This month’s neighbor of the month is Maria Gurren, current president of the Shelby Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA). A social worker and community organizer, Maria deeply appreciates the sense of connection and community she experiences with her neighbors.
Read on to learn how this recent Neighborhood Institute graduate is working with her neighborhood association to build on the strengths of her neighborhood.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Maria Gurren and I have lived in Louisville for 15 years and in Shelby Park for 6 years. I am a social worker, a community organizer, and I currently serve as the President of the Shelby Park Neighborhood Association (SPNA).
What have you been working on in your neighborhood?
So much! The Shelby Park Neighborhood Association is a small but mighty group of dedicated residents. We recently completed what I believe is the city’s first Community Benefits Agreement with the Louisville Vegan Jerky Company who recently moved to the neighborhood. This was a labor of love and the final product is something we are really proud of.
Other current projects include growing a new community garden, assisting with events in the park to bring neighbors together to enjoy art, music, and theatre, advocating for traffic calming and safer streets for bikers and pedestrians, organizing community cleanups, and exploring ways to expand affordable housing just to name a few. Along with two other neighbors who are also recent Neighborhood Institute graduates, I am currently planning a neighborhood-wide door-knocking effort to invite folks to get involved with SPNA, share a little bit about what we do, and gain feedback from residents through a survey about what they would like to see in the neighborhood.
How did you get involved in this work?
I have been involved in community organizing and social justice work in some capacity for over a decade and have always been active in my community. Soon after I moved to Shelby Park I attended my first neighborhood association meeting and SPNA was really my introduction to the many efforts underway here. SPNA was incorporated in the mid-1970s and there is a long history of Shelby Park residents actively working to improve their neighborhood and advocate for the people and places in our little corner of Louisville. This made it easy to get involved and my role in that work has grown ever since.
What do you love about your neighborhood?
I have never lived in a neighborhood where I knew so many of my neighbors and the people who live here are a huge part of why I love Shelby Park. There is a sense of connectedness among neighbors and a real sense of community. We also have a beautiful park that I get to enjoy every day and I am grateful to live in the heart of the city but also near such a beautiful green space. We have beautiful architecture in the shotgun homes and the historic buildings, including our community center. Shelby Park continues to be more and more walkable all the time with improvements to our built environment and the addition of many new businesses and restaurants.
One of my favorite spots in the whole city is Logan Street Market which houses dozens of vendors and is a great neighbor located right here in Shelby Park. I also love the work of the many non-profits in our neighborhood including Unity House, St. Vincent de Paul, and House of Ruth. There is a rich tradition of service here and the resources and services provided by these organizations support a lot of Shelby Park residents and neighbors.
What are your hopes for your neighborhood in the future?
One of my hopes for the neighborhood is that we continue to become more inclusive and connected. The canvassing campaign I mentioned is one effort to do that and I look forward to welcoming new voices to the conversations SPNA is having so we can better represent the diverse neighborhood we are. I also hope we continue to enhance our tree canopy and green space and improve our streets to promote safety and walkability throughout the entire neighborhood. I hope we continue to partner with the many non-profits in our neighborhood to expand the array of resources so that every resident of Shelby Park has their basic needs met.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you or your neighborhood?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about Shelby Park and the work of the Shelby Park Neighborhood Association! If you haven’t been to Shelby Park before or it’s been awhile, please come visit. And if you are looking for a way to feel more connected to your community, see if there is a neighborhood association where you live. I encourage everyone to get involved in one neighborhood-based effort; you may be surprised by where it takes you!
Hear from Maria and other outstanding neighbors in our newly released 50th Anniversary videos!
