Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center

RNeighbors assists Rochester neighborhoods with tools and resources to keep their organizations strong and healthy.

RNeighbors provides support and organizational development assistance to neighborhood associations throughout the Rochester community by developing and implementing programs and activities that enhance neighborhood capacity.

 Each of our programs and partnerships work toward this goal.

Some of our accomplishments in 2019 include: 

• Helped to organize and provide resources to Rochester Neighborhood Associations.
• RNeighbors continues to facilitate the Mayor's Council of Neighborhoods that consists of representatives from 16 different associations. The mission of this group is to strengthen connections between neighborhood leaders and give neighborhoods a collective voice.
• In 2019 eight different Neighborhood Project grants were awarded by RNeighbors, benefiting Homestead Trails, Lowertown, Kutzky Park, Slatterly Park, Eastside, The Manor, and Oak Terrace/Parkside neighborhood associations. View a video made from our 2018 grant projects.
• We updated the Ordinance Highlight Booklet and reprinted this publication for the sixth time. This booklet is distributed to citizens through RNeighbors public presentations, neighborhood groups, the Public Library and the Government Center.
• RNeighborWoods empowers and educates the community to grow a sustainable urban forest, benefiting the health, social, and economic aspects of Rochester neighborhoods. RNeighbors recognizes active citizens and their families are more likely to thrive in a healthy environment. Through the teamwork of RNeighborWoods since 2004, we have utilized 7,207 volunteers to plant 7,907 boulevard trees.
• Began in 2007, RColorful Corners empowers Rochester neighborhood residents to work together to create colorful street murals, transforming public space into assets that neighbors take pride in. In 2019, the Northrop, Slatterly, and Cimarron neighborhood street murals and the Homestead Addition crosswalks were repainted with the help of volunteers, partners, and LOTS of street paint.
• Four RNeighbors Board members, two neighborhood leaders, and one RNeighbors staff attended the Neighborhoods USA Conference on May 15–18, 2019, in Palm Springs, California. Along with learning from the over 1,000 neighborhood and city leaders from all over the United States and elsewhere, we presented a workshop entitled “Empowering Neighborhood Leaders: The Power of a Party” to a packed room of 150 interested and enthusiastic attendees. This session was a focused but quick-moving look into how Rochester, Minnesota neighborhoods have gone through challenges that threatened their group cohesiveness but they learned that social activities bring out, engage, and connect their neighbors. 
• Thanks to the Chamber’s Leadership Greater Rochester Class of 2017 and partnership between Park & Recreation and RNeighbors, starting April 2018 neighbors could utilize an entire trailer full of what is needed for a successful neighborhood bash free of charge. This trailer was in full usage this block party season with over 21 reservations.
• For the second year RNeighbors provided the Movie in a Box experience for neighbors to enjoy a movie in their backyard. Thirty-eight neighborhoods enjoyed a family-friendly movie night in 2019 with titles ranging from "Annie" to "How to Train Your Dragon".

In a time when there is division and disagreement locally and nationally, RNeighbors is an organization that strives to not only brings people together but with the end goals of developing relationships and completing projects that make a positive addition to Rochester neighborhoods.