From hosting scavenger hunts and fundraisers to yard sales and networking events, Ashley Bonner has already done so much to encourage residents of Peterborough’s East City neighbourhood to get to know and support each other. Yet, as she prepares to launch a new project for emergency preparedness, it’s clear she has no intention of slowing down.
“I’ve lived in the Ashburnham area my whole life and I feel so very connected and rooted here and feel very much that the community is my extended family,” she says. “I’d say that it almost became a bit of a purpose when COVID hit. I could really connect people at that neighbourhood level and utilize my skill sets in different ways.”
Fostering connections is rooted in every part of Bonner’s daily life. As program director for the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough, she has designed networking activities to make connecting feel natural and accessible and through her business, Smarketing, she provides marketing strategies for local businesses, organizations, and events.
“I know that local communities grow stronger through connection, visibility, and support for the local economy,” Bonner says. “For me, community building and business go hand in hand. When we support local businesses, organizations, and events, we strengthen the resilience of the places we call home.”
Bonner founded the East City Ptbo community hub on Facebook in 2020 when the pandemic made it clear there was a need for an online space where neighbours could connect and provide vital supports. What started with neighbours offering to pick up supplies or run errands for others turned into groups connecting over shared interests and community initiatives.
Bonner began to see that the group was about building resilience, and that doesn’t just mean bouncing back after an emergency like the pandemic or power outages.
“You start to see that resilience isn’t just the after-effect — it’s how we are connecting daily,” Bonner explains.
“The more neighbours know each other, the more likely they are to check in on each other in emergencies or ask neighbours ‘Can I borrow this?’ in those emergency situations. For me, resilience is how are we connecting on that everyday situation though our direct neighbours, through events. How are we having these conversations and connections?”
During emergencies like the derecho storm of 2022 and last year’s spring ice storm, Bonner saw the limitations posed by the online group when people didn’t have cell reception or power to access the group. While some neighbours had the connections to show up for each other, other residents were left feeling isolated.
That’s when the East City Neighbourhood Network was created. At the first meeting last November, more than 90 residents showed up to connect with others in their community and learn about initiatives happening across the neighbourhood.
Bonner then met with a group of people like herself who wanted to take emergency preparedness to the next level, which led to the formation of East City C.A.R.E. (Community Action for Resilience in Emergencies).
“This is very much where my passion was, so I was pretty excited for the first meeting when 60 people showed up, because when you start getting into that emergency planning, you’re wondering if people care,” she says.
“A lot of people will put the onus on the city or on organizations, but I think where you’ll see more momentum is if there is a grassroots growing that can really work with the city to say certain things,” Bonner adds. “We can’t wait for the city to declare that state of emergency, but your first responders are your neighbours.”
Since beginning to host monthly meetings beginning in January, the group has explored 72-hour preparedness, emergency hub development, communication options, resource sharing, and more.
“I knew this whole time, you can’t just have the conversation at that grassroots level,” Bonner says. “You have to look at what organizations and what the city is doing because you work within that infrastructure and there is lots of things that are being done. The goal was to say let’s have these conversations, let’s talk about what this looks like at our neighbourhood level, and how we can be prepared, but let’s also talk about and try to find bridges to connect with different city and emergency services.”
East City C.A.R.E. is hosting a neighbourhood networking event on Monday, April 27 at St. Luke’s Anglican Church at 566 Armour Road, with doors opening at 6 p.m. The event will see a “business connect” area for residents to learn about businesses, and there will be new block challenges designed to get residents prepared or building relationships with each other.
Bonner will also be introducing a pilot project in partnership with Community Care Peterborough. Called “Hey Neighbour,” the project connects residents with vulnerable neighbours in their area through a volunteer registration. They will provide call check-ins, friendly visits, and emergencies check -ins.
“There is a good amount of people who want to check in on neighbours, or at least want to know where the vulnerable neighbours are on their street that could really use a check-in,” says Bonner. “The fact that Community Care is going to partner with us is very exciting, and this is something that can be done in all of the city. This is not just East City specific.”
As she prepares for the meeting, Bonner is also seeking participating residents to join the fifth annual East City Neighbourhood Yard Sale, being held on Saturday, May 9, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
With more than 100 homes in East City participating in previous years, selling furniture, books, toys, artwork, clothing, and other hidden gems in past years, the events were inspired by Bonner’s mother Brenda.
“She would really absolutely love this,” Bonner says. “She loved yard sale-ing, so to have so many yard sales in such a small proximity would have been gold for her, and I think it really turned my grief into community connection. Mother’s Day weekend is a hard weekend if you have lost your mom, but it’s now turned into a beautiful community event where people come with their moms and make memories with their moms.”
Though Bonner has been a catalyst for creating a resilient community, she says she’s grateful to live in a place where people want to “show up” and help each other.
“This isn’t just me — every step of the way for every event there are neighbours who step up to help volunteer and to help organize,” she says. “With East City C.A.R.E., we have a great team going who are really dedicated in the background and I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for community that are wanting to show up and wanting to be involved and engaged. I’m very fortunate.”
For more information on the April 27th Neighbourhood Network event, visit the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/26244184331875585/. For more information on the May 9th East City Neighbourhood Yard Sale, visit the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/2469014060285771.
