The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary on Sunday.

The community organization that got its start when there was talk of tearing down parts of Downtown Lawrence, building malls and other projects that threatened established neighborhoods also will honor two of its more active members.

Steve Lopes, a longtime neighborhood leader for Old West Lawrence and state Sen. Marci Francisco, who has been a longtime voice for the Oread neighborhood, will receive LAN’s Outstanding Neighborhood Service Award.

The awards will be given as part of a celebration that is open to the public at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Lawrence Visitors Center, North Second and Locust streets.

The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods serves as an umbrella group for more than 20 individual neighborhood associations across the community, helping those associations advocate neighborhood goals at City Hall and other venues.