Mission

The Neighborhood supports Connecticut's most active volunteers and civic leaders by building a statewide peer community that makes problems more solvable, solutions more scalable, and civic impact more sustainable. The goal isn't just to support the people already showing up—it's to increase the number of people actively serving their communities by making service visible, valued, and easier to sustain over the long run.

A diverse group of people packing food into paper bags at a community event.

We envision a Connecticut where the state’s most active volunteers and civic leaders are woven together in a genuine peer community where geographic distance doesn’t prevent neighborly connection, where good ideas spread organically from one community to another, and where showing up for your community means joining a larger movement. In a neighborhood, people look out for one another, share resources, and celebrate each other’s contributions. That’s the Connecticut we’re building.

We started by listening to volunteers and civic leaders as they shared their needs and goals. Learn what we heard from them, and how their experiences have shaped the strategy.

Catalyst Awards Selection Committee

Close-up of a smiling young man with dark curly hair, wearing a suit, white shirt, and striped tie, with a pin on his lapel, outdoors with blurred green foliage in the background.

Anthony Afriyie

Stratford

A woman with long brown hair smiling outdoors with green leaves in the background.

Danielle Chesebrough

Stonington

A smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and light skin, indoors near a window with curtains.

Karen Goldberg

West Hartford

A man with a close-cropped haircut, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and blue tie, smiling slightly. Only part of his face is shown, against a light background.

Matthew Quinones

Stamford

Close-up of an older woman with short gray hair, wearing a royal blue jacket, smiling softly in a well-lit indoor setting.

Anne Ruwet

Torrington

Team

Headshot of a man with short dark hair, blue eyes, wearing a dark blue button-up shirt, smiling slightly against a gray background.

Andrew Ferguson

Co-Founder & Leader

Andrew is the Co-Founder & Leader of The Neighborhood, the Founder of Redwood Fellows, and the Founder & CEO of Redwood Endeavors. Prior to creating The Neighborhood and Redwood in 2025, Andrew served as Co-CEO of Dalio Education and he co-founded the RISE Network and the Connecticut Opportunity Project. He is a Pahara Fellow and Redwood Fellow, and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He serves on the boards of the Community Mindfulness Project and Friends Center for Children. He’s also the creator of Bonanza!

Professional portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses, wearing a gray suit and a light-colored shirt, smiling against a blurred gray background.

Gerry Goldberg

Co-Founder

Gerry is a Co-Founder of The Neighborhood. Gerry is also a Focus Partners Wealth Division President and he serves as Executive Sponsor of the firm’s community impact efforts. Gerry served as the CEO of GYL Financial Synergies, which he co-founded in 2016 and led through its integration into Focus Partners in the fourth quarter of 2024. For the 30 years that Gerry has resided in Connecticut, he has been involved in many non-profit organizations in a volunteer capacity. When not working or giving back to the community, Gerry is an avid skier and enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, and three grandchildren.

Close-up of a smiling man with light skin and blue eyes, wearing a blue collared shirt.

Don Kendall

Co-Founder

Don is a Co-Founder of The Neighborhood. He is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and certified EMT. Don is an active Member of Weston Volunteer EMS, where he has served for 13 years. He has founded and led four for-profit companies, and he has helped to create five nonprofit organizations, including Social Impact Partners Connecticut, AdvanceCT, 4-CT, SimplicityCT, and The Neighborhood. He has served on nine nonprofit boards in Connecticut. Today, he spends most of his time trying to be a good husband, father, son and community volunteer. 

A smiling young man wearing glasses, a white dress shirt, and a striped tie outdoors with a background of blurred green trees and a wooden structure.

John-Michael Parker

Director

John-Michael is the Director of The Neighborhood and he also represents Madison and Durham in the Connecticut General Assembly as State Representative of the 101st district. Prior to joining The Neighborhood in 2026, John-Michael served as Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut. A Yale graduate, artist, Redwood Fellow, and former science teacher, he brings more than 15 years of experience leading mission-driven organizations and advancing educational opportunity. He lives in Madison with his wife, Joyce, and their children, Charlie and Rosie.

Strategy

The Neighborhood's strategy centers on a statewide peer community of active volunteers and civic leaders, built and reinforced through three interconnected pillars:  

  • The Neighborhood Catalysts Awards program recognizes and resources up to 10 Catalysts each year from across the state, supporting them through a $15,000 award for their civic work and an invitation to the Community of Practice;

  • The Neighborhood Square brings volunteers and civic leaders together at in-person, statewide convenings to build relationships and share ideas across communities; and  

  • The Neighborhood Platform shares stories and practices so that what works in one community can be discovered and replicated in another.

The accumulated effect of these interconnected levels produces something the individual activities cannot: civic ecosystems that are structurally more resilient and create a broader network of volunteers and civic leaders. More residents are mobilized relationally through the expanded reach of well-resourced Catalysts. More communities benefit from practices that were once trapped behind town lines. This is the long-horizon outcome: a measurable change in the vitality of civic life throughout Connecticut.

Group of people planting a small tree in a pot outdoors during daytime.
Two men smiling and exchanging a bottle of water at an outdoor volunteer event with boxes of food and bottles on a table, with others in the background and colorful buildings behind.