Every city council, county commission, and University of Missouri Extension Council has the opportunity to do something meaningful this September. It takes only a few minutes during a public meeting. It costs nothing. Yet it has the potential to spark thousands of conversations, inspire countless acts of kindness, and strengthen the social fabric of an entire community. That opportunity is to adopt a proclamation recognizing Missouri Good Neighbor Week , September 28 through October 4. At first glance, a proclamation may seem like little more than a ceremonial piece of paper. But history tells a different story. Public proclamations help establish community priorities. They communicate values. They signal what a community chooses to celebrate and encourage. In many ways, they become an invitation for residents to participate in something larger than themselves. When a mayor signs a proclamation or a county commission adopts a resolution, they are sending a simple but powerful mes...

  Across Missouri, communities are searching for ways to address rising loneliness, social isolation, and the growing sense that many people no longer feel connected to the places where they live. While many efforts focus on responding to these problems after they emerge, Missouri Good Neighbor Week represents something different: an upstream approach that works to prevent social disconnection before it becomes a crisis. Missouri Good Neighbor Week, observed annually from September 28 through October 4, encourages residents to connect with their neighbors through simple acts of kindness, neighborhood gatherings, and community engagement. The initiative was established by state law in 2022 based on a straightforward but powerful idea: when people know their neighbors, communities become stronger, safer, and healthier. What Does “Upstream” Mean? In public health and community development, an upstream approach focuses on addressing root causes rather than symptoms. Imagine standing be...

  There is often skepticism around holidays that seem overly commercialized or artificially created. Days like National Donut Day or National Dog Day are  dismissed as “made-up holidays.” Yet these observances clearly have value, not only for businesses, but also for communities, relationships, and culture itself. One reason these themed days matter is because they influence behavior.  Businesses understand this well. A "holiday" creates a reason for people to pay attention, make purchases, participate in promotions, and join a shared social moment.  National Donut Day, for example, reliably increases donut sales and store traffic because companies build campaigns around it. Coffee shops, restaurants, pet stores, and retailers all use these “micro holidays” to create energy and attention that would not normally exist on an ordinary day. The interesting thing is that people often respond more strongly to occasions than to logic. A random Tuesday suddenly becomes “the ...

Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives have always been rooted in community. Built by neighbors, for neighbors, co-ops are uniquely positioned to bring people together in meaningful ways. That’s why Missouri Good Neighbor Week presents such a natural opportunity. Not just as a marketing moment, but as a chance to reinforce the cooperative difference. Here are a few ideas of how co-ops can turn Missouri Good Neighbor Week into something impactful for both their brand and their members. 1. Tell the Co-op Story Through Real Neighbors Any time of years is a good time to highlight the people behind the meter. Instead of focusing on infrastructure or rates, shift the spotlight to members: Feature short stories of members helping members Share interviews with lineworkers who go above and beyond Highlight multi-generational co-op families These stories work well across social media, newsletters, and local press—and they reinforce the idea that the co-op isn’t ju...

  What does it look like to build a more connected state? Not through massive programs or one-time events. But through thousands of small, consistent acts. That is what the final 2025 Missouri Good Neighbor Week “acts of neighboring” database report reveals. Across the state, people took time to care for one another in ways that often go unnoticed. They mowed a neighbor’s yard. They brought in trash bins. They shared food when it was needed most. They checked in, sat on porches, and had conversations that turned strangers into neighbors. Individually, these actions may seem small (although we recorded over 42,000 of them). Collectively, they tell a different story. They show us what neighboring actually looks like in real life. The most common acts were practical. Helping with everyday needs. Taking care of spaces. Showing up in quiet, consistent ways. These are the kinds of actions that don’t require planning or permission. They simply require awareness and willingness. ...

  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 in America. Mission: I nspire and equip Missourians to build connection, belonging, and trust through intentional acts of neighboring and then to celebrate those successes. Objectives by 2028 Missouri Good Neighbor Week (MGNW) aims to achieve the following outcomes: Grow MGNW into Missouri’s premier civic-engagement campaign , recogni...