When we began Do Good Roseville in 2015, it was because we shared a belief that people need opportunities to connect with others. Sherry was already doing this as President of the Lake McCarron’s Neighborhood Association, and she took it to a whole new level as co-founder of the Rice Street Gardens. For Kathy, it began when she got her Masters degree in Gerontology (study of aging), and a key takeaway was how important having a community of people around you is key to healthy aging.
We just started taking chances and scheduling different informal gatherings like community conversations in a park building or discussing TED Talks at the library. Over the years we’ve done lots of educational programs like our Ask Series, community discussions like Talking about Race, group volunteer events, community dinners and…park chats!! Our claim to fame is the year we had over 80 different opportunities for people to get together!! Now with weekly park chats, we’re on track to do that again! One of our key beliefs has always been that is doesn’t matter how many people show up, it’s always the right people.