Most neighborhood associations, at least historically, start with a few homeowners in someone’s living room who gather to oppose something or protest something else; they throw a few Venmo dollars in the virtual hat for an email account and start meeting.

The Jackson Square Neighborhood Association (JSNA), launched with great fanfare on Saturday July 25, is completely different.

It started over six years ago with $2 million in grants and a paid consultant.

More importantly of all is that most of the group and all of its board members are all renters who live in income-restricted housing around Jackson Square owned by non-profits Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) and The Community Builders.

The launch was held in the Anna Mae Cole Community Center at Mildred Hailey Apts with more than 100 people.

The new executive board was introduced and three are familiar names as members of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC).

Willie Mitchell, JPNC, chair, has lived at 61 Heath St. since 2020. Purple Reign is the new chair of the Jamaica Plain Housing Committee and has lived at 25 Amory Ave., since 2020. Bianca Terry is on the neighborhood council. Danny Vargas,vice chair, lives at Mildred Hailey Apts/ and is active in the Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF). Sarah Lewis, a local entrepreneur, is treasurer.

Guest speaker Celina Miranda, Director of the HSTF, summed up the celebration. “Six years ago we had this idea and we worked at it,” she said.

That idea largely came from Giovanny Valencia, who was the lead organizer for JPNDC for 10 years. “So much background,” Valencia told The Bulletin the next day.

“It came out of a youth program in 2013: leadership development and safety at Mildred Hailey,” he said. “We came together: JPNDC, Tree of Life, HSTF and Children's Hospital. Children's gave us a pilot grant.”

“We wanted to target activists and leadership from Mildred Hailey Apts, 125 Amory St, 25 Amory Avenue, Academy Homes. We started with leadership running for the 2023 neighborhood council,” Valencia said, “with Willie Mitchell and Purple Reign and Esther Billiard elected [Mitchell and Reign were reelected in 2026].”

The Children’s Health Initiative of Boston Children's Hospital has played a major role in the formation of JSNA.

Stacy Walker, director of community health programs and partnerships at Children's Hospital was at the launch and she told The Bulletin that the collaboration began with a one-year $150,000 planning grant to the JPNDC, JP Tree of Life, and the HSTF in Sept. 2019.

There were three goals: Youth and resident leadership, early childhood education, and financial services to families.

Called “Living Safely in Jackson Square,” the collaboration received two implementation grants of three years each; the first in 2021 for $1 million and the second for $1 million in January 2024, which expires at the end of 2026.

The money was held and distributed by the Hyde Square Task Force and was used, as Valencia explained, as stipends for building captains and youth captains plus workshop materials and the project manager salary for Samilla Quiroa.

“How it was formed...” said Reign in her remarks at the celebration. “It came from Living Safely in Jackson Square. Boston Children's Hospital chose to invest in us. They believed in the people.”

“Every neighborhood has a neighborhood association,” said Reign, “Why not us? We created it ourselves.”

In addition to supporting the creation of the first-ever Jackson Square neighborhood association, Children’s “Opened the door in January 2022 to the food pantry Family Food Connections,” Walker told The Bulletin.

“Working with the BHA (Boston Housing Authority)... we’re in our fourth year. We saw over 65,000 people last year,” she said.

Carol Miranda, Tree of Life program director, presented Stacy Walker with a recognition award to Children's Hospital “for your faith in the families of Jackson Square and your generous investments.”

The 90-minute program included District 5 City Council Councilor Ben Weber, District 7 City Councilor Minniard Culpepper, and State Sen. Liz Miranda. Each speaker was greeted with lots of cheering and clapping from the audience.

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Miranda, who rarely attends events in the Jamaica Plain end of her district, compared the new JSNA with a Roxbury collaboration, The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, that was started 35 years ago and had similar goals and philanthropic support.

“We’re making history today,” she said. “It only takes a few people. Jackson Square has a lot of new neighbors, new housing, people new to this community.”

Willie Mitchell reminded the audience of Jackson Square today. “There’s 601 new homes, all built by JPNDC, Urban Edge and The Community Builders. All without displacement.”

Culpepper showed off his Sunday morning sermon style from his days at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. Amidst claps and cheers Culpepper announced, “Here’s the good news! Our community is worth fighting for! I really want to congratulate you – all you ‘grass roots’ people.”

“You have courage and audacity,” he said. “This neighborhood is a model of equitable revitalization. JPNDC, Tree of Life, Mildred Hailey, Children's Hospital—you all came together.”

The crowd responded happily: “Nothing about us without us! Nothing about us without us!” And the cheers continued, “God Bless you!”

Before the crowd gathered in the sunny plaza outside for the group photo, Mitchell made two announcements.

“The Peace Walk will start on Saturday Sept. 12, 10 a.m. at the Horan Way playground and we will walk to Mozart playground.”

“The first neighborhood association meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. Live and hybrid,” he said. “No location yet.”

Valencia told The Bulletin, “The grant ends at the end of the year… No longer with non-profits anymore, No more money. But they have process now.”

The Bulletin called up Mitchell on Monday afternoon. He said he moved into 61 Heath Street in 2020 and met up with Valencia. (JPNDC built and owns that building).

Together with others they came up with Jackson Square Lifting Our Voice for Safety (DIS LOVES).

“Jackson Square is changing so much, we had go have our own association,” Mitchell said. “We have to reach out to the market rate people, just like we did at Academy Homes,” he said. “They want the same things.”

Mitchell knows the money will run out.

“We have to focus now on what we’re gonna need before the money ends to get in a real good position,” he said.

Quiroa’s six-year contract ends in December 2026.

She told The Bulletin the JSNA expects to apply for tax-exempt status to raise its own money in a few years. The by-laws are already written, and the Executive Board was announced on Saturday.”