SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Michael Brittian and Ed Goeke returned to Springfield from the 50th annual conference of Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) in Jacksonville, Fla., May 20-23, with the Best Neighborhood Program award in the Social Revitalization category.

This year’s conference had 525 registered attendees from 36 states and featured workshops, speakers, tours, networking and an awards program.

The NUSA awards process began with submitting applications in March. Applications were then scored. National finalists were asked to make a 15-minute presentation at the national conference. A panel of judges at the national conference makes final award decisions and presents awards in four different categories.

Best Neighborhood Program

Brittian and Goeke represented the SGF Kickball committee, which organizes the annual neighborhood kickball tournament. SGF Kickball is a grassroots effort with a proven track record and social impact.

The idea for SGF Kickball began with two friends—Bobbi Ream and Kevin Evans—talking about how to help their neighborhoods connect better. The answer in 2019 was to start a neighborhood kickball tournament. It has grown into an annual tournament supported by the Springfield-Greene County Parks and dozens of volunteers. A board of neighborhood leaders meets year-round to plan the tournament. Goeke, the current chair of SGF Kickball, puts it this way: “It started with a kick and became a community movement.”

While the tournament is fun and exciting, its true purpose is getting neighbors to interact in positive ways. SGF Kickball helps bring people outside. It creates teams that include people of all ages. It gives neighbors a reason to cheer each other on and have real conversations. And it makes everyone feel like they’re part of something bigger.

Goeke added: “We’re not just playing. We’re building neighborhoods. Every time a team is formed, a community grows stronger.”

Lindsey Pinkston, chair of the NUSA awards committee and a neighborhood leader in Oregon, had this to say about the SGF Kickball entry: “This was a fully grassroots effort with a proven track record and documented social impact in Springfield. We were very impressed with the program, the impacts they documented, their application and their fun presentation.”

Other finalist programs in this category were from Pasadena, Calif.; Waco, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; St. Louis, Mo.; Monrovia, Calif.; Anna, Texas, El Paso, Texas; Chandler, Ariz.; Muncie, Ind.; and St. Petersburg, Fla.

The SGF Kickball committee acknowledges several groups and individuals for support:

• Trey Metzelthin with the Greene Country Park Board.
• Community Partnership of the Ozarks for staff and printing support and storage space.
• Volunteer umpires: Roger King, Scott Packard, Michael Brittain and Stuart Venable.
• Mert Seaton (The Voice of SGF Kickball from Brentwood) Larry Nelson (Bradford Park), Kevin Evans and the venerable Ms. Bobbi Ream (Founder and namesake of “the Bobbi,” from Meador Park).
• Scorekeepers: Fred Ackley (Doling), Ray Coleman (West Central), Janetta Tracy (Woodland Heights) and Jan Hutcherson (Woodland Heights)
• Registration volunteers: Peggy Wise (West Central), Katie Bolt-Goeke (Woodland Heights), and Nancy Williams (Delaware)
• Eric Pauly, from Phelps Grove, who acquired major financial contributions, and to the sponsors, too.
• And to David Burton of University of Missouri Extension for the encouragement to attend NUSA and for coaching the committee on its application and presentation.

First Place Newsletter

Also representing Springfield, David Burton of MU Extension in Greene County won first place for a digital neighborhood newsletter at the NUSA conference for his Engaged Neighborhood Newsletter. He is a four-time winner with his newsletter.

Elected to Board of Directors

At this year’s conference, Burton was elected to serve on the NUSA Board of Directors. NUSA is governed by a board of 21 directors who serve three-year terms voluntarily and at their own expense. The board directs the ongoing business and policy of the organization, oversees implementation of each year’s conference and promotes the organization and the work of neighborhood-based activism and self-help initiatives.

More information

Neighbors USA (NUSA) is a nonprofit organization created in 1975 to share information and experiences among neighbors and neighborhoods to build stronger communities. NUSA continues to encourage networking and information-sharing to facilitate the development of partnerships among neighborhood organizations, government and the private sector to strengthen neighborhoods. The organization held its 50th annual conference in Jacksonville, Florida, in May 2025.