There is an old story told by minister Harry Emerson Fosdick about an experience he had as a boy growing up in New York. His mother sent him outside to pick a quart of raspberries. He didn’t want to do it. He approached the chore reluctantly, and that container seemed to fill painfully slowly. Then he changed the challenge in his mind. Instead of picking the quart his mother requested, he decided to surprise her by picking two quarts. Suddenly, everything changed. The raspberries hadn’t changed. The chore hadn’t changed. The amount of time he had hadn’t changed. His mother hadn’t changed. His attitude changed. I’ve been thinking about that story because I believe it applies to how we approach our neighborhoods and communities. It is easy to look around and focus on everything that needs to change. We want local government to do more. We wish people volunteered more. We complain that nobody knows their neighbors. We wonder why someone doesn’t organize an event, clean up the park, welcom...

  What if one of the keys to a thriving rural community is not found at home or at work—but in the places in between? Coffee shops. Libraries. Parks. Local stores. Community centers. Farmers markets. Restaurants. Public squares. These are often called “Third Places” —the informal gathering spaces outside our homes (our first place) and workplaces (our second place) where people encounter one another, have conversations, build relationships, and develop a sense of belonging. For rural communities especially, these places can be much more than amenities. They can become essential pieces of a community's social infrastructure. That idea was the focus of a Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Exchange Quarterly Webinar on Friday, August 28, 2026 that can now be viewed on YouTube . One of the featured guests was Stephanie Campbell-Yount, owner of Haven in Maryville, Missouri. She shared  how Haven came to life and how a business can become something more than a pl...

Do you remember the last time someone did something kind for you, perhaps something small, simple, but meaningful?  Maybe a neighbor waved at you from across the yard, someone complimented your outfit at the grocery store, or a friend sent a quick text just to say, “I’m thinking of you.” Chances are, it made your day a little brighter. Now imagine if more people in your town made these kinds of small gestures more often. What would our neighborhoods feel like? Warmer. Kinder. More connected. According to research and expert insights shared in VOX magazine’s article “ Small Acts of Kindness Matter More Than You Think ” by Allie Volpe, these simple interactions do more than just make someone smile. They help fight loneliness, build community, and improve both the giver’s and the receiver’s well-being. The truth is, being kind doesn’t take much but many of us hold back. We overthink, worry we’ll be awkward, or believe our actions won’t be appreciated. But study after study says other...

  One of my favorite parts of my work with neighboring is reading the stories people submit from across Missouri. Statistics can tell us whether people know their neighbors. Research can document loneliness and social isolation. Surveys can measure our sense of belonging. But stories show us what neighboring actually looks like. As of August 26, 2026, I have had four Missourians send me some good ones to share as a way to inspire action ( and reporting ) for Missouri Good Neighbor Week. Waynesville, Missouri Along Interstate 44 In Waynesville, a group of about 40 travelers from the Netherlands arrived while making their way along Route 66 to Amarillo in a solar-powered car. They needed somewhere to rest, camp and recharge before continuing their journey. A City of Waynesville employee, Nathan Carmon, and his wife, Melony, opened their property to them. Think about that. Forty strangers from another country showed up in town, and someone essentially said, "You can stay with us....

  Sometimes the best examples of community building don't look like community development at all. They look like cupcakes, swimming pools, quilts, volunteers, children blowing out birthday candles, and a giant American flag hanging from a fire truck. That is what happened this summer in Houston, Missouri, when the Community Betterment and Arts Council organized a birthday party at the Toni M. McKinney Municipal Pool as part of Houston's Show-Me America 250 celebration. More than 200 people of all ages attended. Two Houston Middle School Beta Club students dressed as Uncle Sam and Betsy Ross and greeted guests. There were 250 cupcakes, red-white-and-blue popsicles, prizes, commemorative coins and free admission provided by local businesses. The Houston Fire Department brought its ladder truck and helped with the ceremonial lighting of 250 candles. On the surface, it sounds like a fun community celebration. But I think something deeper was happening. Houston was building belongin...