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Neighboring 101: Building Connection One Story at a Time

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  What if one of the best tools for building stronger neighborhoods isn't a big event, a new program or even a community meeting? What if it is a good story? That idea will be at the heart of the next Neighboring 101 session on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 12 noon Central , when we welcome Dawn Arrington for Session 88 of our ongoing conversation about the art and skill of neighboring. Dawn understands that stories do more than entertain us. They help us see ourselves, understand others and discover what we have in common. In 2018, she founded Comics at the Corner , a literacy nonprofit that uses culturally relevant comic books to promote reading in traditionally underinvested communities. Through pop-up book fairs, reading nooks in local businesses and other creative approaches, Dawn uses storytelling to create opportunities for connection while helping young people discover the joy of reading. Her work is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: people deserve to see themselve...
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Wanted: Good Neighbor Ambassadors in Every Missouri County, Applications Open Now

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Missouri Good Neighbor Week is looking for people across the state who believe stronger communities begin with stronger relationships between neighbors. The new Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassador Network gives individuals an opportunity to promote neighboring in their communities, report acts of neighboring throughout the year and help encourage others to get involved. “We are looking for ordinary Missourians who believe knowing and helping their neighbors still matters,” said David Burton, University of Missouri Extension community development specialist and founder of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. “You don't need a title, you don't need to lead an organization, and you don't need to plan a major event. You simply need a desire to connect with the people around you and encourage others to do the same.” Missouri Good Neighbor Week is celebrated Sept. 28-Oct. 4 each year, but Burton says the Ambassador Network reflects an important evolution of the statewide effort...
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Good Neighbor Week 2026: Communities Across America Are Turning Neighboring Into a Movement

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From Orlando to Omaha, Connecticut to San Francisco—and even smaller communities such as Bryant, Arkansas—Good Neighbor Week is becoming a way to turn a simple idea into meaningful community action. September 28 is National Good Neighbor Day, but in 2026, communities around the country are taking the idea beyond a single day. The growing movement encourages residents to meet the people who live around them, volunteer together, celebrate local community leaders, and create opportunities for people to feel connected and included. The National Good Neighbor Day movement encourages communities to make a plan, meet their neighbors and turn one day of connection into something that lasts throughout the year.  Here is what is being planned (or is emerging) for five communities and regions in 2026. Orlando, Florida: A First-Ever Good Neighbor Week Orlando is preparing for its first-ever Orlando Good Neighbor Week , scheduled for September 28 through October 4, 2026 . The effort ...
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The Friend Who Asks: What AI Can Teach Us About Being Better Neighbors

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I use artificial intelligence.  It can help organize ideas, summarize research, brainstorm a headline, improve a paragraph, or answer a question in seconds. There is no denying its usefulness. But a recent commentary by Maria Baer for WORLD, titled “ The Friend Who Asks ,” raises an important question about what happens when we begin asking artificial intelligence questions that we once would have asked another person. Increasingly, people are turning to AI with personal questions, relationship questions and even moral questions. That may seem convenient. After all, the computer is always available. It doesn't appear distracted. It doesn't tell you it has somewhere else to be. But perhaps there is something important missing. A chatbot can give you an answer. A friend gives you a relationship. And relationships require something of us. Good Friends Ask Questions One of the most important lessons I have learned from studying neighboring is remarkably simple: peop...
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The Best Ideas May Be Hiding Across the Street

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  We often imagine that great ideas come from unusually creative people. Someone has a flash of inspiration. A brilliant new idea appears. Everyone else wonders, “Why didn't I think of that?” But research on social networks suggests something different. Sometimes the person with the best idea isn't necessarily the most creative person in the room. It may simply be the person who has been in more than one room. Marc J. Dunkelman, author of "The Vanishing Neighbor," recently told me about a fascinating 2004 blog post by Bruce Hoppe titled “ Good Ideas at Raytheon and Big Holes in Our Own Backyard .” The article discusses research by sociologist Ronald Burt and what he called “structural holes.” The idea has important implications not only for businesses but also for neighborhoods and communities. The Raytheon Experiment Burt studied managers at Raytheon and asked them to submit their best ideas for improving business operations. Company executives then evaluated those i...
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Media Release: Missouri Good Neighbor Week Returns Sept. 28–Oct. 4, Celebrating a Year of Neighboring Across the State

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  Missouri will once again celebrate the power of everyday neighborliness when Missouri Good Neighbor Week returns Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, inviting residents, neighborhoods, businesses, organizations and communities to recognize the simple acts that make Missouri a better place to live. The statewide celebration, created by University of Missouri Extension Community Development Specialist David Burton, and officially signed into law by the Missouri Governor in 2022, has grown from an idea into one of the nation’s most visible organized efforts to encourage people to know, love and serve their neighbors.  The initiative is supported by University of Missouri Extension, National Good Neighbor Day, and ServMo.   The program was also named America’s Neighboring Program of the Year by Neighborhoods, USA in 2023.  Act. Report. Celebrate. Missourians are encouraged to report their acts of neighboring throughout the year, not just during the September celebration...
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