SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – First of all, Happy New Year! The last article of the year is used to reflect on the successes, accomplishments, and events of the past year, with good wishes and anticipations shared for the coming year.

Agencies and groups around the lake collaborated in 2025 to work on problems and projects together. There was once a time when people operated in silohs, using their own funding and staff to accomplish ticking off the boxes on their own lists. That has been evolving over the last few years, and 2025 was no different – collaboration. Environmentally, much still needs to be done. Housing has many needs that still need to be accomplished. There are still abandoned buildings and blight that need to be corrected, and building projects that need to be completed.

Things can be accomplished together.

This is a great word. Why, you ask? It means connection, unity, shared purpose, and mutual support. A quick look at resources reveals “together” makes people feel less alone and more capable, whether through teamwork, emotional bonding, or simply sharing experiences. Together boosts morale, creates community, and fosters strength to overcome challenges. It transforms individuals into a cohesive unit, turning solo efforts into shared successes and deeper relationships, and it can motivate better work and deeper connections, according to research and common experience. 

Can you imagine a community where people work together to accomplish whatever is before them?

People will never have the same opinions, but there is a way to work together for a common goal. Put aside differences and find the common points for the good of a community.

Together.

According to Grace Winstanely on MentorLoop:

Key Mechanisms of Togetherness in Community Building:

  1. Shared Purpose & Goals: Coming together for a common mission (e.g., community projects, faith, learning) gives people a “why” and unites them in effort.
  2. Collaboration & Resource Sharing: Working hand-in-hand, sharing ideas, and pooling resources enhances problem-solving and creates an ecosystem of collective growth.
  3. Mutual Support & Vulnerability: Supporting each other through tough times, offering help, and being reliable builds deep trust and strengthens bonds, making people feel safer and more valued.
  4. Shared Experiences & Routines: Participating in regular activities (sports, events, workshops) creates shared memories and routines, making connection natural and ongoing.
  5. Interconnectedness & Belonging: Feeling seen, heard, and needed fosters a sense of belonging, moving people from isolation to a supportive “beloved community”.
  6. Participation & Contribution: When individuals actively contribute (even small acts like tidying up or volunteering), they feel ownership and connection to the group’s success. 

In essence, being “together” shifts focus from “me” to “we,” creating a dynamic environment where individual strengths combine for collective well-being, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Tahoe has always been a great place to support those in need. Couldn’t we also be a great place to support those trying to make this a better place?

Step away from social media, where there is constant fighting over what happens in a community. New businesses take a risk and come to town and create jobs and revenue for a city – celebrate them. In South Lake Tahoe this year, Target, Ulta, Five Below and Sierra all opened up. Rice and Kung Pao Hustle opened new restaurants and Cascade Kitchens opened a new food hall. Sugar Pine Village opened another phase, this time with 60 new affordable apartments to add to the previous 68, with more phases to open soon. Motel 6 was demolished and the land cleared for open space, with the public able to participate on its future uses. A new skatepark opened, new bike trails are being created, Lake Tahoe Community College opened a 100-bed dorm for low-income students, and major renovations were completed at Caesars Republic and the Golden Nugget. Millions of dollars were but into state, county and city roads to make South Lake Tahoe a safer place to walk, ride and drive.

Agencies and governments cannot simply create community by doing things for the residents, but by doing things together all parties have a role and are a part of the solution and it becomes a shared accomplishment. Commissions, boards, councils all seek input from the public on solutions, jump in and work together.

The new South Lake Tahoe Multigenerational Aquatics and Recreaton Center will open this spring, a result of residents and the City working together to create something for the locals and visitors, and funded by tourism revenue.

There is even a group called the Together Institute and works on a thriving community, stating the three core motivators in communities are: Being together, Learning together, Doing together.

See, “together” is a great word.

Have a great 2026.