Wanted: Good Neighbor Ambassadors in Every Missouri County, Applications Open Now

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.

“Our theme this year is ‘A Year of Neighboring Activity. A Week to Celebrate It,’” Burton said. “We don't want neighboring to be something people think about for seven days and then forget. The real opportunity is to make intentional neighboring part of everyday life.”

What Does an Ambassador Do?

Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassadors are asked to practice neighboring throughout the year and report their activities through a new online Ambassador Portal.

Ambassadors are also encouraged to promote Missouri Good Neighbor Week through social media and their personal networks and to share at least one success story following the Sept. 28-Oct. 4 celebration.

In return, ambassadors receive access to a new online reporting portal, free neighborhood training videos with practical ideas for building connection and belonging, early notice of special events and opportunities, and access to activities specifically for members of the Ambassador Network.

Perhaps most importantly, Burton said, ambassadors become part of a growing statewide movement demonstrating that small acts can make a meaningful difference.

“An ambassador might invite neighbors over for coffee, check on someone who lives alone, welcome a new family, organize a driveway gathering or simply make the effort to learn the names of the people living nearby,” Burton said. “Then they tell us what happened so we can begin showing the collective impact of neighboring across Missouri.”

In 2027, an advisory board for Missouri Good Neighbor Week will be selected from among Ambassadors. When funding becomes available for neighboring mini-grants it is Ambassadors who will have the ability to apply.

Building a Statewide Network

Missouri Good Neighbor Week began in 2022 with a goal of documenting 10,000 acts of neighboring. Missourians reported 12,594 acts that first year. In 2025, residents reported 42,134 acts involving people in 110 cities and 86 counties.

The 2026 goal is to document at least 50,000 acts of neighboring while expanding participation into more Missouri communities.

The Ambassador Network is designed to help that growth continue beyond a single annual celebration.

“I would love to have ambassadors in every Missouri county, perhaps 365 total across the state,” Burton said. “Imagine what could happen if people all across the state became intentional about noticing their neighbors, learning their names, offering help, gathering people together and encouraging others to do the same.”

Burton says ambassadors can include neighborhood leaders, Extension volunteers, faith community members, educators, business owners, civic club members, elected officials, community volunteers or anyone else interested in strengthening relationships where they live.

But no organizational affiliation is required.

“Sometimes we make community building sound more complicated than it needs to be,” Burton said. “Being an ambassador begins right outside your front door. Know your neighbors. Look for opportunities to help. Bring people together. Then invite someone else to do the same.”

Why Missourians Want to be an Ambassador

Across the comments from new Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassadors in their application, a clear theme emerges: people are becoming Ambassadors because they believe stronger communities begin with stronger relationships between neighbors. 

New Ambassadors want to spread kindness, encourage connection, model what it means to be a good neighbor, and help others recognize that they have a role in shaping the places where they live. 

As Darla Noble put it, communities are better when people truly “LIVE in our neighborhoods instead of just residing or existing there.” Others spoke about creating positive change, being a role model, offering a helping hand, gathering neighbors, and encouraging people to move beyond simply living near one another toward actually knowing and supporting one another.

Their comments also reveal that Ambassadors see neighboring as something much bigger than friendliness. They connect it to belonging, safety, resilience, community health and the ability of people and places to thrive. 

Christal Weber noted that neighboring “builds capacity and connection,” while Brandee Collins described strong communities as being built through “intentional relationships, shared responsibility, and simple acts of care.” Several respondents emphasized that kindness and goodwill can spread from person to person, creating a ripple effect. 

Taken together, these Ambassadors are signing up not simply to promote Missouri Good Neighbor Week, but because they see neighboring as a practical way to strengthen Missouri communities—one relationship, one act of kindness and one engaged neighbor at a time.

Become an Ambassador

Registration for the Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassador Network is free and open to interested Missourians.

The Ambassador Network is part of Missouri Good Neighbor Week, which is supported by University of Missouri Extension, National Good Neighbor Day and ServMo.

Missouri Good Neighbor Week will be celebrated Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026.

Learn more and apply to become a Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassador:
https://extension.missouri.edu/events/missouri-good-neighbor-week-ambassador-network

WRITTEN BY

David L. Burton

For more information, visit the Engaged Neighbor website. Take our pledge and become part of a movement! Or subscribe to our newsletter. Access some of the research documents written by David Burton, the author of this blog. Or better yet, purchase one of his books off Amazon. Contact David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.