Celebrating National Good Neighbor Day One Rose at A Time

Photo: David Burton (left) and Shari McCallister (right) in 2022.

I lived through 41 National Good Neighbor Days (Sept. 28) before lifting a finger to help or celebrate a neighbor. In hindsight, this was a serious mistake.

When I first learned about the holiday in 2018, it took me several days to decide what to do. I did not want to overcommit, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if a small gesture would count.

Could I celebrate a neighbor with a plate of cookies and a nice note, or did I need to throw a block party with food and a bounce house?

That first year, I went with cookies and a handwritten note. I had considered delivering some fresh-cut flowers from my garden. But I could have also celebrated by making a phone call to each of my neighbors and providing encouragement!

On my journey of discovery, Shari McCallister of Houston, Missouri, was one of the first people I met who took the celebration of National Good Neighbor Day seriously. Perhaps no one celebrates the big day with as much color and energy as McCallister.

McCallister owns D&L Florist in Houston, Missouri. In 2023, she gave away 5,000 roses on National Good Neighbor Day with help from businesses and volunteers in the town. Visitors to her florist shop on that day can pick up a dozen roses for free (while supplies last). You keep one rose and give the other 11 away to neighbors.

In 2007, McCallister began giving away a small number of flowers to customers. But the effort soon grew to include giving away roses to others. She missed 2020 because of COVID, but in 2021, she enlisted the help of some other businesses in the county and the effort grew to 2,500 roses. Each rose in the dozen now has a tag with the names of the community sponsors that make this significant celebration of good neighbors possible.

"Over the years, the impact we have had on our community with this kindness campaign is just tremendous," said McCallister. "People in our town look forward to it, and Houston has led the way in this area with National Good Neighbor Day. The roses have inspired others to also do their own thing and celebrate the day with simple gestures of kindness toward their neighbors."

McCallister expanded the effort again in 2023 by getting sponsors from across Texas County. She also had the help of nearly 50 volunteers, making National Good Neighbor Day a bigger event around her shop than Valentine’s Day.

“I've got lots of people that look forward to this every year. Our community gets in and supports us. Businesses make donations to fund the roses. And residents are in line at the door early,” said McCallister. “It is a wonderful community activity, just to put a smile on a neighbors face, or thank someone, and it's a wonderful thing that we get to do.”

More importantly, the event shines the spotlight on appreciating neighbors in this rural, Missouri town. For the last two years, the town has sponsored the screening of a neighboring-focused movie at the town cinema on the same day.

Residents, city officials, community organizations, and businesses have all worked together to clearly communicate the importance of positive neighbor relationships and active neighbors in keeping this town a great place to live.

“When we started this, I was just trying to get our community together around something positive. I hoped to distribute a few hundred roses, honestly,” said McCallister. “But now I know customers that really invest time in delivering a rose to their rural neighbors and even a past neighbor that is in the nursing home or elsewhere. Once a neighbor, always a neighbor, and that is worth celebrating.”

On a personal note, I eventually discovered it is not about the size of the gesture; it is about caring enough to make a connection with a neighbor. Any act of kindness toward a neighbor is appreciated if it helps to strengthen the relationship. That could be as simple as one rose.


 MORE INFORMATION

Does this article make you interested in taking the Engaged Neighbor pledge? Five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge online at http://engagedneighbor.com.

Contact the blog author, David L. Burton at dburton541@yahoo.com.

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