City presents Neighbor Link awards during summer celebration

A crowd of around 250 Bellevue residents gathered July 23 on the lawn at City Hall for a music-filled summer picnic and a presentation of the city's Neighbor Link awards.

Four projects out of 14 considered for special recognition received awards from sponsor Whole Foods. The projects were judged on their creativeness in using neighborhood resources to address local needs, and their effectiveness in building long-lasting neighborhood connections.

The Lake Hills Neighborhood Association was selected for a multi-part project that included a “Trash off the Trails” cleanup; a senior safety summit and a teacher school supply drive.

St. Lukes Lutheran Church, in the Apple Valley/Northtowne neighborhood, is introducing an R-3 (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) program, a community yard sale promoting “green culture”, and a food and donation drive for Hopelink. An event called Wine and Jazz on the patio will gather the community to raise money for Hopelink and Youth Eastside Services.

Surrey Downs Community Club won an award for a multi-faceted project that includes a communication workshop, a garage sale with a food drive and bake sale that raised money for Hopelink, and a "welcome to Surrey Downs" parade that will provide welcome baskets for new residents in the upcoming year.

Bellevue Foursquare Church was recognized for its "Bridging Life Together” food drive, which will include Woodridge neighbors and outreach to diverse groups, followed by a neighborhood fair and barbeque for food bank recipients and residents of the surrounding communities.

The Neighbor Link program was designed to generate resources for local families suffering from the recession and to strengthen the sense of community among neighbors.

City support for Neighbor Link projects will continue throughout the summer. For more information on doing a project, contact Julie Ellenhorn in Neighborhood Outreach at 425-452-5372 or jellenhorn@bellevuewa.gov.

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