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City staff previews 2025 events and volunteer opportunities; resident urges support for Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Summary
City staff outlined 2025 community events, volunteer training and outreach programs. At public comment, a resident announced a new local chapter of the nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace to provide beds to children and asked for donations and volunteers.
City staff reviewed last season’s events and previewed a slate of community programs for 2025 while also announcing upcoming volunteer outreach opportunities.
Taylor Lawson, neighborhood services staff, summarized December activities including a tree lighting, ice skating, a vendor market in partnership with the Chamber, holiday toy drives and craft pop-ups. Lawson said the city will hold a volunteer reception, with a short presentation by Community Enhancement Coordinator Olivia Demings, immediately before the next joint council and planning-and-zoning meeting, and asked commission members to attend. “If you're not signed up for the Friday newsletter, I would encourage you to do that,” Lawson said as she reviewed outreach channels and encouraged commissioners to share event information with neighbors.
Lawson listed several upcoming events: a comprehensive-plan open house Feb. 6 at Ratten Elementary (6–8 p.m.) with an online survey; the spring Neighbor Academy for residents who can attend daytime sessions; an Easter Extravaganza (April 12) with a nonprofit fair at Slater Creek Park; Earth Day (April 26); Multicultural Night (May 2); National Train Day with the Anna Area Historical Preservation Society (May 10); Touch-a-Truck and May activities; Juneteenth and Boots & Booms in June; and NFS in October. Lawson said staff will present statistics and lessons learned from prior events at a future meeting and that many special events will be managed by the neighborhood services team.
During the meeting’s public-comment period, Joe Henderson identified himself as an Anna resident and the newly elected local president for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a national nonprofit that builds and delivers beds to children without beds. Henderson said the chapter will accept donations and volunteers and plans mobile builds; he asked the commission and community to keep the group in mind for support. “Our our the motto is no bed. No kids' sleeps on the floor in our town,” Henderson said, explaining the chapter delivers a setup that includes a bed, mattress and bedding.
Lawson also encouraged commissioners to promote volunteer programs such as Neighbor Academy (an eight-week daytime course in spring, with an evening cohort in fall) and to help recruit nonprofit participants for events like the Easter nonprofit fair. The city will also solicit feedback from attendees and participants to tweak future events, Lawson said.
No formal council actions were taken during the events update, which was presented for information and planning.
