The developer donated $10,000 to protect the site and establish the infrastructure. She championed the change she wanted while building bridges, which allowed her to keep bringing people together for changes they wanted to see in their neighborhoods. She has since stayed involved, helping to design and implement several parks, trails, pedestrian crossings and developments we enjoy today in Vineyard.

A resident came to my office three years ago and asked to host a seed exchange in the Vineyard City Office building. She knew the city had been working on a community garden and offered to run it in conjunction with the seed exchange. She started a Facebook group called Gardening in Vineyard, bringing people across the city together to share successes, ask for advice and exchange plants. Her efforts sparked a broader interest in community gardens, and sponsors came forward with in-kind and monetary donations to help establish and expand the program. Spring 2023 will bring in further expansion in a new location. Our Youth Council Mayor then incorporated pollinator gardens and monarch butterfly habitats into these goals and has helped run several monarch releases bolstering the city’s partnerships with conservation agencies.

Another resident heard about the city’s goals to have food sharing stands throughout the city. This engineer offered to donate her services to design and build a pilot produce sharing stand, near our community garden. It has become a place where community and residential gardeners throughout the City can leave produce for those who need fresh fruits and vegetables.

A mom of twin teens was looking for an opportunity for them to be involved in community service. She volunteered to be the advisor for the Vineyard Youth Council. She gathered other youth and brought them to meetings and events. During the pandemic, when so many of their other activities were shut down and people struggled to feel belonging, she involved them in service, cataloging 4,000 books to help begin the Vineyard Children’s Library. These youth won a U.S. Presidential Award for service impacting their community! Additionally, to share Vineyard’s history, these two youth council members wrote a book called “V is for Vineyard” and published it in conjunction with the library’s opening.

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This year, the library that began with donated books from our residents and hundreds of hours of service from youth groups, young professionals, and our retirement community moved into a bigger and brighter space that serves dozens of patrons daily. Its success continues to be managed and run through volunteers and donations.

A mom of young daughters came to the City wanting to start storytime and kids’ activities. She saw that there was a need for young families to have a place close to home where her kids could read and see and play with other kids, and parents could get to know other community members and form friendships. Storytime in Grove Park brought dozens of parents and children to the park to hear a story before the splash pad opened every Tuesday during the summer. Storytime has continued this fall in our Vineyard Children’s Library and has led to other programming and gathering events.

A college student called me about a parking problem she was experiencing. She walked me through a site plan and gathered residents for a town hall. We discovered solutions. This student encouraged other young professionals to get involved in neighboring complexes. These calls started programs for shared parking agreements, internal open space conversions, re-striping programs, and spurred a coalition between the City and HOA’s to create better communities through clear communication and partnership that has created solutions for safety, open space, parking, and other issues for multiple communities through the City.

All of these people saw a need in the community and by small measures, brought new and exciting opportunities to our residents. Working with City Council and City Staff, these initiatives brought new amenities and resolutions into the City.

I could share more examples with you, such as one crossing guard who worked tirelessly to promote safer driving speeds, which prompted the City to conduct a traffic study and install additional stop signs near Trailside Elementary. Then I would tell you about a group of employees whose coworker was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and rallied to give his family more time with him by donating their sick time to him. Or I would mention a number of residents who donated to various drives we held: shoe drives, food drives, winter kit drives and Sub for Santa, each doing a little bit to help others in need.

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Or I could share about the single dad that lost his wife to cancer a few years ago, and has delivered messages of hope to people ever since to many people who have needed it in our community and far beyond.

I can share how over 600 residents took a few minutes of their time this fall to study park plans online or at several engagement events, then shared their opinions in a survey of what they would like to see happen in a new Park Corridor Plan. There was also a young dad who encouraged people to pick up trash when they went out walking, and another young mother that committed to do it as well, and picked up trash every time she took her kids on a walk during the pandemic that started a community building project.

Taking the time to create a culture of citizens championing causes creates beautiful communities with high quality of life. It happens as you are talking to your neighbors, and then coming up with and initiating solutions in an effort to build positive change. It is powerful what one person can do for the betterment of a community and future generations. When people come forward with solutions, then are willing to serve and work through the challenges we face, great things are accomplished.

This time of year is so beautiful to watch family, friends and neighbors act on their desires to do good. Each voice contributes to solving the issues facing our City, county and state during a period of growth that will stretch our resources and abilities.

City Council and Planning Commission meetings are a great place to bring to the City challenges and solutions. It’s a place to find clarity to the muddied information that can circulate on social media. Additionally, the city offers weekly emails, a monthly newsletter, social media posts, community engagement opportunities, Facebook lives, surveys and notifications to bring information, receive feedback and invite engagement.

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To share our appreciation and honor people who help build Vineyard, we are instituting the Vineyard Impact Awards at the end of January 2023 to recognize volunteers, businesses, sponsors and residents who have made a difference in the quality of life in Vineyard, and those who through civility, kindness and determination worked tirelessly towards a better community.

As we wrap up our holiday celebrations and take down our trees, a new year greets us with endless opportunities to build community and give back in ways that lift people and make every day life easier and better. We can be the change we wish to see in the world.