Community
Neighbors, partners, and volunteers working together on prevention, walkability, and events that make Mendota a healthier place to live.
Prevention Action Team
The Prevention Action Team was established in 2025 after the City of Mendota received funding through a SAMHSA Partnership for Success grant.
To unite youth and community members to prevent youth substance use, promote positive mental wellness, and create supportive opportunities and environments that help young people make healthy choices and thrive.
Our Work
Get Involved
The Prevention Action Team meets regularly. Community members and organizations interested in supporting this work are encouraged to participate.
Building a More Walkable Mendota
In 2023, Reimagine Mendota partnered with the City of Mendota to survey residents about what they value and want for the community. Improving sidewalks ranked among residents’ top 10 priorities. Since then, city leaders and community members have remained committed to assessing and improving Mendota’s sidewalks.
In 2024, Mendota was one of four Illinois communities selected to participate in an academy sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mendota was recognized for having one of the largest participant groups and received positive feedback for its engagement, presentations, and thorough work plan.
Each participating community developed an action plan with at least two overarching policy, system, or environmental goals. Mendota’s team identified additional needs and opportunities and presented its plan to the Mendota City Council on September 3, 2024, for consideration in the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
In 2025, the committee partnered with University of Illinois Extension and two eighth-grade classes to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Mendota’s sidewalks. The assessment documented sidewalk conditions and areas where sidewalks were missing.
Data from these efforts continues to guide the city’s priorities as it works toward becoming a safer, more walkable community.
The city welcomes volunteers who can assist with data collection and grant opportunities. Input from people with disabilities is especially valuable in helping ensure that future improvements accommodate residents of all abilities.
Dementia-Friendly Resources
Connect with information and services that support people living with dementia, their families, and their caregivers.
Community in Color Fun Run
Next Gen Leaders and the Live Well Mendota Prevention Action Team hosted the first Community in Color Fun Run on April 26, 2026. Next Gen Leaders helped plan and host the event.
Participants started near the back pavilion at Lake Mendota, traveled along the west side toward Lake Kakusha and Lake Drive, and returned around the north side of Lake Mendota. Along the route, participants were covered in eight colors and were treated to ice cream from La Esquinita De Oro at the finish.
More than 200 residents participated in the beautiful day. We look forward to continuing the event in 2027.
