Rendezvous at Renee’s

Article Written By Ana Mendoza

Renee (center) with two attendees during her Table gathering.

My first Table as a Hey Neighbor Community Coordinator was nothing short of neighborly. Although I didn’t know anyone in attendance, I immediately felt welcome by our host, Renee, whom I had never met before, along with her friends and neighbors.

Renee is a recent Neighborhood University graduate and a proud Neighborhood Leader. I quickly learned that she is the kind of neighbor we would all love to have. Having lived in her District 4 neighborhood for 11 years, she admitted that these strong relationships did not happen overnight. While she and her neighbors now enjoy a close-knit community and regularly support one another, building those connections took time and intention. Renee made it a priority to reach out to her neighbors by knocking on doors, inviting them to gatherings at her place, and getting to know them better.

That effort eventually led to something bigger, and Renee’s neighbors became her allies. Together, they began to advocate for traffic-calming measures on a busy road near their cul-de-sac and a popular park. They spent months working toward a common goal: making the area safer for residents and the hundreds of families who visit the park each day. And their persistence paid off. Through their collective efforts, they encouraged the City to conduct a traffic study, which ultimately resulted in the installation of several speed tables.

As Renee shared this story, I found myself both impressed and inspired. Her neighborhood's success is a wonderful example of what can happen when neighbors come together around a shared purpose. By working collectively, they created positive change and made the community safer for everyone.

Over delicious pollo asado and plenty of other goodies, I had the opportunity to experience the friendships Renee has cultivated over the years. It was a joy to watch her friends, neighbors, and community members gather in her driveway to enjoy a game of Farkle, share a drink, and catch up with one another.

Renee’s rendezvous was intimate and low-key, but its impact felt anything but small. Her goal was to bring together people who might not otherwise have crossed paths, and she accomplished exactly that. It is a Table I will never forget, and an experience that has me excited to attend more Tables this summer and meet more remarkable neighbors like Renee.