Over a year ago, in our Y7Q2 update we reported that DIP-IN was one of the 24 recipients across the U.S. to receive a donation from Lilly towards health equity programming, on behalf of the Milestones to Meaning program™, with funds to be used during calendar year 2025 in two ways: 1) provide funds to each neighborhood association within the DIP-IN communities to provide activities that increase social connection and community involvement, and 2) use remaining funds to create a printed and electronic resource guide, specific to each community, so residents have local resources they can access right at their fingertips.
In our last update, we briefly reported on some of the ways the funds were already being used by neighborhood associations to increase neighborhood engagement and membership with a long-term goal of impacting neighborhood-level health equity.
One of the neighborhood associations that had some of the most impact with Milestones to Meaning program™ funds was Northwest Landing Neighborhood Association in the Near Northwest community. Over the last handful of years, the Northwest Landing neighborhood has been reinvigorated by organizational investment, including the revitalization of Aspire House and Frank Young Park, that serve as neighborhood hubs.
Programming at these neighborhood hubs, including DIP-IN sponsored Sunday Suppers, has also provided further opportunities for the neighborhood. Finally, the neighborhood association itself, having been inactive for some time, was restarted by a group of committed residents.
Northwest Landing Neighborhood Association was able to build off this momentum that was already happening in the neighborhood and use the funds to capitalize on further engaging their neighbors. From July through November 2025, the neighborhood association was able to use funds to support a variety of activities and events, with each one also providing an opportunity to showcase the neighborhood association and encourage membership or other involvement.
These events included:
- Back to School Backpack Giveaway
- Charlie Wiggins Park Clean-up and Tree Planting
- Northwest Landing National Night Out
- Northwest Landing Jazz Concert
- Aspire House Fall Fest
- Thanksgiving Giveaway
In June 2025, prior to the use of Milestones to Meaning program™ funds, Northwest Landing Neighborhood Association had 10 members. In December 2025, after these events and activities were held in the neighborhood, the association reported being able to recruit an additional 86 people for association membership. Additionally, neighborhood association Facebook engagement increased from 100 to 152 individuals across the 6-month period, demonstrating an additional avenue to reach residents.
This has been a huge success for Northwest Landing in increasing neighborhood association membership and, beyond that, increasing the collective capacity of a neighborhood to impact health equity efforts right in their own area. In their reporting, Northwest Landing Neighborhood Association wrote that the funds helped their neighbors “know that they have a neighborhood association,” so they are able to “actively participate” in their neighborhood.
Great work to Northwest Landing and all the neighborhood associations who implemented activities with Milestones to Meaning program™ funds!
In our next quarterly update, we will feature the finished DIP-IN Community Resource Guides that were also created with Milestones to Meaning program™ funds.