How University of Missouri Extension education helped inspire a neighborhood newsletter, strengthen community connections, and contribute to statewide recognition. When David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension, developed the Engaged Neighbor Program and began offering Neighboring 101 educational sessions, his goal was to help people turn the idea of being a good neighbor into intentional, everyday practices. In 2026, he received an unexpected example of that educational impact from Laura Kelly, a resident of the Villas at Wicklow in Nixa, Missouri. Kelly, a 26-year veteran journalist with The Wichita Eagle and retired grants and communications director of the Wichita Children's Home, serves as co-editor of The Villas Voice , a volunteer-produced neighborhood newsletter. She had also participated in Burton's Neighboring 101 training and subscribed to his educational newsletter. What Burton did not realize until Kelly contacted him was...

  October 22, 2026, Neighboring 101 session will explore how neighborhood associations can develop new leaders, prevent volunteer burnout, and build organizations that last. Every neighborhood organization eventually faces an important question: Who will lead when today's leaders are ready to step aside? It is a question that many neighborhood associations would rather postpone. After all, finding volunteers to serve on committees, organize neighborhood gatherings, communicate with residents, and handle the everyday responsibilities of an association can be challenging enough. Planning for the day when current leaders retire, relocate, or simply need a break often falls to the bottom of the priority list. But failing to prepare the next generation of neighborhood leaders can put years of community-building work at risk. That is the topic of the next Neighboring 101 , scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, at noon Central Time. Cindy Light, Neighborhood Relations Manager for the ...

Missourians reported 84,398 acts of neighboring during 2026, shattering the statewide goal of 50,000 and more than doubling the number reported during Missouri Good Neighbor Week in 2025. The results were announced on Friday, October 9 following Missouri Good Neighbor Week, (Sept. 28–Oct. 4), along with names of Missouri's Most Neighborly Cities and Counties. "This year proved that neighboring isn't limited to one week on the calendar," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and founder of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Missourians reported 84,398 acts of neighboring, over 34,000 beyond our goal. More important than the number are the thousands of stories behind it: people learning names, checking on neighbors, gathering together, taking food to a sick neighbor, helping with needs and intentionally creating places where people belong." The 2026 total is double the 42,134 acts reported in 2025. Missour...

Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassadors were asked to do more than promote an annual celebration in 2026. They were encouraged to model good neighboring, invite others to participate and help document what happens when Missourians intentionally invest in the people and places around them. A total of 94 Missourians registered to be an Ambassador in 2026. Three Ambassadors illustrate the range of ways people put neighboring into practice: Emma Alexander, Sabra Kovar and Carla L. Hudson . Emma Alexander: Making neighboring a youth lesson Emma Alexander led the Ambassador network with eight substantive reports, many involving young people through 4-H and FFA. One of the largest projects brought youth and adults together to pack 11,172 meals for local food pantries and food-security projects. Alexander reported participation involving groups and communities including Seymour FFA, Niangua FFA, Fordland FFA and the Greene County 4-H Teen Council. Her reports also included project...

A citywide effort in Independence that generated more than 650 documented direct engagements, removed at least 920 cubic yards of material and attracted more than $20,500 in community support is a leading example of how University of Missouri Extension put neighboring into action during Missouri Good Neighbor Week. The Love Where You Live: IndeCleanup effort brought together the City of Independence, MU Extension, Community Services League, Extension Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, neighborhood organizations, businesses, volunteers and residents for eight days of community improvement activities. The Independence effort stands out among 45 projects undertaken by MU Extension councils, 4-H clubs and partners across Missouri during the 2026 celebration. Three other projects also rose to the top: Butler County Extension Council members personally delivering cards and visiting veterans at a VA nursing home; Andrew County Extension Council members creating birthday cake kits...

  At the beginning of Missouri Good Neighbor Week, I posed a simple question:  What can $25 start? Thanks to a $500 grant from Drop Dead Generous and a matching donor, we had $1,000 to find out. The money purchased forty $25 gift cards from local businesses. During Missouri Good Neighbor Week, Sept. 28-Oct. 4, the cards were placed in unexpected locations around Republic: on gas pumps, library tables, in parks, stores, community spaces and other places people encounter during an ordinary day. Each was tucked inside an envelope carrying a simple message:  “This is for you, neighbor.”  The envelope made it clear that there was no catch and that a $25 gift card was enclosed. But giving away $1,000 was never really the experiment. The question was what happened after someone found an envelope . Recipients were invited to tell us where they found their gift, what $25 meant to them that day, how the unexpected kindness made them feel and, most importantly, whether receivi...