Mayor Tecklenburg unveils Neighborhood Toolkit
March 8, 2017
Mayor John J. Tecklenburg will officially unveil a new “Neighborhood Toolkit” to Neighborhood Council representatives at a special event on Saturday, March 11, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Burke High School.
The Neighborhood Toolkit, available at www.charleston-sc.gov/neighborhoods, was created by the City of Charleston in partnership with Enough Pie, a local non-profit using creativity to connect and empower the community.
The goal of the toolkit is to provide support and sample materials for neighborhood associations to help create and maintain dynamic and connected communities. It will include an introduction to the City of Charleston team members who support neighborhood efforts, ideas for organizing neighborhood meetings, templates for meeting materials, new ways to communicate and more.
Mayor Tecklenburg said, “Neighborhood Councils lie at the very heart of our city, working day in and day out to preserve and protect our city’s livability and our citizens’ quality of life. This new toolkit has been designed from ground up to help them in those efforts, and we thank Cathryn Zommer and everyone else at Enough Pie for their hard work and commitment to excellence on this important project.”
The event Saturday will feature guest speakers and a pair of panel discussions about neighborhood issues. The first panel will feature experienced neighborhood leaders from throughout Charleston. The second panel will be composed of City of Charleston staff members who work directly with neighborhoods, including Su Griffin, the manager of Neighborhood Services, Dan Riccio, the director of Livability and Tourism, and Mandi Herring, the project manager for West Ashley.
Executive Director Cathryn Zommer of Enough Pie said, “Connected neighborhoods are a key component for strong civic engagement on the local level. We identified the shared need from residents for tools to lead more productive and positive meetings, facilitate communications and outreach, and tap creative ideas for fundraising and fellowship. The goal is for neighborhood associations to feel less like work and more like neighbor-driven community building — finding meaningful ways to connect and be empowered. The City of Charleston is a great partner and we are thrilled to be part of this dynamic
