Strong neighborhoods are the building blocks (literally! See what we did there?) of strong cities. We want to help neighbors come together and strengthen their neighborhoods.

What better way to begin than with a good old-fashioned block party?

A block party takes volunteer-power, but it also takes stuff.... stuff that some would-be block party organizers may not have easy access to. Think pop-up canopy tents... lawn games... maybe even a little PA system for tunes and announcements. A raffle drum here, a portable table there, that kind of stuff.

You see where we're going with this.

On Wednesday, May 30 at West Side Wednesday, Neighborhood Resources Connection (NRC) would like to launch the Best. Block Party Toolkit. Ever. In addition to a freshly-published Block Party How-To Guide, NRC will showcase the availability of the Block Party Toolkit items. The Toolkit would be available to any recognized neighborhood association or organizing group that would like to build their neighborhood-based organization with a block party.

NRC is working with its insurer for the items to be insured, and is working with legal advisors to create a program that mitigates liability. For example, items such as bounce-houses or climbing walls would be excluded. Borrowers would be required to secure the items with a deposit, and complete a waiver/release form.