The sun is rising. Otis and I are out for our morning walk. He’s 11 years old, and for 10½ years, we’ve walked two miles a day at least 350 days a year. Do the math. That is at least  7,350 miles together. Not bad for a little 10-pound dog! Of course, we haven’t covered those miles in a straight line. Our route meanders back and forth along sidewalks and trails. And about 15 times per walk, Otis finds a shrub that requires his immediate attention. That’s roughly 55,000 stops over the years. And after each one, he scratches the grass as if he’s completing some important landscaping project. Watching Otis, I’ve realized there are some pretty good life lessons in our walks. 1. Consistency matters more than intensity. We didn’t set out to walk 7,350 miles. We just went for a walk today, then again tomorrow. Small, repeated actions add up to something remarkable. Relationships, friendships, and community are built the same way. 2. Don’t be so focused on the destination that...

I saw a social media post recently that made me stop and think: “Your small town isn’t going to improve because you complained about it in a Facebook group filled with 6,000 other people who also refuse to get involved.” Ouch.  There is a little truth in that statement, isn’t there? We complain about the lack of things to do. We complain that downtown is struggling, that community events are poorly attended, that nobody seems to care anymore, and that our neighbors keep to themselves. We lament that our town isn’t what it used to be. We scroll through Facebook, add our own commentary, and perhaps feel a little better because we have found other people who share our frustrations. But what if the problem isn’t just that our communities have shortcomings? What if part of the problem is that we have forgotten our own responsibility for making them better? It’s easy to identify what is wrong with a community. It’s harder to take responsibility for improving it. We want ...

  New statewide research on neighbors offers both encouragement and a challenge. The encouragement is that neighborliness is alive and well in Missouri. People wave. They talk across driveways. They help each other. Most believe a neighbor would come through if they suddenly needed assistance. The challenge is that many of those relationships never progress much beyond the surface. That may be the most important lesson from our newest State of Neighboring survey: Missourians do not necessarily need to be convinced that neighbors matter. We need to help people take the next small step in building a relationship. We Have Plenty of Waves The most common neighbor interaction in Missouri is exactly what you might expect: 70.8% of residents wave or say hello to their neighbors. About half have face-to-face conversations (52%) or spontaneous conversations outside (51.3%).  Those are encouraging numbers. But participation declines as the relationship requires more investment. Only 31...

How University of Missouri Extension education helped inspire a neighborhood newsletter, strengthen community connections, and contribute to statewide recognition. When David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension, developed the Engaged Neighbor Program and began offering Neighboring 101 educational sessions, his goal was to help people turn the idea of being a good neighbor into intentional, everyday practices. In 2026, he received an unexpected example of that educational impact from Laura Kelly, a resident of the Villas at Wicklow in Nixa, Missouri. Kelly, a 26-year veteran journalist with The Wichita Eagle and retired grants and communications director of the Wichita Children's Home, serves as co-editor of The Villas Voice , a volunteer-produced neighborhood newsletter. She had also participated in Burton's Neighboring 101 training and subscribed to his educational newsletter. What Burton did not realize until Kelly contacted him was...

  October 22, 2026, Neighboring 101 session will explore how neighborhood associations can develop new leaders, prevent volunteer burnout, and build organizations that last. Every neighborhood organization eventually faces an important question: Who will lead when today's leaders are ready to step aside? It is a question that many neighborhood associations would rather postpone. After all, finding volunteers to serve on committees, organize neighborhood gatherings, communicate with residents, and handle the everyday responsibilities of an association can be challenging enough. Planning for the day when current leaders retire, relocate, or simply need a break often falls to the bottom of the priority list. But failing to prepare the next generation of neighborhood leaders can put years of community-building work at risk. That is the topic of the next Neighboring 101 , scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, at noon Central Time. Cindy Light, Neighborhood Relations Manager for the ...

Missourians reported 84,398 acts of neighboring during 2026, shattering the statewide goal of 50,000 and more than doubling the number reported during Missouri Good Neighbor Week in 2025. (Late reports have pushed this summer up to 84,775). The results were announced on Friday, October 9 following Missouri Good Neighbor Week, (Sept. 28–Oct. 4), along with names of Missouri's Most Neighborly Cities and Counties. "This year proved that neighboring isn't limited to one week on the calendar," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and founder of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Missourians reported 84,398 acts of neighboring, over 34,000 beyond our goal. More important than the number are the thousands of stories behind it: people learning names, checking on neighbors, gathering together, taking food to a sick neighbor, helping with needs and intentionally creating places where people belong." The 2026 total ...

Missouri Good Neighbor Week Ambassadors were asked to do more than promote an annual celebration in 2026. They were encouraged to model good neighboring, invite others to participate and help document what happens when Missourians intentionally invest in the people and places around them. A total of 94 Missourians registered to be an Ambassador in 2026. Three Ambassadors illustrate the range of ways people put neighboring into practice: Emma Alexander, Sabra Kovar and Carla L. Hudson . Emma Alexander: Making neighboring a youth lesson Emma Alexander led the Ambassador network with eight substantive reports, many involving young people through 4-H and FFA. One of the largest projects brought youth and adults together to pack 11,172 meals for local food pantries and food-security projects. Alexander reported participation involving groups and communities including Seymour FFA, Niangua FFA, Fordland FFA and the Greene County 4-H Teen Council. Her reports also included project...