Kettering welcomes N.Y. ‘service’ leaders
Kettering welcomed Cities of Service Executive Director Myung Lee and Program Manager Nikola Paveli from their headquarters in New York City, as they visited to learn more about Kettering and the work being accomplished through our Cities of Service initiative.
Cities of Service was founded in 2009. It is a nonprofit organization that helps mayors build stronger cities by changing the way local government and citizens work together. The coalition helps cities tap into the knowledge, creativity and service of their residents to help identify and solve critical public problems.
Cities of Service supports a coalition of more than 250 cities. It encourages residents to participate in their community and to see themselves as an integral part of their city.
Mayor Don Patterson joined the Cities of Service coalition in 2012 with a mission to improve and strengthen Kettering neighborhoods. At that time, the planning & development director and volunteer resources manager were named as the Kettering Cities of Service administrators and a city team was formed to organize and implement this initiative. As a result, one Kettering neighborhood is identified each year as the “Cities of Service Neighborhood.”
Goals established by the city team include celebrating the neighborhood while providing education and awareness on available resources, creating and expanding volunteer opportunities to foster a sense of community, building a sense of pride through neighborhood revitalization projects, and assisting citizens in taking ownership of their neighborhoods.
As explained to our visitors, the success of our initiative is due to the numerous partnerships with local businesses, faith-based organizations, service clubs, schools and volunteers committed to strengthen our neighborhoods.