TOLEDO, Ohio — As spring approaches, the City of Toledo is teaching a group of residents how to better serve their community.
It's all part of Engage Toledo Ambassador's Academy.
Engage Toledo is a 24/7, year-round call center that offers an array of services to the community and serves as a liaison between citizens and city government.
But Engage Toledo can't help the community, if the community doesn't even know they are there.
This is where the ambassadors come into play, as they bring the knowledge they have learned about what Engage Toledo does, back to their neighborhoods.
"Been here all my life. I was born and raised. So I figured, 'hey, who better than me to find out what's going on.' Because I mean a lot has changed," said Vivian Bunnell-Myers, an ambassador for Engage Toledo Ambassador Academy.
As a Toledo native, Vivian cares deeply about her city and her neighbors.
The grandmother took it upon herself to enroll in the Engage Toledo Ambassador Academy.
"Ambassador Academy is just to get citizens more involved. It's there for people who feel like they want to support their community. They want to be a helping hand but they don't know how," said Kalena Harris, a representative, with Engage Toledo.
Over the course of 12 weeks, enrollees in the project visit a different city department each week.
The experience has been eye-opening for Vivian.
"I'm finding out a lot more things there are out there than when I just kept saying, 'well gee, they ain't nobody telling me.' Why I guess not. They ain't gonna just knock on my door and say hello. So I decided I'm gonna knock on their door and find out," said Vivian.
That open door of opportunity will now allow Vivian to share what Engage Toledo can do for her neighbors.
"They can call us for just about anything with the city. And if it's not something we directly handle, we will get it routed to the appropriate place," said Sienna Davis, supervisor for Engage Toledo. "So your potholes, high grass season is gonna be starting. Limbs down. Blight. Cleanup."
If you do need help from the city, Engage Toledo asks for your patience as members work on your request.
"There's a lot of things that take place behind the scenes that are not right in front of the eyes of the people in the neighborhood," said Davis.
Vivian is already using the knowledge she's learned to go back and help her community.
"They got things for us. It's just we got to go find out what they are. And then you use them. We just can't say they ain't got it," said Vivian.
If you need help with a nuisance property, pothole, or other neighborhood problem you call Engage Toledo at 419-936-2020.
Or you can download the app, and make a report there.
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