If you spend much time watching national news or scrolling social media, it can begin to feel as if America is hopelessly divided. Every election cycle seems to intensify the narrative. Political ads portray opponents as existential threats. Commentators frame disagreements as battles between enemies rather than debates among fellow citizens. Online arguments escalate quickly. The result is a growing sense that people who disagree with us politically are not simply wrong — they are dangerous. But that idea collapses the moment you step onto a front porch. Because when you actually know your neighbors, something interesting happens. You realize they are not enemies at all. They are the person who waters your plants when you are out of town. They are the one who helped jump-start your car on a cold morning. They are the parent cheering next to you at the school ballgame. And sometimes, they vote differently than you do. Yet the relationship still works. The False Narrative of the E...

  The National Day of Prayer is observed annually on the first Thursday in May.  This year, 2026, that falls on Thursday, May 7. This day encourages individuals from various faiths to unite in prayer for the nation and its leaders. Established by the United States Congress, it serves as a reminder for people to turn to God in prayer and meditation. The observance has roots dating back to colonial times and was revived during the Korean War. It has evolved into a significant event celebrated across the country. Each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation to mark the day, encouraging citizens to engage in prayer. There are community-wide day of prayer events, but what would it look like to host an event of this type in your garage or driveway for your neighbors and neighborhood? I've been exploring this idea myself and have come up with five creative garage-based outreach ideas. 1. The “Prayer & Porchlight” Coffee Stop Turn your garage into a drop-in ...

  In 2024, Tracie Rice of Blue Summit was recognized as one of Missouri’s Most Engaged Neighbors for her determination to improve the community where she lives. Now, her work is producing visible results. ( See this Neighboring 101 interview with Tracie and some other Engaged Neighbors.) Recently, Rice shared exciting news from her neighborhood: Blue Summit has become the first unincorporated area in Jackson County to receive streetlights. The installation of three dozen new lights was significant enough to make the front page of The Examiner newspaper. For Rice, the moment represents progress for a community that has long lacked basic infrastructure. “It’s a simple thing — three dozen street lights where there had been none,” she explained in the interview. “But for us, it’s a win.” Stepping Up When No One Else Would Rice lives in Blue Summit, an unincorporated area located between Kansas City and Independence, Missouri . Like many unincorporated communities, residents depend...

  Jessica Smith, the director of RISE for the Drew Lewis Foundation in Springfield, Mo., joined us online March 19, 2026, for Neighboring 101. You have to watch the video to learn more about RISE. But after listening to her program, I thought it was also important to write a blog to explain why anyone should care about programs like RISE that help people escape poverty.. Caring about the RISE program matters not only because it helps individuals and families move toward stability but because it also strengthens the neighborhoods we all live in. Programs like RISE don’t just change individual lives; they change the social fabric of communities. At its core, RISE helps people move from surviving to thriving . Participants in the program work on personal goals related to employment, financial stability, education, and healthy relationships. They do this through coaching, classes, and a supportive peer community. When people gain stability and confidence in these areas, the effects r...

  Something fun is about to happen. We’ve taken 64 different neighboring activities and turned them into a March-Madness-style tournament bracket . Over the coming weeks, people will vote, debate, and ultimately crown a “champion” neighboring activity. You can vote in different rounds online . But before the first matchup even begins, something interesting has already happened.  People from around the nation submitted actions for the bracket a month earlier. And when you look closely at the full list of 64 ideas, you begin to see patterns. The list reveals some important truths about how neighboring actually works in real life. And perhaps the most encouraging lesson is this:  Neighboring is simpler than most people think. Neighboring Happens in Small Moments Many of the activities on the list are incredibly simple: Coffee chats. Delivering flowers. Writing thank-you notes. Inviting a neighbor for a walk. Putting out a water bowl for neighborhood dogs. These are not large...

  When people talk about economics, they usually focus on markets, prices, increased economic activity and formal transactions.  But there’s an entire layer of economic activity happening outside our front doors that is embedded in everyday neighborly relationships. It’s informal, often unmeasured, but deeply impactful. I was doing some research on the economic value of being an engaged neighbor. You can read what I discovered in an upcoming blog post. But while researching, I asked a question in an online community I participate in ( The Community Building Hub ) and got a response from my neighboring colleague in Columbus, Ohio, Chet Ridenour.  His perspective sent me in an entirely new direction. As Chet wrote: " In my experiences from trying to be a good neighbor, I can point to numerous examples of neighboring support that we could practically provide a tangible, economic value to."  I thought it was brilliant.  Chet noted that while it may be difficult for ...

  The future of neighboring will not arrive through a national campaign or a perfect plan. It will arrive quietly, the same way it always has—one street at a time. A conversation begins. A name is remembered. A neighbor is noticed. Over time, those small moments accumulate into something powerful: a culture where people no longer live beside one another as strangers, but as neighbors who recognize that the health of their community begins right outside their front door. I believe that Missouri can lead the way, especially with the following plan for Missouri Good Neighbor Week . Mission, Vision and More Vision: Make Missouri the most neighborly state by cultivating daily practices of neighboring that ease loneliness, spark belonging, build trust, and strengthen community resilience. Mission: To inspire, equip, and celebrate Missourians as they practice intentional acts of neighboring that create connection, strengthen communities, and position Missouri as the nation’s leading model...