LAKE STEVENS—For the last decade, nearly 2,000 Lake Stevens residents have been connecting through a group called Being Neighborly Lake Stevens to build a sense of community with their neighbors.
The Being Neighborly vision for Lake Stevens is to create an “it takes a village” type place where neighbors actively support each other in a way that fosters the highest level of livability for the city of Lake Stevens, and sustainability for the planet at large.
Its mission is to facilitate the empowerment of neighbors so that they can create the needed processes, opportunities and projects to satisfy their needs within the framework of our vision and core values (integrity, empowerment, community, kindness, helpfulness, generosity, and inclusiveness.)
Members of the Being Neighborly group—which encompass a wide range of people from age to culture to socioeconomic status—don’t necessarily have to be best friends with each other, founder Lea Zengage told the Lynnwood Times, but they do need to be aware and familiar with one another to play into that neighborly feel.
Some members meet once a week at a local coffee shop, others meet up once a month to eat out at a local restaurant, and others utilize a shared garden space to grow crops and produce.
The group also has several lending libraries all throughout the city, puts on monthly photo contests as well as annual baking contests, has a community coat rack for those who need a coat during colder months, leads recycling events for hard-to-recycle items, teaches classes on anything from cooking to crocheting, and puts on many other neighbor-led social events.
Within the group are a selection of sub, special interest, groups that further connects members with likeminded interests such as pets, art, movies, or food.
Members are also encouraged to ask for whatever they need whenever they need it, although the group does have a “no money exchange allowed” rule, even if it’s for a fundraiser for a good cause.
“It’s not about neediness it’s about everyone being available to help share with each other,” said Zengage.
Members also get what the group calls “NAK”s, which stands for Neighborly Acts of Kindness—surprise, anonymous, gifts which are typically homemade crafts from other members such as crocheted items or mosaics.
The idea stemmed from a Facebook-based Buy Nothing Group, which is intentionally kept small to allow members to easily form connections with one another. A Buy Nothing group is a group where members lend, giveaway, and share items for free instead of buying new things to build connections between neighbors and create a more sustainable and joyful community. When the group began to grow in membership, Zengage began a group of her own so that the residents of Lake Stevens could all remain in the same group.
She quickly realized, however, that the best way to connect neighbors and build a stronger community is much deeper than just lending and sharing items; it starts with action.
“The more I thought about it, the most important thing is if a person feels like there’s something that they’re not happy with or they’d like to see changed in our society, in our culture, in our communities, the best way to make that happen is doing things locally and taking action,” said Zengage. “To talk about it is one thing but it’s another thing to take action and encourage others to take action to create a space where the values that you have are being honored.”
The only requirement for joining Being Neighborly Lake Stevens group is to be a resident of Lake Stevens or to live within the Lake Stevens School District—which encompasses addresses in Marysville in Snohomish. Those interested, and meet these requirements, can request to join the group, which Zengage describes as a “springboard into real life connections.”
At that point, Zengage sends each requester a personalized message and confirm their residency. She routinely checks members’ activity for community engagement, aligning with the groups purpose.
Though Being Neighborly Lake Stevens has approximately 2,000 members, Zengage informed the Lynnwood Times she intentionally keeps membership low to ensure that each member is able to connect with each other on an individual basis.
“Sometimes commercialism and individualism have separated people into groups, including family and other support groups, and there’s seriously a need for a neighbor,” said Zengage. “People’s health and well-being depend upon the health of the community and the relationships that they have within that community. Life is too hard when it’s by yourself, it’s better when you have a community.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
4 Responses
This is awesome! Let’s make one for North Lynnwood 🙂
This is an amazing group of people and Lea is beyond words with her dedication.
Lea is the absolute KEY to the success of this group. She is the most giving person I have ever met. Every city should be blessed with a group like this!
We contribute in small ways, but even so, we receive more than we give. Being Neighborly is a fantastic, but underappreciated, asset for Lake Stevens. Thanks, Lea. We love BN and what you do!