2025: A Year of Volunteering

Anyone who has ever drafted (either willingly or by subtle corporate force) a flowchart, Venn Diagram, or any other visioning tool of the sort knows very well that the dreaming part of a planning process comes easier than execution. For this reason, it is always useful to report back on what sort of results come from visions, both personal and organizational. With 2026 ushered in, this sentiment is seldom more relevant. In 2025 LHENA started to dream big, to envision – broadly – a neighborhood that is more connected, more civically involved, and to put it simply, more social. While calendar years are not always the most useful markers to assess outcomes, I am writing today to brag about results that would be hard to construe as anything other than a resounding success.

This past year, LHENA saw our total active volunteer count go up to 181 neighbors, representing a 38% increase from 2024. These 181 active volunteers donated 1,236 hours at various LHENA events. That’s over 200 hours more than 2024. This growth is worth applause, but it must also be said that the above numbers reflect just 1.9% of our neighborhood’s population. If 1.9% of neighbors allowed us to host one of our biggest Mega Mueller Markets with LHENA’s first ever Art Market, run our Food Share three times a month for 11 months, feed hundreds of neighbors at National Night Out, reach over 1,000 units through our Building Ambassador Program, turn out over 600 people for a Know Your Rights Training, and move into our own dedicated office – imagine what 3% could do. While there is never a perfect opportunity to become involved for the first time, if you are looking to find out what volunteering with LHENA is all about, our January 13^th Neighborhood Social is a pretty great place to start.

From the outside it may be easy to separate LHENA into halves, with one being those involved on the Board and behind the scenes, and the other being neighborhood volunteers. This would be an artificial distinction. Volunteers are LHENA. Nothing we do as a non-profit community organization would be possible without the dreaming and implementation seen out by our hundreds of volunteers. So while our emails and news stories may be signed ‘LHENA’ those words are written by 180 hands, I just click the send button.

p.s. If you know Joan Moser, congratulate her, because so much of the work our volunteers accomplish wouldn’t be possible without her expertise and guidance.