I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the kind of community I’d like to live in, and more importantly, the kind of community I want to raise my kids in.

My personal vision is a neighbourhood that’s truly connected. A place where we are aware of the people living around us, where support for each other becomes natural, and where we aren’t just strangers passing in the street.

I want a world where my children see that helping a neighbour is just a normal, healthy part of life.

In many places, our communities have become disconnected. We don’t know our neighbours as much as we used to, and because of that, we often hesitate to ask for help when we need it.

Instead, we try to solve everything ourselves, or we rely purely on commercial transactions to meet our needs. While paid services have their place, they don’t — and can’t — cover everything. There are gaps.

The result is that many small things simply don’t get done. We struggle to find the time for those little extras that make life enjoyable. Our pets might miss out on that extra bit of attention; elderly neighbours might struggle with simple tasks that would take someone else just moments to solve; and families absorb the stress of trying to “do it all” alone.

There’s also a hidden cost to trying to solve every problem with money.

We often forget that a dollar that isn’t spent is a dollar that is saved — and perhaps more importantly, it’s a dollar that doesn’t have to be earned. When we have to work longer hours just to pay for help to keep our households running, we lose the very time we’re trying to save.

My philosophy is that we can live better without always reaching for our wallets. We can fill the gaps in our lives through connection rather than just transactions.

This is the heart of Mind For Me. It’s about recognising that we all have needs, and we all have the capacity to give.

It works on the idea that helping someone often costs the giver very little — perhaps it’s on their way, or something they enjoy doing — but the value to the receiver is immense.

Mind For Me makes it easy to ask. It removes the awkwardness and allows us to put a need out to our community in a few clicks. It connects us with people who are happy to help, turning a simple task into a moment of real connection.

So, what does it look like when we achieve this?

I picture a neighbourhood where you walk out your front door and know the names of the people you see. It’s a place where you feel a sense of security, not just because of locks on doors, but because there are “eyes on the street” — neighbours who know you and look out for your family.

I see parents who are less stressed and more present. They have the time to go out for a date night and reconnect as a couple because a neighbour was happy to help with the kids. I see individuals who have time to pursue their own goals and hobbies because the small, nagging tasks of life are being shared.

I see a community where we achieve more together. Where our pets are happier, our gardens are greener, and our elderly neighbours feel included and supported rather than isolated.

In this community, we spend less, but we have so much more. That’s the neighbourhood I want to live in. That’s the community I’m building, for us and for our kids.

David Toohey
Founder