Wishing You a Colorful and Happy 2014
Thank you for being part of RFamily!
Around the holiday season, we at RNeighbors like to take time to THANK YOU for your dedication to neighborhoods and look back at just some of what you helped accomplish in 2013.
- We welcomed two new neighborhoods into our registered association group, Sunnyside and Oak Terrace.
- Four street murals were repainted with the help of over 175 volunteers, partners, and LOTS of street paint.
- Neighborhoods were made a little greener thanks to 820 RNeighborWoods volunteers and partners who planted 539 boulevard trees.
- Over 3,000 neighbors helped in the “A Little Bit Better!” campaign and collected nearly 11 tons of waste.
- We held a “Working with Your City Forum” for neighborhood leaders, updated our Neighborhood Guidelines, honored outstanding neighbors at the OAKtoberfest Neighbor Awards, presented at the Neighborhood USA Conference, provided meeting signs for several neighborhoods, and worked to provide resources for Rochester neighborhoods through all of our partnerships and collaborations.
Wrapped together this work totals about 13,390 hours of time that neighbors volunteered to improve neighborhoods, the monetary value to Rochester equals $296,454.
Without amazing volunteerism, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for your gusto when things are challenging and the time you give to your neighborhood, even when life is moving at the speed of sound.
And now on to 2014. The future is bright for Rochester. The RNeighbors Board and staff are up for the challenges of a growing Rochester. We are kicking off the New Year with a Neighborhood Focus Group (partnering with the Rochester Area Foundation), introducing a Mayor’s Neighborhood Council (thanks to Mayor Brede), and working on strategic planning for our Board of Directors.
Although partially funded by the City of Rochester, RNeighbors is a nonprofit and donations are put to good use. Your donations allow us to pay for “big” things like our office space, and “little” things like paint brushes for mural paintings, brochure printing, neighbor awards, hand wipes for tree plantings, and neighborhood signs. Tax-deductible donations can be made online or by mail (1421 3rd Avenue SE, Rochester, MN 55904).
We look forward to continuing to provide neighborhood leaders with resources, as well as embracing your input as we adapt and grow with a changing Rochester landscape.
Warm Neighborly Regards,
RNeighbors Board Members
Mark Bilderback, Natalie Brown, Jeff Ellerbusch, Michael LaPlante, Ahmed Makkawy, Caitlin Meyer, Bob Nowicki, Michon Rogers, Michael Scharenbroich, Jason Schilling, Bob Sixta, Aaron Stelpflug, and Paul Wilson.
Staff
René Lafflam and Ashley Borgschatz.
RNeighbors is a 501(c)3 organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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