How Does The Sidewalk Help Make A Community?
Sidewalk Hospitality acts as a bridge in Pleasant Ridge, to help neighbors go from being strangers to friends. Community Happens Here creates this opportunity for conversations across differences by offering a time to gather while enjoying coffee, creating art, and fun games.
Here’s how it works. On Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every week CHH opens it’s Sidewalk Hospitality for anyone in the neighborhood to come together and grow their community connection through intentional conversations.
Community Happens Here noticed the diversity that Pleasant Ridge offers and saw a great opportunity to bring that diversity together. And through Sidewalk Hospitality it has become one of the best places to do that.
Why does Sidewalk Hospitality work?
It works because the sidewalks are one of the best places to see the diversity in Pleasant Ridge. However, the folks at CHH noticed that often when people are walking down the sidewalks, they may look up at the other person coming from the other direction and make eye contact, occasionally even a friendly nod, smile, or quick “hi,” but these simple interactions don't lead to much more.
Ruth Anne noticed the diversity and this lack of interaction in her neighborhood, and came up with Sidewalk Hospitality to offer a type of hospitality that would get people talking with one another on the sidewalks.
Stories from Sidewalk Hospitality
Neighborhood Mom Experience - “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… Every time I do go, I am always thankful that I did. It’s nice to meet new people.”
A High School Student Experience - One Saturday, a high school student spoke with an adult about her aspirations to become a human rights attorney. That adult, who is connected with a number of attorneys who practice in that space, offered to connect this student to those attorneys if it would be helpful to her in the college application process.
Behind the Scenes
It’s easy to see the ways that the community comes together at Sidewalk Hospitality; from strangers talking with one another to the children playing games with each other. But some things you may not notice at first are the volunteers.
The students with the friendly faces behind the stations are volunteers from the local schools. They get experience with communication, hospitality, and serving their communities. And if you continue inside to the cafe you will get to meet some of the baristas who have gone through a business training program that gives them real life experience that will transfer over to many business settings.
Sidewalk Hospitality works because it brings the community together by creating a space to meet neighbors and opportunities to volunteer giving back to the community. Come by 6238 Montgomery Road to see the community coming together and be a part of this exciting movement.