STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS
“We Not Me“ Empowers Neighborhoods Through Partnership
Rochester’s storied neighborhoods create an intricate tapestry that makes our city shine. Although each neighborhood has its own unique personality, one thing is true for all: community pride helps neighborhoods flourish. Rochester is one of the most civically engaged and philanthropic cities in America. Mayor Evans believes in harnessing this power and pride, and enables community members to step up and guide improvements in their own backyards. In his first years as Mayor:
- The City has consistently beaten its own records for sign-ups for Clean Sweep – in 2025, they attracted more than 3,000 sign-ups for the annual spring cleaning across Rochester!
- He introduced NIA (Neighbors In Action) in partnership with ESL Federal Credit Union and the Rochester Area Community Foundation, delivering $300,000 in small grants designed to enable community groups to come together and take purposeful action toward strengthening and improving their neighborhoods
- He invested in the City’s Neighborhood Service Centers, expanding staffing, including adding community engagement coordinators and new code enforcement officers
Malik keeps working, even while asleep! Mayor Evans dreamed up the name of the Neighbors In Action program. NIA is a Swahili word that means “purpose” – and is the shorthand acronym of the City’s powerful new neighborhood-empowerment program.
“My father, Minister Lawrance Lee Evans, was the founder of First Community Interfaith Institute, a teaching church and cultural organization in the South Wedge. I grew up in a household where ‘doing’ and service to others was the way of life. Civic engagement and activism are part of who I am.” ~ Malik Evans