Better Together

A group of children carrying sno-cones and hotdogs darted through the grass as neighbors strolled and sat along the sidewalk bordering the quaint park in the Old North End Neighborhood. It was a warm Saturday, and the live music paused as a microphone was handed over to Jessica Thompson, who co-hosted this event with her father, Bob Bender. “We are so grateful that you have shown up for yourselves and your neighbors to combat social isolation and loneliness.”

Earlier on Saturday, on the south side of town, a neighborhood gathering was hosted by Pikes Peak United Way, while, to the west, the neighborhood of Gold Crown Mesa’s host opted for an early Pancake Breakfast for him and his neighbors. The past months saw neighborhoods connecting through hundreds of get-togethers, barbeques, and community service projects, and it all began with a man who loves to fish.

Seven years ago, the owner of Angler’s Covey, a flyfishing outfitter in Colorado Springs, was languishing after two employees committed suicide within six months of each other. As the leader and figurehead of this tight-knit small business, David Leinweber felt this at a personal level and began searching for help.

He reached out to several organizations, looking for some kind of program or training that could help him better handle mental health as an employer. David did not find that help, but he did experience a fundamental shift in the way he valued his employees by “being aware of that person’s person, just like, how are they surviving in life?” The topic of mental health had a hold on him, and, in a matter of years, it would steer him toward politics.

Leinweber’s collaborative success, building and growing the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance among other accomplishments, was noticed, and he was approached about running for City Council. “I was like, ‘Hell no, I don’t want to do that.’ I mean, who volunteers for politics?” But he began to notice something missing in what the city was prioritizing.

“There were these top four things that were issues for the city and none of the four were dealing with the mental health and drug addiction issues…and that turned a light bulb on for me. That would become my why,” he said.

The mayoral election was just wrapping up as newly elected Councilmember David Leinweber began working on his eight initiative strategy to address the mental health issues affecting Colorado Springs. One of those would become the 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings initiative.

In 2023, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, released a report detailing how people experiencing loneliness and isolation are at a higher risk for health issues. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, Nextdoor in conjunction with Brigham Young University, released a key finding: people who know as few as six neighbors are less likely to feel lonely and less likely to suffer from the conditions outlined by the Surgeon General.

“I mean, the only way this really happens is that the community starts engaging and starts…getting to know their neighbor,” said Councilmember Leinweber. “And I thought, we need to have a goal of having these block parties—of just getting neighbors to know one another.”

He had this conversation with the mayor just before Mayor Yemi Mobolade walked onstage for the first stop on his Listening Tour. “He loved the idea,” Councilmember Leinweber said, “He loved it so much that he literally got up on stage and said, ‘These are the things I want to work on, and we’re going to try to have a goal of a thousand block parties across the city!’”

“Our community’s mental well-being is one of the primary objectives of our Strategic Plan because mental health is all of us. It will take a village to improve our community’s mental well-being….” said Mayor Yemi.

The city’s budding mental health initiative landed on the plate of Thomas Thompson, the newly appointed Senior Advisor for Neighborhood, Leadership, and Faith Communities in the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. “So you had this moment,” Thompson said, “where the two branches of city government, the administrative and the legislative, both had someone newly there saying ‘We should do something about mental health.’”

1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings officially launched on May 18th, in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Month. 1,000 neighborhood connections were the stated goal. “The real goal,” Thomas said, “is going to be how many residents in our city can say ‘I’ve met someone I didn’t know before. I feel more connected.’”

The project partnered with the local chapter of NAMI, the National Association of Mental Illness, who helped steer the language and focus while connecting hosts and their neighbors with an array of mental health resources. COSILoveYou, a local faith-based organization, enlisted the support of churches throughout the city. A partnership with CONO, a local neighborhood advocacy organization, provided a direct connection with the city’s neighborhoods, and CONO offered extensive free resources and planning tools to prospective hosts on their website.

Collaborative partnerships like these are part of a broader mental health initiative being undertaken by the City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County Public Health, and community leaders like Abbey Mobolade, nurse educator and the city’s First Lady. In July, they launched Pikes Peak Rising 360, an online pilot project designed to easily connect residents with information and resources. A survey by the county revealed 75% of residents want to find information and help on their own—before seeking out others—making this initiative particularly important. Thomas called these projects “upstream” initiatives. “[It’s] one thing to address mental health, it’s another to say, what could we have done to build a strong community upstream? Those aren’t always as flashy or as exciting…this whole initiative is an upstream initiative. Let’s get to know one another now, before the crisis comes.”

This all led to that bright Saturday when neighbors, filling the little park, applauded as Jessica welcomed Mayor Yemi to say a few words. He visited many such gatherings between May and September, but, as a fellow resident of the neighborhood, this one was particularly meaningful. Thomas Thompson, Jessica’s husband, stood off to the side talking with District 5 Councilmember Nancy Henjum, and they were joined by a rather tall Councilmember who arrived after a heaping fill of pancakes. “So it really is a call to action for our community to rise up and get to know one another,” Councilmember David Leinweber said. “The thing that will help with this issue is social engagement. Isolation and loneliness is one of the key factors to suicidal thoughts and in suicide.”

The 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings initiative ended on National Good Neighbor Day, September 28th, but Thomas doesn’t see it as finished, “The spirit of this can still be true...that we build resilience through relationships, through neighbors, through community, through tables. This is how we build resilience—when we know one another. And so this is one way that we can continue the very simple thing of just getting to know six neighbors’ names. What would it change in your neighborhood if you knew your neighbors’ names—you felt that you weren’t alone or began to feel that?”