De Pere launches “Belong in Action” initiative to bring neighbors together

DE PERE – Last week, the city of De Pere celebrated its very first Good Neighbor Week working to make a positive impact on its community. While many projects were completed by volunteers, the city also launched an initiative to keep the good spirits flowing all year long.

In partnership with Molina Healthcare, NeighborWorks Green Bay and De Pere Area Chamber, the Belonging in Action initiative was brought to life.

The program works by offering yard signs, which can be found at the city hall or chamber, to anyone in need of additional support with lawn care. With the signs stuck into the ground, anyone in the community can see them and offer their volunteer services. Volunteers do not need any sort of screening process; the hope is they see a sign and help a neighbor out.

Chrystal Woller, Director of the De Pere Health Department, outlined the project’s broader goals, explaining that while the initiative successfully keeps yards tidy and residents happy, its true impact goes much deeper. She noted that the yard signs are designed to make “invisible needs more visible” by pairing volunteers with residents who require extra support. By fostering these neighborly bonds, the program creates vital moments of human interaction. Woller describes these interactions as “micro-connections”, which play a crucial role in boosting the mental health of potentially isolated community members who cannot as easily engage with their community as well as the volunteers helping out.

Woller, when discussing the community impact, said “[on yard signs] ...this mechanism will help make it easier to identify those needs, and offer support”. She shared that the city is hopeful that through the program people will connect with at least one neighbor they have never met before, and maybe even form a permanent connection.

While this initiative was brought forward by the De Pere city, their involvement tapers from there. By providing signs and the memo, the city is hoping this can become fully functional throughout the community and promote neighbors helping neighbors and cultivate community pride that represents “the De Pere difference”.

Although the project just launched last week, Woller said no signs have been collected yet. If you are interested in taking one, they are free in the city hall health department or at the De Pere Chamber.

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