At the end of Good Neighbor Week in Missouri, organizers say they have documented 5,579 acts of neighboring submitted by nearly 100 groups and individuals.
In Greene County, where a “1,000 Acts of Neighboring Challenge” was conducted, David Burton, a county engagement specialist with University of Missouri Extension, says county residents have documented 2,281 acts of neighboring.
“We more than doubled our goal for acts of neighboring,” Burton said. “Some individuals and groups went all in on this idea of neighboring and helped us exceed our goals.”
Winners of the statewide “Top Neighbor” community awards are as follows:
- Best of Missouri Award – D&L Florist (Houston) distributed 2850 individual roses to neighbors in and around Houston in celebration of National Good Neighbor Day
- Rural Missouri Award – Milton and Judith Moore (Agency) prepared 13 quarts of hot cocoa mix. They distributed the quarts to their nearest neighbors with instructions and a note celebrating National Good Neighbor Day.
- Urban Missouri Award – Elaine Montgomery (Springfield) organized a “Socialize & Safe Disposal” event in north Springfield with donuts, coffee, and lemonade for the 95 who attended. Neighbors could bring documents like old bank statements and outdated confidential paperwork for professional and secure shredding.
- Diversity Award –Josy Mendoza (Springfield) made and delivered Hispanic food to neighbors: two elderly couples, a Chinese man, a widow and two university students.
Winners of the Greene County “Top Neighbor” community awards are as follows:
- Ash Grove – Diana Simpson provided materials to four of her neighbors to assemble an emergency first aid kit for the home.
- Willard – Karla Sheppard provided sugar cookies and an encouraging note to four of her neighbors on National Good Neighbor Day.
- Strafford – The Fellows Lake Neighborhood hosted a pot luck picnic Saturday, Oct. 2, to get to know our neighbors. One of the event’s goals is to begin a neighborhood watch, according to organizer Norma Tolbert.
- Greene County – The neighbors of Buck Van Hooser in Ash Grove: David Hawkins, Joe and Mary Hawkins, Mike and Dena Coale, and Travis Underwood for yard and fieldwork they performed for a neighbor while he was recovering from cancer.
- Republic – Linda Dunn and her husband purchased 10 bags of flavored popcorn, made cards to attach, and delivered them to the 10 closest neighboring homes, including three who were new to the neighborhood. This is the third year they have participated in National Good Neighbor Day.
- Republic – The neighbors of Kate Evert: Brad and Angie Harnish. Her neighbors are avid gardeners who weeded and mowed her garden while she was away from home.
- Springfield – Lyndall Scranton and neighbor J. Pendergrass mowed the yards of six elderly neighbors free-of-charge all year to keep their corner of the world tidy.
- Springfield – Candy Smith and the Westside Neighborhood Betterment Association created information packets about the association with $5 gift cards to the College Street Dairy Queen to 100 homes on National Good Neighbor Day. They delivered the packets to people who were new to the neighborhood or had improved their homes and yards. Other participants included Sandi Huston, Sharon Brooks, Joe Roberds, Zach Smith, Lydia Austin, Peri Redfearn, and Carolynn Sauerbrei.
- Springfield – Residents of Kingsbury Forest neighborhood held an ice cream social that featured music by local band Geezer. It was their first gathering since the pandemic began, and nearly 70 residents attended. “We plan to make this an annual event and will promote it to our neighbors next September so they can be planning Good Neighbor projects,” wrote Leslie Carrier, Kingsbury Forest Homeowner’s Association.
Individuals who submitted neighboring acts were included in a drawing for gift cards and other prizes to recognize the time they took to submit the information. Those awards will be mailed out in the next two weeks.
“This will be an annual effort, but next year’s Good Neighbor Week will look different,” said Burton. “I do think we will put more effort into helping groups or businesses do customer and community events that can reach more people statewide.”
The following sponsors made the effort possible: Greene County MU Extension Council, Greene County Commission, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Springfield-Greene County Library, KY3, KOLR-TV10, Springfield News-Leader, Greene County Commonwealth, and Unite News. Several businesses sponsored a local community prize: Air Services and All Services, Investment Realty, Dan Waisner State Farm Agency, Greene County Farm Bureau, Apple Market of Willard, and the Greene County Extension Council.
KEEP LEARNING & CELEBRATING
There are ongoing opportunities to learn more about neighbor initiatives to improve your quality of life and positively impact your community.
Neighboring 101 is a free monthly online class. Upcoming guests include Chris McKinney, author of “Placed for a Purpose,” Michael Mather, author of “Having Nothing, Possessing Everything,” and Becky McCray, nationally known creator of “The Idea Friendly Method.” Registration must be done online at http://extension.missouri.edu
Becoming an Engaged Neighbor is a six-session hybrid class with online weekly online discussion groups that beings October 11. There is a cost of $20 per person. Registration must be done online at http://extension.missouri.edu