Meet Elyss Ross: Rebuilding Community One Neighbor at a Time

When Elyss Ross moved into her neighborhood more than a decade ago, she noticed something missing.

"We see each other daily, but I never knew their names," she said. "I felt like that was a huge issue, especially considering how I grew up. We knew our neighbors. All the kids played together."

For years, Elyss carried an idea in the back of her mind: what if she hosted a neighborhood block party? Then she joined PLTI-KC.

Within weeks of beginning the program, Elyss shared her idea with her PLTI cohort, and they challenged her to take the next step.

"It was literally within the first couple weeks of me starting PLTI," she said. "They gave me that push. It was just being around like-minded people that actually cared about their community."

That November, Elyss hosted her very first block party in the Marlborough neighborhood. What began as a gathering for her street quickly grew. The response surprised her. One neighbor who had lived there for 50 years told Elyss they had never experienced a block party in the neighborhood before. For Elyss, the goal was never simply to host an event. It was to create the kind of community she remembered from childhood. One where neighbors knew one another, children played together, and people looked out for each other.

"I still feel like there's a disconnect," she said. "We had a block party once. We know each other's names. But we're still not creating that community that I envision. Where we're helping each other out."

That vision continues to inspire her. She dreams of creating opportunities for neighbors to stay connected beyond annual gatherings, perhaps even through shared gardening efforts that encourage neighbors to exchange resources and build relationships. Because the first block party was so successful, she’s now planning the second event.

The project has already made an impact on Elyss's own family. As a mother of five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, she watched her kids connect with children they had never met before, even those living just a few doors away.

"The kids got to play together," she said. "A lot of them didn't want to go home."

For Elyss, stepping into leadership hasn't always been easy or comfortable.

"It took a lot in me," she shared. "I love people, but when I'm in my own personal element, I'm kind of afraid to speak due to rejection. It took a lot for me to say, 'Okay, I'm going to do this.'"

What she discovered instead was warmth, openness, and a shared desire for connection.

"I had a huge positive response," she said. "It kind of trampled all that fear. You just have to get over that fear and put yourself out there."

As a 2026 PLTI-KC graduate, Elyss exemplifies what happens when parents recognize the power they already possess to strengthen their communities. Her project didn't require permission, specialized expertise, or a large budget. It started with an invitation.

Elyss hopes others will consider doing the same.

"I do want to encourage others to host a block party in their neighborhood if they're not doing so already," she said. "That way we can reconnect humanity in a sense. We share the same neighborhood, drive the same streets, shop in the same stores, but yet we don't know each other. It’s about rebuilding the friendships, the sense of safety, and the natural relationships that once existed between neighbors."

At PLTI-KC, we believe democracy starts at home—and sometimes, it starts with simply knocking on a neighbor's door and saying hello.