3Sixty Spring Highlights
Neighborhood connection and care continue to grow across Holland as residents (like the Eastcore Dream Team below!) take the lead in strengthening their communities. From neighborhood gatherings and beautification projects to resident-led initiatives and new opportunities for connection, exciting things are happening in Eastcore, West of Washington, Montello Park, and Maplewood. Here's a look at what neighbors have been up to this spring.
EASTCORE
Back in February Eastcore hosted an amazing “Brunch on the Block”, looking back at the last year of work and dreaming and looking ahead to what’s next. The Yards & Gardens group learned about native plants together and a great team of neighbors gathered at 14th Street Church for Spring Cleanup. In May, Linear Park received a lot of love as participants helped tend to the gardens for Community Impact Day. And Lori has been busy giving regular Eastcore history and murals tours to groups throughout the spring and continuing on into the summer.
Linear Park is also hopping! They have weekly gardening work days and social events happening throughout the summer - too many to list! Check them all out on the Linear Park page.
This year kicked off with a question, What do we think about the possibility of Columbia Avenue becoming an arts corridor for Holland? This launched an energized, year-long Columbia Avenue Arts Committee of local residents and businesses who are invested in building a proposal and path forward. We’re excited to see where it leads!
And, to top it all off, the Tulip City Walls committee is working hard to make the fifth and final Tulip City Walls Mural Festival 2026 the biggest and best ever! Mark your calendars for this amazing event on August 20-22nd and please consider donating towards their final $70,000 fundraising goal to help them pull off all of the amazing work they would like to contribute to the Eastcore neighborhood.
Stay in regular communication with your Eastcore neighbors by making sure you are signed up to receive the monthly Eastcore newsletter and consider joining the Eastcore Facebook group.
WEST OF WASHINGTON
The West of Washington neighbors are continuing to gather and get to know one another, with a newly-developing Meadowlanes Dream Team and continued outreach at Harbor Springs. This spring they hosted at Guys Game Night at Escape Ministries that they plan to repeat! And a few of our West of Washington neighbors pitched in to help with Spring Cleanup at Montello Park - neighbors helping neighbors! Plans are underway for a summer potluck and a rummage sale. Stay tuned at 3-sixty.org/wow!
MONTELLO PARK
In April, neighbors began meeting monthly at Margarita’s on the third Wednesday of each month to formalize regular gatherings for discussion and planning. We’re grateful to Margarita’s for hosting and helping kick off this effort. We also distributed bilingual Montello Park newsletter flyers and stands that you can now find at a number of neighborhood businesses.
Montello Park neighbors came together for Spring Cleanup, filling up two dumpsters, a truckload of tires, and a large haul of donated goods—a beautiful spring day together beautifying the neighborhood! And Work is underway for plans to host a fall “Montellofest”—make sure you are in the loop!
Sign up to receive the monthly neighborhood newsletter and request to join the Montello Park Facebook group.
MAPLEWOOD
For the past year, Maplewood Neighbors has been focused on one simple question: What matters most to the people who live here?
Through a partnership between 3Sixty and Maranatha Church, Hope College intern Ethan Adams and Neighborhood Chaplain Christen Bordenkircher spent the past nine months listening to the neighborhood. Together with volunteers, they connected with more than 750 households and hosted 7 neighborhood conversations, gathering stories, ideas, concerns, and dreams from residents across Maplewood.
This spring, more than 40 neighbors and business owners gathered to celebrate what they learned through this door-to-door work. The conversations Ethan and Christen had with residents revealed a neighborhood that cares deeply about connection, family, and creating spaces where people belong. Ideas emerging from residents included neighborhood block parties, holiday gatherings, improved playground accessibility for children with disabilities, a community tool-sharing library, and enhancements to the Maplewood Park sandbox and play area.
That momentum is already taking shape! A Maplewood parent is leading efforts to secure grant funding for new sandbox equipment, neighbors are opening their homes and gardens for new community gatherings, and local businesses are helping support resident-led initiatives. Neighbors also recently came together for the annual Spring Cleanup, contributing to a community-wide effort that removed thousands of pounds of unwanted items and beautified shared spaces.
What's next? Maplewood is continuing to build on the relationships formed through this listening effort with monthly neighborhood gatherings, a new neighborhood newsletter, and ongoing opportunities for residents to turn ideas into action. The goal remains the same: helping neighbors know one another, care for one another, and shape the future of Maplewood together.
If you live or work in the Maplewood neighborhood, you’re encouraged to sign up for their monthly newsletter publication to stay in the loop!
