How Does Offering Community Hospitality Help Local Families Connect with the Neighborhood?
Comfort can be a huge factor in the decisions we make in life. The choice between going out with friends or staying in and watching TV can be heavily influenced by what we feel most comfortable doing at the time. Even the people you choose to hang out with can be influenced by who makes you feel most comfortable to be around.
And it's tough to put yourself into those situations, there’s no ease around that.
But should we go on and let this feeling of comfortability control our decisions? Or is there a greater purpose if we push past the desire of wanting to do what feels easiest and start putting ourselves in situations that may not be as comfortable at first, but later make you feel thankful in the end?
Now what does any of this have to do with how Community Happens Here helps connect local families with the neighborhood? Well, this week I got to talk with two families that have attended events at Community Happens Here and I listened to what their experiences have been like and it helped me to draw this conclusion.
Gabe. Gabe first heard about Community Happens Here when he saw Ruth Anne talking at a Community Council Meeting. He was intrigued by the vision she had for CHH and its purpose to create community. His neighbor, Tony Wells, invited him and his family to come to the first Open House in 2020. Since then he and his family have attended multiple events at CHH, and at one of the Christmas Parties he was even asked to dress up as Santa Claus and read a christmas story to the kids.
Gabe’s wife and daughter have enjoyed a number of the events at Community Happens Here, including a special photo shoot this summer. Gabe has also been able to connect with some new male friends through a bible study hosted by a member of CHH.
Sarah. Sara knew Ruth Anne first through connections at the Elementary school in Pleasant Ridge. Sarah is the President of the PRM Foundation and uses the space at Community Happens Here to host meetings for different school events. Sarah and her family occasionally attend the Sidewalk Hospitality on Saturdays, and her son has volunteered there.
When I asked Sarah about her experiences with Sidewalk Hospitality, she gave me a very truthful answer, one that also helped lead me to the conclusion I drew up in the beginning of this blog.
JOSH - “What does a typical Saturday Sidewalk Hospitality look like for you and your family?”
SARAH - “My kids will get snow cones right away and head straight to the backyard to play with the other kids whether they know them or not. My husband and I will always end up talking with other people. And if I ever end up sitting down by myself, Ruth Anne will always come get me and introduce me to someone new. I always know that I'll never be able to be alone when I go to the Sidewalk Hospitalities. And sometimes I might prefer to stay home instead of going, but I feel obligated to go. Every time I do go, though, I am always thankful that I did. It’s nice to meet new people.”
It’s easy to say, ‘no’ to something that is out of our comfort zone, but it can be a lot more rewarding and meaningful to say ‘yes’ to those things. For Sarah it was saying yes to attending Sidewalk Hospitality on Saturdays when she might rather want to stay at home. But by going she got to realize that it was better for her to go meet new people and connect with the neighborhood. And her kids, as well, get to hang out with other kids in the neighborhood.
Gabe and his family immediately said ‘yes’ to their neighbor’s invitation to come to the Open House and got plugged into the community.
Community Happens Here is in your neighborhood and inviting you and your family to come to one of the Sidewalk Hospitalities or other events, all you have to do is say, ‘yes’. Who knows what saying ‘yes’ to Community Happens Here events will lead you to. Maybe you'll find yourself being Santa Claus at the next Christmas Party.