Announcing Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2026: Nominations Are Open, New Award Categories Announced

 

The fifth annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 - Oct. 4) has a new website, a new theme and new award categories and community resources.

The new theme for 2026 reflects the biggest change to Missouri Good Neighbor Week: "A year of neighboring activity. A week to celebrate it."

"The Missouri Good Neighbor Week website is open now for all nominations and for the reporting of acts of neighboring. We hope Missourians will help us document activity and make nominations all year-long," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and founder of Missouri Good Neighbor Week.

Award winners will be announced during Missouri Good Neighbor Week as a way to celebrate neighbors statewide. Activities and events are still planned for the week too, along with individual acts of neighboring.

"We are still encouraging activity and events during the week too," said Burton. "Events and individual acts of neighboring that week are a big part of the celebration but we also know the holiday has inspired other activity in the state."

NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW

New this year is the opportunity to nominate your neighborhood as the best in Missouri. This nomination looks at activity and other gathering activities in any Missouri neighborhood or apartment complex.

On the website now, individuals can also:

  • Report an act of neighboring (individual actions and events)
  • Nominate someone as the "Most Engaged Neighbor in Missouri."
  • Nominate a business as the "Most Neighborly Business in Missouri."
  • Nominate a neighborhood as the "Most Neighborly Neighborhood in Missouri."

Everyone that is nominated will get a letter letting them know of the nomination and a memento from Missouri Good Neighbor Week.

Reporting acts of neighboring and making nominations help cities earn points toward being named "Missouri's Most Neighborly City."

There are also resources on the website to download, like a marketing kit to help spread the word about the week and a guide with 101 acts of neighboring for those needing ideas to jumpstart their neighborly action.

"We have a goal of 50,000 acts of neighboring this year," said Burton. "We are also wanting to expand the number of counties and cities involved with the week. By next year, the week will be its own non-profit and we really want to use the holiday to foster a neighboring focus all year long."

SPONSORS ARE NEEDED

To make Missouri Good Neighbor Week even more impactful across the state, we invite businesses and organizations to join us as official sponsors. While the University of Missouri Extension and The Hopeful Neighborhood Project proudly serve as presenting partners, additional sponsors are needed to help amplify awareness, celebrate meaningful acts of kindness, and fuel the growth of this statewide initiative. 

Sponsorship support directly underwrites media outreach, promotional design, event coordination, award recognition, and digital campaigns that bring the spirit of neighboring to every Missouri community.

We offer multiple sponsorship levels designed to fit a range of organizational commitments. By becoming a sponsor, your organization will be visible as a champion of connection and service while helping ensure that every county and citizen understands the power of good neighbor behavior. 

Together we can expand the reach of Missouri Good Neighbor Week and inspire more Missourians to take intentional actions that build lasting community.

HISTORY

Missouri's Governor signed legislation HB1738 on July 1, 2022, establishing the special week and making Missouri the first state to designate a week for neighbors. The bill was introduced by Representative Bishop Davidson, a resident of Republic.

The week period always begins on Sept. 28, which is also National Good Neighbor Day (first created in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter) and runs to Oct. 4.


Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Results of 2024 Missouri Good Neighbor Week Exceed 30,000 Acts of Neighboring!

Image
  Several hands have been busy tabulating the final results from the 4th Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week. While those volunteers and partners are invaluable, people like you are also worthy of thanks.  Individual Missourians who reported their acts of neighboring nominated someone for an award, or organized a block party! Or you were on one of 60 committees with University of Missouri Extension to organize county-level efforts that account for over 14,000 acts of neighboring this year!  No matter your role or level of involvement, thank you. On another positive note, the efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, I have received inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado. How exciting! Based on this year's results, the future seems bright. ENGAGED NEIGHBORS. We have already announced the 22 individuals being recognized as Missouri...
Read more

Best Acts of Neighboring During Missouri Good Neighbor Week Announced and Recognized

Image
  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Second Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 to Oct. 4) was a documented success. Organizers had a goal to document 15,000 acts of neighboring. But instead, Missourians reported 19,752 acts of neighboring during the week. The sponsors of Missouri Good Neighbor Week -- University of Missouri Extension and The Hopeful Neighborhood Project – recognize the most engaged neighbors and the best acts of neighboring during the week to encourage acts of neighboring all year. According to David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week, 10 different reported acts of neighboring were selected as the best examples in Missouri this year. “Whether you are an award winner or not, we want to encourage Missourians to keep learning the names of their immediate neighbors, finding ways to use their names, and planning fun neighborhood events to develop positive relationships and incre...
Read more

Five Cities Named Most Neighborly in Missouri for 2024

Image
  Photo above: From a block party in Ferguson, Missouri. New to Missouri Good Neighbor Week this year was recognition for the most neighborly cities in the state.  This honor was based on points earned by participating in the week, city campaigns and proclamations, residents making nominations for most engaged neighbor and reporting acts of neighboring, and statewide or local prizes won.  "The goal was to further engage cities with Missouri Good Neighbor Week and we had over 12 pass proclamations and at least 12 that had organized city-wide efforts for Missouri Good Neighbor Week," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "We ended the week with over 31,000 documented acts of neighboring and five cities worthy of the title 'most neighborly city' in Missouri." In 2024, five cities were named the most neighborly cities in Missouri: Houston, Excelsior Springs, Sikeston,...
Read more