Noble Neighbors hosts back-to-school celebration

Children line up to take a ride on the Euclid Beach Rocket Car. [photo by Sruti Basu] 

On Friday, Aug. 19, Noble neighbors gathered to enjoy a summer evening on the front lawn of Bethel Church. The back-to-school celebration, organized by the Noble Neighbors group, featured Euclid Beach Rocket Car rides, an ice cream social and a chalk walk. The event brought together children and families to celebrate their neighborhood and build community, and had two primary goals: to celebrate and encourage children and teens in their educational endeavors, and to reach out to families living in apartments along Noble Road.

The event successfully brought people together, with 200 frozen treats consumed, 170 Rocket Car rides enjoyed, and more than 50 sidewalk canvases created by chalk artists of all ages.

Representatives from Reaching Heights and Open Doors Academy shared information about their respective educational initiatives. Participants of Developing Alternatives for Women in New Communities (DAWN) brought sewing crafts to display and sell to the community, and brought their children and families to join the celebration. Also present were members of FutureHeights, and Cleveland Heights Fire and Police departments' community engagement and canine units. Cleveland Heights Mayor Cheryl Stephens and Council Member Carol Roe also visited.

Noble Neighbors (www.nobleneighbors.com) is a neighborhood organization that started in January 2014. The group has quickly grown in participation, activities and presence. Noble Neighbors has developed into an action team of people who want to see neighborhoods along Noble Road thrive in friendliness, beauty and safety. Noble Neighbors creates events like the back-to-school celebration to foster community and inclusiveness, and to advocate for the neighborhood. 

In the words of one Noble Neighbor, Brenda May, “Noble Neighbors is all about celebrating our community. We cherish our diversity and we gladly join together to help each other thrive. The word that describes us best is—home. This is home.”