Hamilton's 17 Strong initiative is uniting all 17 of the city's neighborhoods through cleanups, community events and micro-grants where residents lead the way.
The citizen-led group grew out of the city's Sense of Place Committee, which launched in 2010 with three guiding principles: making Hamilton's neighborhoods safe, clean and engaged.
Board Chair Miles Davidson said the name reflects the city's geography and philosophy.
"Each has a unique identity, and we want to celebrate those unique identities, but we don't want them to be boundaries. We want people to be welcome in all 17 of our neighborhoods, no matter which one they're coming from," Davidson said.
17 Strong operates through several committees focused on outreach, grants and communications. One of its signature efforts is a community trailer called the Cube, stocked with everything a neighborhood needs to organize a cleanup.
"It really makes a space to be proud of. It's the residents saying, 'We want to take this on, we want to make our spaces beautiful and be able to use them all the time,'" Davidson said.
The group also awards micro-grants to help residents bring their ideas to life. Candice White, a Riverview neighborhood resident who has lived on Hamilton's south side for 36 years, found 17 Strong while searching for funding for the inaugural Hamilton Juneteenth celebration. A grant she received in 2025 also helped launch the Rhythm and Blues on Bailey Summers Concert Series at Bailey Square on Second Street.
"I asked for a grant in 2025 to do four concerts. Which, micro-grants from 17 Strong was able to give some seed money for that. It was such a success that it pretty much springboarded us to do it again this year," White said.
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White said the concert series has drawn people to Bailey Square who had never visited the park before.
"I still meet people to this day that last year was their first time stepping foot on Bailey Square, and they never would have spent time at this park if it weren't for Blues on Bailey," White said.
The next Blues on Bailey concert is July 3 at Bailey Square, featuring Cincinnati band Off the Cuff. The show starts at 6 p.m., with the band taking the stage at 7 p.m.
Alonzo Wells, a lifelong Riverview resident and music engineer who has collaborated with White on both Juneteenth and Blues on Bailey, said the neighborhood has deep roots and a bright future.
"This community has come a long way," Wells said.
Wells said he hopes Bailey Square will one day become a dedicated neighborhood gathering space, with a small stage, food truck access and room for residents to connect year-round.
17 Strong's annual neighborhood summit draws 500 to 600 attendees and has grown by roughly 100 people each year. Davidson said visitors from other cities are often surprised by the scale of the event.
"People come from out of town, and they always say, 'Man, I wish my city had something like this,'" Davidson said.
Davidson said the group hopes its model can be replicated elsewhere.
"We do this because we want our community, it's our little corner of the world, but if other communities start doing it too, and we can sort of expand that mission and pass it on," Davidson said.
17 Strong holds open board meetings on the first Monday of every other month at the Hamilton Central YMCA.
Residents interested in getting involved can also look for volunteers wearing "We is Greater Than Me" shirts at community events, or reach out through the Department of Neighborhoods at the City of Hamilton.
