Community Projects

Overview

Each fall and spring, the cohort of Neighbor Academy participants are tasked with creating a small, meaningful change in the Anna community through a community project of their choosing. The idea behind the project is three-fold: allow participants to develop their community leadership skills, give them the opportunity to utilize the knowledge and connections they've gained within the academy, and let them work through some of the rules, regulations, and considerations relevant to the change they seek to create. A catalog of previous community projects is below. 

Cohort 1: Veteran's Recognition Space

Neighbor Academy Cohort 1, inspired by the service of local Anna veterans as well as members of their families, sought to create a space in Anna in the form of a veteran's recognition bench designed to honor and commemorate the sacrifices and service of local veterans, providing a permanent and visible symbol of gratitude within our community. With the Municipal Complex under construction during their 2021 class which sits in the heart of downtown Anna and serves as the home base of our local government democracy, the area became the ideal location for this recognition area and bench. Located in the future public plaza outside of the municipal complex, this bench will serve as a place of reflection and appreciation for neighbors and visitors alike. Ultimately, this project's aim is to foster a sense of respect and remembrance for those who have served our country in a place of prominence within our community. 

Cohort 2: High School Art Contest, Reception, and Display

In Fall of 2022, with many of their own teenagers going through High School or they themselves having the experience of being impacted by the power of art, Neighbor Academy Cohort 2 created a municipal complex high school art contest to celebrate and showcase the creativity and talent of local students, enriching our community's cultural landscape and foster strong connections between the city and Anna ISD. By displaying the winning artworks at the municipal complex, Cohort 2 seeks to inspire civic pride and highlight the importance of the arts in the community, foster a connection between young artists and their community, and ultimately bring a little more life into the municipal complex.

Cohort 3: Supporting the Back to School Bash

Cohort 3, passionate about serving the youth in our community and fostering positive relationships between public safety and our community, chose to focus their project on supporting the city's inaugural Back to School drive and bash. This drive and this community event were created by the police department to provide school supplies to students in need in the Anna community. In supporting the Back to School Bash in getting off of the ground, Neighbor Academy Cohort 3 contributed supplies in areas that the school drive lacked, participated in communications for the drive, and volunteered at the Bash as well as in putting the supply backpacks together. The group continues to support the drive with volunteering in the summer. 

Cohort 4: 2050 Time Capsule 

The Anna Neighbor Academy Cohort 4's project is creating a time capsule to be placed in the local history section of Anna’s first-ever public library. This significant project is set to culminate with a grand ceremony during the library's opening in the spring of 2025. The time capsule is intended to be opened in 2050, and capture neighbors’ hopes for the future of the Anna community as Collin County experiences significant growth and change.

The time capsule aims to capture the essence of Anna in 2024 and 2025, preserving the hopes, dreams, and daily realities of our community for future generations. When opened, participants hope the capsule will offer future neighbors a sense of nostalgia that connects community both past and present. By including contributions from various sectors and residents, we aspire to create a comprehensive snapshot of our city's current state and aspirations for the future for Anna neighbors in 2050 to look back upon.

Cohort 5: Anna Disc Golf Rental Program

Inspired by hearing about the Fish and Tackle loaner program that exists within the City and by group members' interest in disc golf, Neighbor Academy Cohort 5 took on the challenge of creating a disc golf rental program for the City of Anna. Major renovations concluded in the Spring of 2024 for Slayter Creek Park with a great deal of emphasis on the newly upgraded Skate Park, addition of Pickleball Courts, and revamped Splash Pad, but this group of Neighbor Academy participants also wanted to emphasize the 2023 upgrades to the disc golf course making it tournament regulation, etc. Overall, their project consisted of the rentable disc golf sets that can be found on the CivicRec website or reserved by calling our Recreation Office, as well as promotion of disc golf in general in Anna through tabling at Boots and Booms, some fun promotional items, and communications on social media and the newsletter. 

Cohort 6: Block Party Trailer

Participants decided to provide updated games and organization to the block party trailer. The block party trailer is available free to HOAs to utilize to host community building events.

Cohort 7: Community Clean-up Day at Grace Place Community Garden

Participants completed a clean-up day benefiting the grace place community garden. Clearing the grounds of overgrowth and helping to insure the beds were in top shape.

Cohort 8: Community Chalkboard

Fall 2025 participants initiated a community chalkboard thar will be housed in the Anna Community Library and featured at Plaza events to encourage neighbor engagement. The board will showcase timely prompts—like "What is your favorite Thanksgiving Food?"—to spark fun conversation and connection across our community.