Good Neighbors, Good Day: Celebrating in Papeton

Article Written by: Joe Petsche

On Sunday, just one day before National Good Neighbor Day (September 28th), we gathered at Portal Park in District 5. Kelly, our Executive Director, welcomed everyone to lunch and invited our Papeton neighbors to share about their Neighborhood. We learned about all the magical things they do inside the Papeton Neighborhood Organization. Here are just some of the things:

Growing up, on purpose. Papeton Neighborhood Organization President Matt spoke about how he and his wife Jess realized that as adults they had a choice: wait for the parties and gatherings they remembered from childhood, or create them. They chose to create them. Matt likes to say, ”Connection is the hydration of community”. A little connection gets neighbors out of their houses and into each other's company, and once they're out, the rest comes easily.

Courage in the crowd. Rianne shared the work underway at Flannagan Park, a park that hasn’t been updated since the 1970s. A Community Development Block Grant was awarded at the sound of $750,000 to bring ADA accessibility and other needed updates to the park. The local rugby team, families, and seniors from the senior housing community adjacent to the part will benefit.

It's not about the yard sale. Susan spoke with Kass, organizer of the Venetian Village yard sale. The community yard sale takes work to organize. Signs are made, then deployed out into the community. Tables are set up, and items brought out for sale. The beauty of the yard sale is getting to know your neighbors. It’s having everyone show up, it’s talking about the weird nicknacks in your home. Mark your calendar for the first Friday & Saturday of August!

Small steps, big impact. Jenny is leading park and trail clean ups and partnering with other organizations via the Papeton and Craigmoor Parks Coalition. One project was to install a native garden at Portal Park, which we got to tour since we were on site! Jenny connected with Trails and Open Space Coalition to do bigger cleanup efforts like the one held in Flanagan park – One Bag Challenge. The next clean up is at the Templeton gap floodway and more beautification efforts are in the works.

Gardens that grow kids. Sarah, PTA Vice President at Thomas Edison Elementary, is leading the development of a school garden. She spoke about how gardening teaches children about nutrition, resilience, patience, responsibility, community, and more. A $5,000 grant from Sprouts, which came through Susan’s connection. A local farm supplies flowers for the school to grow and to sell for additional fundraising. In the days following the luncheon the community will come to Thomas Edison to build garden boxes for students to plant in.

Neighborhood Connection. Nancy Henjum, Councilmember District 5 closed the presentations re-iterating community connection and how showing up for each other is so important. Nancy has helped Papeton residents to connect with the city and find the resources needed to make projects happen. She pointed to Neighborhood University as the place for any Colorado Springs resident to join and learn how to connect with elected officials and many city resources.

Then, the party. Thomas Thompson read a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Yemi that September 28, 2026, shall be NATIONAL GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY.

Below click the button to read the full proclamation!