We're All Neighbors

Had a great day of learning about the amazing projects coming out of this afternoon! 💛 Thank you for having us!!

Lovely folks repping We’re All Neighbors in Providence, Rhode Island! ⚓️🌊

These sweet neighbors from Overhill Rd threw a block party to get to know each other and build community where they live ❤️

There were homemade snacks and brownies, a keyboard concert from a talented 8 year old, lots of new friends made, and even an impromptu water balloon fight 🎈🎶🧁

Organizer JD Stettin said putting together the event helped him realize that neighboring doesn’t need to be complicated or revolutionary. He said that once the ball was rolling, everyone came together to do their part. 👭👫

“Sometimes it’s just a nice idea and someone needs to start it.”

☀️🌻💛

Together, we build a healthier, stronger community— thank you to everyone who came together for the North Austin Community Blood Drive & Wellness Day!

THANK YOU to:

- Our neighbor Pierre Nguyễn for envisioning the event and inviting We’re All Neighbors to help organize

- Dr. Luan Tran and her team with Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society-AVAMPS for providing health screenings and nutritional information

- Dr. Nam Nguyen with NAM Wellness + Mobility for offering wellness and mobility services

- We Are Blood for bringing the Bloodmobile, and everyone who donated blood

- Austin Voices for Education and Youth and Central Health for providing health resources

- Coach Luis Chinchilla and Andrew Wade for organizing soccer for the community

- St. Mark UMC for providing the facilities, including the new soccer area!

- Anne Smith for leading Chair Yoga

- KG BBQ for donating delicious meals for lunch

- Mister Twister for free balloon art, and Emily Jeanette for free face painting
..and all the volunteers who helped set up and break down the event, especially Christian and Emile Ninaud for all their hard work to create the soccer field!

Installed a Free Little Art Gallery over the weekend, that was made using materials and tools donated by neighbors in the Walnut Creek area 🫶

We made this because we believe that every neighborhood is full of talent, creativity, and unexpected treasures and we can’t wait to see what art comes out of our neighborhood!

Find out if there’s a Little Gallery near you at freelittleartgalleries.art

Spent our Saturday packing “Calm Down Kits” for every classroom at Walnut Creek Elementary to help regulate little nervous systems and teach about emotions 💛

Thank you to Principal Zubieta, school counselor Ms. Gonzales and our neighbor Cynthia for taking the time out of their weekend to show up and pack these boxes for the kids. We are inspired and grateful to partner with a school with so much heart and dedication to their children.

Thank you to Austin Public Health for the grant to fund this project and to our neighbor, therapist and previous school counselor of 20 years Kay who will offering a trauma-informed training on emotional regulation for teachers at Walnut Creek Elementary as part of the project 🫶

Join us for a day of Activity, Community, and Wellness at the North Austin Community Blood Drive & Wellness Day on Saturday, May 4th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What can you look forward to?

DONATE BLOOD:
Reserve your spot at the We Are Blood Bloodmobile:
https://weareblood.org/donor/schedule/?location=65657&date=05/04/2024&reschedule=
and receive a complimentary P. Terry’s egg burger voucher as a thank-you gift!

Questions? reach out to Stacy Claye at [email protected]

Free Wellness Services a provided by:
Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society (AVAMPS):

★ Blood pressure screenings
★ Nutritional education
★ Medication review by medical clinicians (bring all medications, prescribed and over-the-counter)
Nam Wellness + Mobility:
★ Alignment + Mobility screening
Come join us for a day of togetherness, connection, and community wellness!

Follow the event for more details and to sign up!
https://fb.me/e/3FVDIDMgO

Had a great time at hanging with our new friend Deborah, founding steward of Common Agency, an organization designed to connect neighbors over ideas and projects✨

Exciting things to come from commonagency.org!

A corner of North Austin that was once the subject of fear and controversy has been transformed by a colorful community mural—thanks to the efforts and imagination of a few neighbors 💛

Painted in December by in collaboration with .13 and , the colorful mural with “welcome” in multiple languages serves as a symbol of what can happen when community comes together.

Ernesto, a Texas native who has been painting murals for nearly 30 years, said that murals are a democratic art form with the unique ability to create a sense of identity and belonging. 

“Murals are supposed to be for the community and they are supposed to reflect the community,” he said.  “Sometimes that’s why they get tagged. It’s because the community was never asked and they were never invited. What I liked here was that from the beginning the community was involved.”

Grateful for a wonderful meditation and breathwork workshop generously led by Deepak of this afternoon!

Learn more about their transformational work promoting peace in our cities at cities4peace.org 🫶🏼

Volunteered with Food Bank at Dobie Middle School off Rundberg yesterday. It was pouring rain but some amazing volunteers packed and ran food for more than 300 families. If you’d like to get involved with this food bank or others in the North Austin area, contact Austin Voices or DM us and we can connect you!

