Suzanne Besser remembers standing in her Chestnut Street home in 1998, looking out the window and wondering how she could connect with her new neighbors. She had just moved from Simsbury, Conn., for her husband's job and felt lonely.

"I thought it could be very isolating," Besser said, remembering her first experiences of Beacon Hill. She had planned to take a year off work but wanted to find a way to become part of the community.

"Then this job came up," Besser said of the executive director position at the Beacon Hill Civic Association, "and it totally changed everything." Besser altered her plan: she wasn't going to take a year off, she was going help build community on Beacon Hill. 

Building A Sense Of Community

Besser, a mother of four who had worked as a reporter for the Hartford Courant and for a nonprofit in Avon, began working on broadening the scope of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. 

"What we didn't talk about much in those days was a sense of community," Besser said, explaining that the association focused mostly on zoning issues, garbage pickup, sidewalk repair and similar functional neighborhood services.

"We need to be safe and need not to trip over brick sidewalks ... [but] building a sense of community and feeling part of a community really does impact your quality of life," she said. 

When Besser started at the association, the only community-building event it was part of was the annual Winter Dance. But that isn't affordable for everyone on the Hill, so Besser helped to start a new tradition for the whole neighborhood, the Beacon Hill Block Party, which has been a great success. 

Holiday Decorations Beyond Charles Street

Another neighborhood-building event Besser has been key in is the annual effort to decorate all of the Hill for the holidays. The Beacon Hill Business Association had been decorating Charles Street for several years but in 2000 Besser teamed up with Ivy A. Turner to try to decorate the whole hill. 

"She is particularly good at bringing people together to work toward a common goal. She finds ways that different groups and individuals can be involved in a project, each in their own way and she lets each group and person know they are valued," Turner, of Keller Williams Realty International, said.

Tara Gohlmann, a Lime Street resident active with the Friends of the Myrtle Street Playground, agreed: "Suzanne has a persistent positive attitude.  She deals with a multitude of issues in our neighborhood and listens to every idea and opinion, whether it be about construction down your street, potholes and missing sidewalk bricks or who should receive zoning approval - she is so easy to work with and always has a kind word."

Kathryn Kuchefski, who is on the association board and with the Beacon Hill Young Professionals, said she counts herself lucky to have Besser as a mentor, neighbor and friend. "Our neighborhood would not be the same amazing place to live without all she does each and everyday.''

Dinner Club, Wine Tastings And More

Other community activities Besser has spearheaded over the years include a dinner club, a running club, wine tastings and theater outings. She has also organized a group called Nonprofit Neighbors, a group of 22 Beacon Hill-based nonprofits that meet monthly for networking, listening to speakers and sharing tips and expertise that could help everyone. 

"Beacon Hill is lucky to have Suzanne Besser. She is an advocate for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life for all of our residents. Suzanne is involved in every aspect of our neighborhood- everything from trash and rats to helping to organize the BHCA winter dance. Her commitment to all of these issues is unparalleled," Diana Coldren, a member of the BHCA, said.