Who’s a Good Neighbor? Here Are Two You Should Know!

Article by Becky Fillinger

Mill City Times is assisting non-profit Be That Neighbor in recognizing the good neighbors among us. We asked for nominations of ‘Good Neighbors’ a few weeks ago and were pleasantly surprised when two neighbors nominated each other!

Pat Jenkinson and Barb Babekuhl live in the sleepy community of Columbia Heights, a first ring suburb of Minneapolis. In this diverse city, their local neighborhood is a cluster of 65 townhomes that borders Sullivan Lake and its walking path. Until recently the townhome community really didn’t open its arms to the rest of the neighborhood. That’s until Pat and Barb got involved.

Pat Jenkinson (right) and Barb Babekuhl (left)

It started small with Pat and another friend Michelle forming a small neighborhood social group, which grew into the neighborhood watch committee, which grew into thinking bigger on how to gather neighbors in a common cause of helping the environment through organic composting. Last year this group of neighbors received awards from the City of Columbia Heights on its outstanding recycling efforts, with Barb receiving the Anoka County Recycling Champion Award.

Fast forward to Spring 2020. COVID-19 didn’t stop the momentum of Pat and Barb - it actually fueled them to recruit additional neighbors to be more involved. Pat and Barb spent their COVID-19 stay at home days beautifying a neighborhood area that had become overrun with volunteer trees and weeds, and created a pollinator area near the walking path. Through their action the townhome community opened itself up to more neighbors, walkers around the lake and visitors to the community. What blossomed was more than flowers - neighbors started talking to each other more, stopping to admire the beauty the ladies were creating, taking pictures and sharing to social media. One neighbor stops every few days and sends her pictures all the way to relatives in China! Neighbors wanted to become involved and began to donate plants, seeds, painted rocks, chalk, mosaics tiles and trinkets.

To help spread the message of the pollinator garden and positivity, Barb and Pat recruited young neighborhood children to help create a border that shared positive messages. The children, along with Pat and Barb, started to do chalk art on the sidewalk every few days to keep the community engaged and encourage positivity during the past few months. The pollinator area became a neighborhood project that has brought a community together. During Pride Days in Columbia Heights, they handed out windmills to people walking around the lake to spread the message of Love your Neighbor.

Barb and Pat spend countless hours beautifying their neighborhood. They engaged all the neighbors to not only participate, but be exemplary neighbors themselves. Pat and Barb in tandem created a better neighborhood. And did I mention they’re humble? Each nominated the other for this recognition!    

Do you know someone who should be recognized as a good neighbor?

Be That Neighbor is seeking nominations from our readers. Please use this online form for your nominations - people, businesses, nonprofits are all eligible. We'll celebrate these exemplary neighbors in October by recognizing 'A Neighbor A Day' - winners will be featured in Mill City Times and social media. We can't wait to hear from you! Please share with your friends.

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About Becky Fillinger

I’ve been a resident of the Mill District only since July 2019, but have visited the Guthrie, the Farmers Market, restaurants and friends in the area for many years prior to making the leap to Minneapolis. I’ve lived in many places (and climates) in the US and can testify that our cultural events, bicycle and hiking trails, parks and green spaces, museums, diverse neighborhoods and wonderful restaurants put Minnesota and Minneapolis high on my best places list. I’m a member of the Mill City Singers and look forward to our choir practices and performances.

One of my main interests is community - a very broad concept. For me it means bringing people together with common interests to form meaningful relationships. I look forward to reporting on businesses and individuals in our neighborhoods. Feel free to drop me an email at becky_fillinger@hotmail.com with your thoughts and ideas for stories.