This month, Jerusalem Farm is spotlighting Phyllis Hernandez, the organization’s new Lead Organizer for their upcoming Community Listening Sessions.

Phyllis has a strong relationship with the Historic Northeast Community having spent the last four  years at the Kansas City Public Library’s North-East Branch. During the pandemic, she assisted with a public mural project on the back side of the Fast Stop at 4815 Independence Avenue. That public art experience led her to open Sala de Arte, a public art gallery on 9th Street directly across from the Northeast Soccer Fields. “Our goal was to showcase that hidden art talent in the Northeast,” Hernandez said.

This Friday, December 15th, from 11am to noon, Hernandez will kick off the Community Listening Project with a stop at the North-East Library, located at 6000 Wilson Road. Residents are invited to stop by and offer their opinions on what issues are important when we consider “livability” in the Historic Northeast community. Those discussions could focus on public safety, housing, health, belonging, equity and more. We want to hear what residents are most interested in discussing and advocating for.

The Community Listening Project that Jerusalem Farm conducted in 2022 was the largest survey to date, which has been conducted in the Northeast and has been used by many service agencies, foundations and government agencies in determining funding initiatives to the community. 

The Community Listening Project is an important way for residents of the Northeast to advocate for the types of investments they would like to see in Northeast, to make sure that collectively we are progressing in ways we see beneficial to our quality of life.