The following is a note I received from RNeighbors. It was full of great information, so I’m passing on to everyone in the neighborhood.
-Bonnie Lodermeier
Northwest Neighbors
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Off to a Fresh Start
Rochester, MN, June 5, 2006 - The past year has been a time of growth and transition for RNeighbors, Rochester, Minnesota’s, Neighborhood Resource Center. With a strong Board and a new Executive Director, the organization is equipped to move forward with its mission of supporting neighbors citywide in building community and improving neighborhoods.
Five years ago, the City Council of Rochester acted on an identified need to provide additional support to groups of neighbors who were working on projects that would benefit the city’s neighborhoods. After all, neighborhoods are where all of us—employees, family, friends, businesses, students, visitors—live, work and play, the building blocks of our city. A great city is built by great neighborhoods.
The Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and began serving Neighborhood Associations in 2001. The Center, now known as RNeighbors, serves 24 currently registered Neighborhood Associations. The organization’s directed growth focuses on supporting existing Associations, serving newly forming Associations, and maintaining and adding programs and partnerships to improve services which support its mission. These programs and partnerships include RVoices, an online community journalism website, and the NeighborWoods in Rochester tree planting and maintenance initiative. A recently awarded “On Demand Community” equipment grant from IBM supplies us with the technology needed to support citywide neighborhood improvements.
Susan Waughtal, community activist and artist, was hired as the Executive Director of RNeighbors in 2001. She worked to provide neighborhoods with unifying resources and helped create a variety of programs and services to encourage neighborhood involvement and citizen participation. Such services included leadership training for neighborhood association leaders, the RNeighbors newspaper for community news and events, and community projects such as the Streets & Stories Sesquicentennial Birthday party, just to name a few.
Late in 2005, Susan stepped down as Executive Director, and Dan Butterfass joined the team, working on programs and focusing primarily on RVoices. This project was created to foster citizen involvement and communication, which is vital for productive neighborhood participation in our city. RVoices is funded through a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, with financial support from Think Credit Union. Dan poured his energy and writing talent into RVoices and helped recruit Rochester community members from all walks of life. Current bloggers discuss a potpourri of topics such as government, local events, the environment, art, bird watching, and neighborhood flower gardens.
Now, after five years, the founding purpose of building community with neighborhoods remains intact and carries many benefits. Our transition has been guided by our Board - Jeff Ellerbusch, Paul Groteboer, Bob Nowicki, Lynette Martin-Oehlke, Mike Podulke, Christine Schultze, Bob Sixta, Bob Suk and Brooke Werneburg. All members are early advocates for great neighborhoods, active in one or more of the following: RNeighbors original board, Mayor’s Advisory Council on Neighborhoods, life-long Rochester and Olmsted neighbors, Neighborhood Task Force for 21st Century Partnership, STEPS - aimed toward Rochester health and fitness, and/or planning, building and planting great neighborhoods, to name just a few arenas.
RNeighbors appreciates Rochester’s recognition of the importance of neighborhoods and positive city growth, which it shows through base financial operation support, and HGA’s donation of office space for our organization, in addition to our many community and national project partners and sponsors.
We are pleased to announce our new director: in April 2006, Rene Lafflam took charge as Executive Director of RNeighbors. Rene’s previous experience as the Rochester Public Schools Communications Coordinator improved her already strong background in communications, graphic design and planning: working with the school district, she designed the current website, making usability a priority, and she developed a comprehensive mission and strategic communication plan for the Communications Department. With RNeighbors she will continue to use and hone these skills and others to support informed, well-connected neighborhoods. Rene has served on the RNeighbors Board and currently serves on the Minnesota School Public Relations Association (MinnSPRA) Board.
RNeighbors is working hard to expand these three citywide goals: to catalyze neighborhood communications and knowledge, strengthen neighborhood organizations, and support neighborhood improvements. The following are ways in which we are working to accomplish those goals:
A neighborhood toolkit will be available early summer for neighborhood association leaders; this valuable guide will be a collection of instructions, tips, and other resources that will aid in the development of strong neighborhoods.
NeighborWalks, Eastside Pioneers and Southeast Settlers will be identifying GreatWalks and regularly walking this year; the focus is on healthy, fun and accessible neighborhood resources, improving the walking environment of the neighborhoods, and increasing knowledge of and participation in neighborhood life.
RNeighbors.org is undergoing design and programming rework to get all components of the site working well together. We will be re-linking and adding useful neighborhood resources and will continue to recruit diverse community members to post their blogs and initiate conversations on RVoices. Look for the improved website to be fully functional mid-summer 2006 and for editions of RNeighbors free newsletter to follow.
NeighborWoods in Rochester has established a tree trust with the Rochester Area Foundation. The trust is developing endowment criteria with state and national partners experienced in community forestry, is expanding citizen forestry training opportunities, and will continue to support neighborhood improvement by helping Rochester plant and care for needed trees in our urban forest.
Those are just a few upcoming RNeighbors projects. Keep an eye on us, our talented staff, interns, volunteers, and Board. The organization will continue to improve, working toward our vision to make all Rochester neighborhoods known and valued as great neighborhoods … places where people want to live and plan to stay.
For more information contact Rene Lafflam, Executive Director of RNeighbors, at (507) 529-4150 or rene@rneighbors.org.