Omaha’s National Night Out

As luxury home builders in Omaha, Nebraska, we know how important it is to live in a safe community. That’s why Omaha’s National Night Out is so important. Neighborhoods aren’t safe because of the property values or the location, neighborhoods are safe because the community is concerned about the wellness of the area and comes together to ensure that it is a safe place for the families who live there. It’s all about neighborhood connection. One of the best ways to stimulate that neighborhood connection is to get to know your neighbors. The best way to get to know your neighbors is by hosting a neighborhood get together, block party or barbecue. No matter what you call the event, coming together as a neighborhood community has many benefits. 

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make your neighborhoods safer, and better places to live.

The National Night Out events in Omaha are designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

National Night Out takes place the first Tuesday in August, this year it’s August 2nd. That means there’s more than a month to prepare for your neighborhood event.

How to plan your National Night Out in Omaha

1. Talk to your neighbors and ask for volunteers. It’s not a huge amount of work to have a block party, but it does take some organizing. It will be a lot more fun if you have a few people who can help you.

2. Choose which kind of event – pot luck, ice cream social, catered, etc. It doesn’t matter kind of event it is, you could order 20 pizzas, it’s all about coming together – food just happens to be a great incentive. 

3. Choose a time and place – National Night Out is August 2nd, but you don’t have to have it on that date. A weekend may be more convenient for some residents to celebrate on the weekend. 

4. Create a flyer and leave it at the doors of your neighbors. You can see examples of some great flyers on Pinterest.

5. Invite local fire station and police to stop by. Be sure to ask them to bring the big rig for the kids to check out!

6. Encourage neighbors to bring chairs, paper plates, cups etc and don’t forget a large trash bin to collect debris at the end of the evening.

Make sure everyone gets to introduce themselves, encourage the use of name tags. Set out a clipboard so that people can leave their phone numbers and email addresses. Make copies and distribute after the party. Consider creating a Facebook group for your neighborhood, too.

To learn more about National Night Out check out your local police departments page or click here for the National Night Out website.