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My Vision for Republic: A Thriving City Where People Know Each Other

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  There’s something special about calling a place home — and for me, that place is Republic, Missouri. I care deeply about the direction of our city and the kind of community we’re building together. That’s why I’d love to see our City Council revisit the idea of neighboring — even after the vote two years ago to end those efforts. Not because we’re going backward. But because neighboring moves us forward. Neighboring Aligns with Our Vision If you read through the mission and vision statements of the City of Republic, you’ll find themes like connection, quality of life, safety, and belonging. Neighboring isn’t a side project — it’s the grassroots expression of those values. ( See my recent post on this topic ). A thriving city doesn’t just happen through infrastructure and development. It happens when people know each other. When neighbors wave. When someone notices if your garage door is left open. When kids have trusted adults up and down the street. Policies build cities. Neighb...
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A Year of Neighboring Activity, A Week to Celebrate It

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  Missouri Good Neighbor Week has always been about one thing: reminding us that the people who live closest to us matter most. But this year, we are making an important shift. Our new theme says it clearly:  “A Year of Neighboring Activity, A Week to Celebrate It.” At first glance, that may sound like a simple slogan. In reality, it represents something much bigger. It marks the evolution of Missouri Good Neighbor Week from a single annual event into a year-round movement. For years, we encouraged Missourians to do something intentional during the week of September 28 through October 4. Host a gathering. Check on a neighbor. Deliver cookies. Write a thank-you note. Organize a block cleanup. And thousands did. But neighboring was never meant to be seasonal. It was never meant to be squeezed into one week. It is something that happens on ordinary Tuesdays in February, on hot evenings in July, on snowy mornings in January. It happens when someone notices a porch light left on. W...
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From Policy to Porchlight: How Neighboring Can Advance the Mission and Vision of Republic, Missouri

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  If you have spent any time on the City of Republic’s website , you’ve seen it clearly stated:  “We will be aggressively progressive through Processes, Relationships, and Trust.” That mission isn’t just a slogan. It’s a framework. And one of the most practical — and often overlooked — ways to bring it to life is by building connected neighborhoods and engaged neighbors. This isn’t sentimental thinking. It’s civic strategy. Mission Alignment: Processes, Relationships, Trust Let’s start with the three pillars of Republic’s mission. Processes City processes work best when they are informed by real people in real neighborhoods. But reaching them often requires going to where the neighbors are living. Engaged neighbors don’t just attend events — they provide feedback on street design, public safety concerns, park improvements, stormwater issues, and infrastructure needs. They ask questions. They share insights. They respond to surveys. They attend meetings. When neighbors are con...
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Heart of the Westside: Neighborhood Lab Focuses on Connection

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  Last Thursday evening (Feb. 19), I had the privilege of leading a Neighborhood Lab in Springfield — and it was one of those gatherings that quietly reminds you why neighboring matters. The event was hosted by Flourish , a nonprofit that has intentionally embedded itself in the Heart of the Westside neighborhood. Their mission is beautifully simple and deeply ambitious: build relationships and transforming lives so the neighborhood can truly thrive — or flourish. About 20 neighbors gathered around tables, shared a meal provided by Flourish, and then leaned into a 90-minute workshop rooted in asset-based community development. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong here?” we asked, “What’s strong here?” Participants took time to identify their own gifts and talents — the skills, passions, and experiences they already carry — and then explored how those strengths might connect with assets that already exist in the neighborhood. It didn’t take long before ideas began to surface. A walking ...
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Sponsors Needed for Missouri Good Neighbor Week

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  Neighboring isn’t just something we talk about in Missouri — it’s something we live . Every year during Missouri Good Neighbor Week , communities across the state take intentional, simple actions to build connection, show kindness, and make their neighborhoods better places to live. From small acts of service to inspiring community-led efforts, this week highlights the best of what it means to be a neighbor. But bringing this celebration to life — and helping it grow — takes more than goodwill. It takes support . That’s why we’re excited to offer a way for businesses and organizations to sponsor Missouri Good Neighbor Week and help amplify the reach and impact of this meaningful initiative. Current Sponsors  The presenting sponsors of  Missouri Good Neighbor Week  are  University of Missouri Extension  and  The Hopeful Neighborhood Project .  The Hopeful Neighborhood Project inspires and equips everyday neighbors to pursue the common good righ...
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Book Review: "Love Our Cities" by Jeff Pishney

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  J eff Pishney’s Love Our Cities is one of those rare books that does not merely inspire — it reorganizes how you think about community change. While many civic or church-based books focus on motivation, strategy, or theology, Pishney quietly does something more practical: he explains how a city can move from fragmented goodwill to coordinated action. And he does it through a real story. A Story That Starts Where Most Communities Actually Are The book begins in Modesto, California, in the mid-2000s — a place facing problems familiar to nearly every American community: low trust in institutions, tension between churches and local government, nonprofits competing while needs remained unmet, disconnected neighborhoods, and duplication of services but little shared impact. Instead of proposing a new program, Modesto leaders asked a better question:  What if we stopped trying to grow our organizations and started trying to solve our city’s problems together? That question launche...
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Celebrate Agriculture Week: Webster/Greene County Agriculture Groups Collaborate to Combat Food Insecurity

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  The Webster County Farm Bureau Board lead a collaborative food security project in partnership with Greene County 4-H Teen Council, Glendale FFA, Mighty Eagles 4-H Club, Seymour FFA, and Niangua FFA on Monday, February 16, at the Seymour High School. 50 youth and adults stood elbow to elbow to pack over 11,000 meals that are being distributed to local food pantries and food security projects. This event trained students to recognize local needs and emboldened them to participate in collaborative neighborhood leadership. Participants wrapped up this 2nd annual event as they enjoyed lunch together, cooked by Missouri Farm Bureau leadership. More than 1,000 meals were distributed to each of the following food security projects: Marshfield Food Pantry, Elkland Food Pantry, Niangua Food Pantry, Niangua Care to Learn, ‘The Branch’ at Glendale, King’s Food Pantry-Seymour, Care to Learn-Fordland, Safe Haven Now-Fordland, Safe Haven Now-Rogersville, the Greene County Juvenile Center, and ...
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Dr. Shawna Beese: Neighboring Is Preventive Medicine

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  In most conversations about health, we start in the wrong place. We start with doctors, medications, and insurance systems — the places we go  after something has already gone wrong . Shawna Beese, a rural health researcher and Extension specialist in Washington State, flips that order. Her work explores a simple but disruptive idea:  Health is not primarily created in healthcare systems.  It is created in neighborhoods. Her research treats neighboring not as a nice social habit, but as a  population-level health intervention  — a practical way to reduce chronic disease, mental illness, and despair before treatment is needed. Beese’s central insight is that health operates at the scale of everyday life. Where you spend most of your hours — home, street, workplace, local relationships — determines your long-term biological stress load far more than occasional medical visits.  Her research focuses on how neighborhood characteristics influence well...
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