Chapel Hill unites neighbors with food, fellowship

Laughter and applause filled the Hargraves Community Center Thursday when elementary school students wobbled their way over to their new principal, Coretta Sharpless, with huge grins and a congratulatory cake.

“My favorite part of tonight is the sense of community,” said Sharpless, the principal of Northside Elementary School.

“I am born and bred here, and I take pride in the beauty of what happens when people from all walks of life come together.”

Coming together was the goal behind Thursday’s Good Neighbor Initiative Block Party, a gathering intended for residential neighborhoods around the Chapel Hill area. The event is sponsored by UNC’s Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Community Involvement.

“This is about community celebration, celebrating being a good neighbor and living in community with one another,” said Aaron Bachenheimer, director of UNC’s Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Community Involvement.

Starting at 5 p.m., the event offered free food, music, games and the opportunity to meet new and old community members.

“The ultimate goal is for off-campus students and non-students to meet one another,” Bachenheimer said.

Off-campus UNC junior Brett Thompson said representatives from the event came to his door to let him know about the free event.

“I wanted to come and get to know my neighbors, and to be a part of the community,” he said.

Other contributors to the event included UNC, the town of Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill Police Department, EmPOWERment, Inc., the Downtown Partnership, the Jackson Center and several other community and business affiliates.

Though the community center’s park was brimming with information booths and bouncy houses, the adverse weather forced the event inside.

“I think this will be even better,” said EmPOWERment, Inc. Executive Director Delores Bailey about the move inside. “Now we will all be in here together.”

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he looks forward to the event every year.

“Special relationships between new residents and old can create a dynamic, extraordinary community,” he said.

The event brought together students, families, town officials and representatives from local businesses and organizations.

Matt LeRoy, one of the pastors at Love Chapel Hill, said he tries to express the love of Jesus in tangible ways, and community engagement plays a big part in that.

“Having relationships is a crucial thing that is missing in our communities,” he said.

“There’s such power in relationships. We tend to stick to people just like us, but it’s important to reach across boundaries and talk with different types of people, and I hope that’s what the community takes from this.”

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