Mayor Yemi Mobolade also stopped by Kimberly’s gathering. They then headed to a few other gatherings that were happening around the city. One of them was hosted by Silver Key Senior Services.
“We are fortunate to live in a state and a county and a city where our elected officials are accessible and they show up, you know, they don't just show with lip service. Like they literally show up to events like this and community events all the time. So I'm really thankful that we live in a city where your elected officials are typically just an email away and like today they were like three feet away,” Kimberly said.
The goal is for 1,000 gatherings to be hosted citywide between May 18 and September 28th. So far 116 gatherings have been registered on the city's website.
Interested in hosting a gathering in your neighborhood, go to the City of Colorado Springs website for more information on how to register.
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