It's an evening known for block parties and neighborhood get-togethers, but this year Mankato's Night to Unite is a little different.
This occasion is about connecting not just neighbors, but the entire community. It's a night dedicated to introductions as old and new friends say hello.
"To be able to meet everyone, all ages of people and see everyone coming out to enjoy this, take time out of their day, is really a good thing," says Minnesota State Mankato student Lauren Bradway.
Neighbors around Mankato meet and greet each other... thousands of whom are brand new to the community.
"I think it's great," adds student Matthew Schmidt. "Everybody seems to be having a good time, you have the students you have the traditional residents here, everybody seems to be mingling and having a good time with the local emergency responders."
This year's Night to Unite has college students included in the celebration as a way to get them involved. It's all part of a new philosophy called community policing. Typically the event is run by the Department of Public Safety, but for the first time ever it is a citywide event, meaning all city departments are included.
This new philosophy is a way to develop partnerships, help with problem solving and engage the community.
"We need to partner with everybody in order to find out what the issues are and to solve those problems so we can make Mankato a great place ... a better place than the great place it already is," says Mankato Public Safety Director Todd Miller. "By doing this on a citywide basis, Mankato is really leading the way."
Tonight nine community teams are trying to reach around 35 hundred residents. The teams, made up if different city departments, are going to 44 neighborhood parties just like this one, with the goal of bringing the community closer together.
"Tonight is just a start," Miller says. "It can't be just one night that we come together to do this it has to be the start of something that is continual and ongoing throughout the year, it takes that to really make a difference."
A difference that's already catching on.
"People really need to become better neighbors and I think it's helping college students become better neighbors for the future, too," Schmidt says.
To watch the KEYC-TV video, click on http://www.keyc.com/node/41307
For more KEYC-TV news, go to http://www.keyc.tv/
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