Last Sunday, May 17, three ninth-grade students from La Paz and residents of Las Catalinas organized a warm and joyful community cookout at Plaza Danta, just outside Pura Vida Ride.
From around 4 to 6:30 pm, neighbors, families, friends, and familiar faces gathered for an afternoon of food, conversation, and connection. Around 40 to 50 people attended, with guests of different ages coming together in the relaxed and generous spirit that makes these gatherings feel so special.
With guidance from their mentor, the students planned the event as part of a larger effort to create more opportunities for people in Las Catalinas to spend time together. During the afternoon, they shared a few words about their goal: to help both newer and longtime residents feel included and connected as part of Town life.
The students prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken skewers, while neighbors added their own homemade contributions to the table. There were brownies, cookies, cake, gallo pinto, and many other shared dishes that made the afternoon feel like a true neighborhood gathering.
One neighbor shared that the event gave them the chance to speak with people they do not usually get to talk to, which is exactly the kind of connection the students were hoping to encourage.
The cookout was open to the community with no set cost to attend. The students used money raised through previous projects to cover most of the food and the grill rental, and by the end of the afternoon, they had raised $110 to put toward their next gathering.
Their hope is to continue organizing monthly activities that bring people together, with a tennis tournament planned for the end of June.
Anyone who would like to support these future events can email Allyson, one of the students’ mothers, at allysonbgah@aol.com.
We congratulate these three students and their mentor, Amy, for such a thoughtful initiative. By bringing neighbors together and creating a space for connection, conversation, and community, they reminded us how meaningful simple gatherings can be. We hope many more people continue to join and support their upcoming events, and we are proud of our young neighbors, their initiative, and their generosity in helping strengthen the bonds that make Town feel like home.