City of Neighborhoods: Schmitt Park

GREEN BAY – “We do events for all kinds of things,” stated Schmitt Park President Rick Jerry.

This statement couldn’t be more true, as Schmitt Park Neighborhood Association (NA) coordinates over a dozen events and initiatives annually for their community.

One of the NA’s favorite events is their “Annual Weekend of Kindness,” where 10-20 families are chosen to receive gift baskets from the neighborhood that include items such as utensils, candles and many other fun items.

“We drop it off and say ‘Do something kind for your neighbor.’ And they do! It’s almost like it’s infectious,” shared Schmitt Park NA Vice President Hans Christensen.

The NA is also mindful to spread the love, as they keep track of which neighbors have received baskets previously to include as many neighbors as possible.

Some annual events that Schmitt Park hosts are their plant and rummage sales.

The plant sale is run by former president Kathy Jerry, and raises an estimated $1,000-$1,500 dollars, occurring yearly on the first Saturday of June.

The rummage sale raises a similar amount and is run by neighborhood resident Sarah King.

Rick Jerry’s personal favorite is one he coordinates twice per year: an e-cycle drive.

These drives are hosted in the spring and fall, and the next one will be on Sept. 17 across from Jalisco Mexican Restaurant on Humboldt Rd.

Another favorite of the neighborhood is the scholarship they grant to students who live in Schmitt Park and are going into any institution of higher education.

Through all of their events–especially projects such as student scholarships and Weekend of Kindness–Schmitt Park expresses their passion to cultivate strong community bonds, and these bonds were only made stronger by one of the NA’s most recent partnerships.

Schmitt Park recently became partners with the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Brown County, and with the help of Christensen and ADRC Outreach Specialist Bev Bartlet, they became the city’s first dementia friendly neighborhood.

For one of their first projects as partners, ADRC provided Schmitt Park with a food truck for a Booyah Bash between Veterans Manor and the Freedom House, completed with inspiring Valentine’s cards from the residents of Veterans Manor.

Staying on track with their strong theme of spreading kindness, the NA chooses a new house each month to give a Garden of the Month award.

There is a lot to look forward to from this neighborhood, but for the time being, the NA is looking back on all they’ve done this summer to strengthen their community.

“People feel good about being a part of a community and they have pride about their association, and we are always looking to connect neighbors to one another… That’s what matters to us, that we care and that we are an active and vibrant association,” said Christensen.

To learn more or to be a part of this NA’s mission of kindness, keep an eye out for their spring and fall newsletters, or check them out on Facebook at “Schmitt Park Neighborhood Association.”

And for any additional information regarding Green Bay Neighborhoods and their mission, head to gbneighborhoods.org.