2023 was a great year for We’re All Neighbors!

We saw a year of community gatherings, relationship building, projects to support our local elementary school and the formation of a community building/third place for our area.

This all allowed us to see more of what matters- people in our community coming together for the greater good. This would not have been possible without so many volunteer hours, dollars donated and commitment showing up from YOU!

We’re endlessly grateful for the support and engagement of our neighbors coming together for a shared cause.

Join us in this meaningful journey in 2024! Spread the word, share with neighbors, donate and follow for more to come in the new year.

Read the full 2023 We’re All Neighbors Impact Report at the link below.

https://bit.ly/WANimpactreport2023

Had a great time helping to beautify the neighborhood elementary school with neighbors, teachers, parents and students this morning! 🦅💙

The Lawshae Holiday Party: was such a special and memorable celebration! The community really came together last weekend — making tamales, sharing their voices and instruments during the singalong, cooking the most delicious potluck foods, decorating cookies, and welcoming each other with love and joy. Not to mention all the help setting up and breaking down the space! One neighbor referred to it as a "Hallmark Christmas" ❤️

Thank to all the neighbors who volunteered their time and talents to make this event so lovely and connecting.

Happy Holidays!

Join us this Saturday for the Lawshae Holiday Party: A cozy community celebration! the first annual cozy community celebration for the holiday season! All are welcome.

We’ll have games, singalongs, cookie decorating, potluck dishes and more.

POTLUCK DINNER: 5:30p
Optional: bring a dish or drink to share. Grab a bite and enjoy some holiday favorite dishes from neighbors!

SINGALONG: 6:30p
Donald will be leading a holiday singalong on the piano. All are welcome and no singing experience necessary. Let’s ring in a little holiday spirit together. Bring an instrument if you have one!

CLOSING CIRCLE:
Join us as we reflect on the year behind and close the evening with a candlelit rendition of Silent Night.

ALL NIGHT:

GAMES:
Connective games, board games, card games and everything in between will be available for play! Bring a favorite game to share or grab a friend and jump in.

COOKIE DECORATING & HOT COCOA BAR: Get creative and jump into cookie decorating any time of the night. Warm up by the “fire” with a toasty hot cocoa beverage.

Donate funds and sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844A4AF22A7F8C43-46200633-lawshae #/

- Invite your neighbors!

- Have a December holiday or tradition you want to celebrate? Bring a meaningful seasonal item, decor, or other tradition to add to the festivities.

The North Austin Safety Summit Report is here!

We are happy to share the report from our inaugural North Austin Safety Summit on August 12th.

Last month, we set out to create a space where neighbors could connect with each other, local officials, business owners, APD, APH, and others working to help make North Austin a safer place to live. We shared from the heart, witnessed one another, and reflected on the interconnectedness of our lives as people sharing the same geographical space.

The inaugural North Austin Safety Summit had a wonderful turnout from the community, including:

* 120 Estimated attendees
* 7+ Neighborhoods represented
* 12+ Organizations and agencies participated

Our discussions at the Summit centered around safety, but it was also about building bridges and finding common ground. We firmly believe that safety starts with getting to know one another, building trust, and having healthy dialogues. This event allowed us to do just that.

Click through to learn more about our community partners, participant feedback, next steps and more.

You can read a full recap of the North Austin Safety Summit on our blog:

www.wereallneighbors.org/post/north-austin-safety-summit-recap

Check out the report here:
https://bit.ly/SafetySummitReport

Today is National Good Neighbor Day! 🏡

What does it mean to be a Good Neighbor?

Here’s how the folks at NationalGoodNeighborDay.com describe a Good Neighbor Mindset:

1. Connection. Introduce yourself and connect with others in your neighborhood. It simply starts by saying “hello.”
2. Invitation. Invite neighbors to join you for a meal or something fun. The latin word “communitas” means the spirit of community, which can be cultivated by sitting around a table or other activities together.
3. Celebration. When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries, or milestone moments in the lives of others, cheer them on and look for chances to congratulate them.
4. Awareness. Keep your eyes and ears open. Stay attentive to the safety and security of the people and homes nearby. We are safer and stronger together.
5. Availability. Availability is the highest benefit of good neighbors who truly care and look out for one another. When needed, show up to help and support others living around you.

Source: www.NationalGoodNeighborDay.com

A vibrant, safe and connected community doesn’t just happen. It is built by the people within the community coming together to discuss the issues we’re facing and find solutions together.

On August 12th, we set out to create a space where neighbors could connect with each other, local officials, business owners, APD, APH, and others working to help make North Austin a safer place to live. We shared from the heart, witnessed one another, and reflected on the interconnectedness of our lives as people sharing the same geographical space.

