Annual 17Strong summit moved to March

The summit will again be held at Hamilton High School, 1165 Eaton Ave., but has moved to March 1 as opposed to its traditional summertime date.

17Strong’s annual Community Breakfast, that celebrates recent microgrants and honors award recipients, including the winner of the annual Kathy Klink Award for Neighborhood Leadership, will be part of the Summit in 2025. Sara Silva, Hamilton’s Neighborhoods Coordinator, said the Summit will also feature a new award focusing on the youth.

The 17Strong Rising Youth Leaders Award recognizes young leaders who inspire peers and help move Hamilton forward will be presented for the first time on March 1. Winners of all 17Strong awards — which include volunteer of the year and business and non-profit awards — won’t be announced until they are presented at the event.

What had been organized as the celebration breakfast is scheduled to happen immediately after lunch. However, the Summit starts at 8 a.m. with registration and a social hour for guests to connect. The opening assembly begins at 9 a.m. and the first breakout sessions begin just after 10 a.m.

This year’s summit will focus on creating opportunities for residents, leaders and community builders across Hamilton to come together and engage in open dialogue. Teamwork requires communication, and sometimes it has to be difficult conversations, said Silva.

“This year, I think this is going to be the coolest Summit yet because we’re really diving into our neighborhoods,” she said, adding that with the expansion of the Summit topics, not all are easy ― like affordable housing and food insecurity, mental health, and housing insecurity.

“But they bring our residents together,” she said. “I want to make sure Hamilton resident, whether they’re new or old, feels included in all that’s coming and all that’s ahead. Let’s have tough conversations, because if we don’t have them, we’re not going to move together forward.”

Logistically, it’s impossible for everyone to attend the breakout sessions, but topics this year are lead by Hamiltonians who Silva calls “our unsung residents who are doing amazing work in our community.“

The Summit will eliminate a lot of barriers for residents, including moving it earlier in the year to avoid the time when people have summer vacations and activities. Also, there will be childcare and transportation services.

The Hamilton Neighborhoods Summit is a ticketed event. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/2025HamiltonSummit.