Hello Neighbor!

Jeremy Hanson Willis −− Chief of Staff, Mayor R.T. Rybak

Today the City of Minneapolis officially launched their "Hello Neighbor!" initiative. This pilot project aims to connect newly arriving refugees and immigrants to established community members in an effort to ease the transitional period and improve their quality of life in Minneapolis.

Volunteers from the community will greet new arrivals with one-on-one, personal welcomes at their homes and provide them with a gift bag filled with community resources including a refillable Tap Minneapolis water bottle, pre-paid calling cards, coupons, and information about city services. Volunteers will deliver these bags and information to approximately 500 new residents in the first year of this initiative.

As the pilot project grows and progresses, the city hopes to extend it to all new residents, "be it from Seattle or Somalia," as Ahmed Muhumud, Access and Community Outreach Manager from the City of Minneapolis' Neighborhood and Community Relations Department said today.

DesignWorks is honored to have partnered with the City of Minneapolis' Neighborhood and Community Relations Department, Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services, World Relief, and the Bush Foundation to assist with this life changing project.

To anyone who would like to help out in any capacity, please contact Ahmed Muhumud at 612-673-2162 or call 311 and ask to get in touch with someone regarding the Hello Neighbor project.

L-R: Tamara McCoy-Carroll, Project Coordinator and Tousue Vang, Designer of logo

Crowd gathered for press conference at Community Action of Minneapolis

Table filled with Hello Neighbor tote bags, folders, and contents.

Ahmed Muhuhmud, Access and Outreach Manager of the City of Minneapolis'

Neighborhood and Community Relations Department.

Tote bag. L - Front, R - Back

Back will be printed with three different languages: English, Oromo, and Somali

Detail of front.

Bag with folder inside.