More than 120 people attended the North Austin Safety Summit, which consisted of 5 interactive workshops, a luncheon, and connection opportunities. Many also played a big part in making it happen: from going door-to-door to tell neighbors about the event (more than 100 doors!) to donating food, to moderating workshops, to literally transforming the community space at St. Mark UMC (painting walls, making curtains, cleaning and more!).

We also had representation from 7 neighborhoods and 12 organizations/agencies, including Council Members Leslie Pool, Council Member, District 7l and Council Member José "Chito" Vela, Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin Public Health, and the District Attorney’s office.

Safety is a fundamental human need at the bottom of the survival pyramid, so talking about it can breed fear and polarizing language. We can feel powerless and overwhelmed when facing issues that are huge and systemic and largely out of our control. But the moment we make it personal is the moment we can start to make change, whether that is lending a hand to a neighbor in need or simply recognizing the humanity of those it is easy to judge. For our communities to move in the direction of unity, safety, and peace, we must first get to know one another, build trust, have healthy dialogue, see where our interests align and work together to manifest our collective vision for our neighborhoods.

Thank you to everyone who made this inaugural event happen, including our amazing sponsor the APH Office of Violence Prevention, the City of Austin, Austin Police Department, ECHO, the The Challenger Street Newspaper, SafeGrowth, our neighborhood associations who also sponsored the event (Gracywoods Neighborhood Association, North Austin Civic Association, Walnut Creek Neighborhood Association, Georgian Acres Neighborhood Association), the Walnut Creek Safety Team, and so many volunteers!

Special thanks to Christian Ninaud, Luzdary M. Ninaud, Caro Dubois, Emily Missy Haworth, Travis Morgan, Gary Westerman, Francois Luca, Denisha Agustin, Wes Aycock, Cynthia Ann, Sara Breuer, Tim Mateer, Robert Meadows, Kam Hamid, Ashley Valenzuela, Minerva Keith, Wade and Khotan Harmon, Kay Taylor Klumpp,Dorsey and Bunny Twidwell, Monique Vasquez, Monica Guzman, Davi Brown, Ellen Martin, Pierre Nguyen, David Roseboom, and Adrian Paulino!

The mission of We’re All Neighbors is to connect neighbors so that the full potential of our communities can emerge. We believe we have tremendous resources and potential to be unlocked right on our own block. And that WE hold the key to making our communities healthier, safer and more resilient.

This weekend we transformed the shipping container behind the Lawshae Community Building into a mural!

Shoutout to Cynthia, Kelly and Sam for lending their artistic skills and friendship 💛

Would love to get a few more folks out to help paint a little community mural this evening from 6-8pm, if you're around and interested!

Our goal is to paint a simple, pre-designed mural to both beautify the space and deter tagging, trash dumping and crime in the area. No artistic skills needed!

What do you need?
-Yourself!
-Clothes you don’t mind getting paint on

Where do you go?
601 W. Braker Ln. Austin, TX.

We’ll provide the paint, brushes and pizza.

Hope to see you there!

That’s a wrap on the North Austin Safety Summit!

Thank you to everyone who came out to plan, volunteer, lead groups and workshops, engage with their community and much more.

More recap to come💛

THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who came out to help paint, donate supplies, clean and generally spruce up the Lawshae Community Building this weekend!

It's looking good for the North Austin Safety Summit this weekend. Don't forget to register for your free sessions! bit.ly/NASafetySummit

We’re so excited to see what will come from this space. From community meetings and dinners, board game nights, meditations, skill-share classes, a community garden and more- we’re dreaming big.

What kinds of things would you like to see more of in our community?

Huge thank you to for donating CLEAN sparking Yerba mate’s for this weekend’s Paint & Pizza Party at the Lawshae Community Building!

Clean Cause donates 50% of their net proceeds to support individuals in recovery from alcohol & drug addiction. Learn more at cleancause.org.

Come on out this weekend to help clean up and paint a space for North Austin neighbors to connect:

Saturday, 8/5 2pm-8pm
Sunday, 8/6 9am-12pm

601 W. Braker Ln.

Wear something you don’t mind getting paint on and bring extra supplies if you’re able (drop cloths, rollers, paint brushes, etc.).

See you there!

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: Address Your Stress at the North Austin Safety Summit! Link in bio to register for free.

When our brain and biology are wound up for fight or flight, how do we keep situations from escalating? Learn how to stop stress from hijacking our lives by understanding what’s happening in our bodies and environments and planning to keep ourselves centered.

This session is led by the  Office of Violence Prevention, the primary sponsor of the Safety Summit. Founded in 2021, the office was created through redirected Austin Police Department funds as recommended by the Gun Violence and Reimagining Public Safety Task Forces. OVP was conceived as a strategic and equitable investment to increase public safety in Austin by taking interventions upstream in the cycle of violence.

Learn more at https://www.austintexas.gov/ovp

Attend the Address Your Stress session for free on Saturday, August 12th at 12:00 PM.