Last June, our city faced the biggest disaster in its history, the flood. While the event was disastrous, the outpouring of community help was inspiring. To commemorate that community spirit a year later, the City of Calgary has announced that June 21, 2014 will be Neighbour Day.
In the spring of 2013, our Elbow and Bow Rivers flooded, creating the biggest disaster in Calgary’s modern history – and one of the biggest outpourings of volunteer support our city has ever seen. We made it through, together. – City of Calgary
The initiative is not only to celebrate the spirit of our city, but to encourage Calgarians to get out and spend some time with their neighbours, and get to know the people on their street. Here’s some ideas to get a Neighbour Day event going in your community:
- Host a block party of BBQ
- Have a neighbourhood picnic at a local park
- Hold fun competitions on your street (chalk art, egg races, etc.)
- Have a neighbour meet-and-greet
- Have a community spring cleaning or gardening event
Whatever you plan to do, get involved and if you need some inspiration to get started, the City of Calgary has free resources and templates available on their website. Share your Neighbour Day plans with us on Twitter, with hashtag #yycNeighbourDay.