We Are Neighbors

  Dr. Shawna Beese is an assistant professor at Washington State University and one of the few other extension specialists in the nation focusing her work on neighbors and neighboring! She calls her efforts Grassroots Neighboring. You to see your introduction video here . Beese has been studying healthy neighborhoods for years and working to develop rural specific resources. In her work, she has developed a theory based on building trust among neighbors in order to reduce stress among residents and improve their health. Beese is now connected with the Engaged Neighbor program and talking with David Burton about some possible grants to move our efforts forward. See her blog post online here .

  Several hands have been busy tabulating the final results from the 4th Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week. While those volunteers and partners are invaluable, people like you are also worthy of thanks.  Individual Missourians who reported their acts of neighboring nominated someone for an award, or organized a block party! Or you were on one of 60 committees with University of Missouri Extension to organize county-level efforts that account for over 14,000 acts of neighboring this year!  No matter your role or level of involvement, thank you. On another positive note, the efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, I have received inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado. How exciting! Based on this year's results, the future seems bright. ENGAGED NEIGHBORS. We have already announced the 22 individuals being recognized as Missouri's mos

  There is a growing interest among real estate agents about the power of engaging with neighbors and neighborhoods to improve an area’s appearance and the perceived value. Neighborhoods do have reputations and when there is connection and involvement between neighbors that actually helps to increase the value of the home and the ability to resale quickly. In the Spring of 2024, two different national real estate groups asked for my input. These Q&As are a way to try and capture the main content of those who discussions. 1  Your work with the Neighboring 101 series has evolved into an ongoing opportunity for people to learn from experts monthly. Can you elaborate on why a sense of community, neighboring, and placemaking are crucial for individuals and families and community players like real estate agents? A: Realtors would be interested to know that creating a sense of community with connected neighbors increases the value of homes and the interest in certain n

  Back in August, I read an article in the  Sikeston  newspaper about a plan students in Leadership  Sikeston  had developed to celebrate Sikeston Good Neighbor Week.  My first thought was: they have a wonderful plan, but the wrong week!  Back in 2022, the Governor signed a bill creating Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 - Oct. 4).   But when I reached out to organizers, I discovered they had a very good reason to designate Sept. 23-27 as Sikeston Good Neighbor Week. "We were aware of Missouri Good Neighbor Week and of the dates. However, it was the wrong week for us in Sikeston, said David Jenkins, communications manager for the City of Sikeston. "That week is homecoming week for our high school and the Leadership  Sikeston  group decided in order to have better participation to move the week up. Our week also coincides with a previously scheduled suicide awareness walk that we are promoting as part of our Mental Health Awareness Day. We felt it was still in the spirit

I showed the documentary "Join or Die," which focuses on the work of Robert Putman and the importance of social capital in the health and welfare of our communities and nation, at the Republic Library on Sept. 28.  The movie is a call to "join" in your community. You might want to join a club or volunteer with an organization, or become an active member of a local faith community.  In anticipation of the screening I researched how and where to "join" in Republic and one finding is that we have a club shortage.  But Republic does have these clubs that could use you as a member. Republic has a Kiwanis Club that meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 12 noon at Arris Pizza. Kiwanis clubs and members conduct service projects and hold fundraisers to support the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. Worldwide in 2023, Kiwanis gave 12 million service hours and more than $107 million.  The Republic Historical Society maintains a museum located at 146 N. Main Street.  The m

  During Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2024, over 120 individuals were nominated as Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbor, and 22 were selected for individual recognition. Our Missouri celebration also got national attention from NextDoor, the social media company, whose leadership team worked with us to create a post that went out nationwide on NextDoor on Sept. 27.  You can access it here . At that point, another 50 nominations poured in from across the state. "The nominations were of really high quality this year," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Every nominee should have received a letter letting them know of the nomination and a memento, a Missouri Good Neighbor Week nominee keychain." The top nominees (22 this year) will receive a check for $100 and an official award certificate. In past years, there have been 50 to 60 nominations. But this year, the window for

  The Queen City Mayor's Block Party Challenge is a joint effort by the City of Springfield, KY3, and University of Missouri Extension to support Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept 28-Oct 4).  The challenge in Springfield was inspired by this year's 1,000 block party challenge in Colorado Springs and last year's joint effort to host block parties in five Springfield city parks during Missouri Good Neighbor Week. You can r egister your Springfield block or driveway party , and you might have city dignitaries visit or KY3 might broadcast the weather from your driveway! This challenge is an excellent opportunity to partner with a neighbor to plan and organize a gathering to connect with your neighbors. BENEFITS OF BLOCK PARTIES Block parties are more than social gatherings—they are celebrations of community spirit, culinary prowess, and sometimes friendly competition. They bring together neighbors of all ages and backgrounds, creating bonds that extend beyond property lines a