Belonging : article
Honorees were selected from 78 nominations submitted as part of Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2026, celebrated Sept. 28-Oct. 4.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Twenty Missouri residents have been honored as the state’s Most Engaged Neighbors for 2025. These awards highlight everyday Missourians whose commitment to their neighborhoods strengthens community bonds and creates belonging.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Performing an act of neighboring is easier than many people imagine according to David Burton, county engagement specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
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.
Missourians shared nearly 20,000 acts of kindness during Good Neighbor Week, celebrating community and connection statewide.
GRANITE CITY, Ill.– After Bobby Hutchinson lost his left leg in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, he thought he’d never play golf again.
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. – In recognition of Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2026, the University of Missouri Extension Council in Chariton County participated in a statewide effort to strengthen community connections through simple acts of kindness.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A few years ago, Claire Rippel came across the term “civic muscle,” referring to a community’s capacity to take action to address shared goals and challenges.
In Excelsior Springs, a simple idea — neighbors getting to know one another — is reshaping a city. With support from University of Missouri Extension’s Engaged Neighbor Program, residents launched block parties, volunteer efforts and business collaborations that are building trust, boosting civic…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- When a disaster strikes, who are you going to call? Several residents in rural Highlandville recently answered that question with action when they reached out to their neighbors and came to help when a neighbor's home caught on fire.
A community garden in Noel, Missouri, brings together diverse groups, promoting cultural exchange, shared meals, and stronger connections across differences.
A total of 94 Missourians registered to be Ambassadors in 2026. Three Ambassadors illustrate the range of ways people put neighboring into practice: Emma Alexander, Sabra Kovar and Carla L. Hudson.
A community nonprofit turns vacant lots into gardens, farmers markets, and programs linking food access with local growth.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.
Loneliness is affecting the health and well-being of Missourians across all ages and communities. University of Missouri Extension and local partners are working to strengthen social connection through programs, volunteer opportunities and community engagement.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The tally is in, and 31,129 acts of neighboring were documented this year as part of the fourth annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week, Sept. 28 – Oct. 4. The goal had been to reach 20,000 acts.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri again celebrates the power of everyday neighborliness when Missouri Good Neighbor Week returns Sept. 28-Oct. 4, inviting Missouri residents to recognize the simple acts that make Missouri a better place to live.
Missouri marks the first Good Neighbor Week from Sept. 28, encouraging connections and community across the state.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Three Missouri neighborhoods where residents have turned everyday kindness, connection and cooperation into a way of life have been selected as the Missouri’s Most Neighborly Neighborhoods as part of Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2026.
A $475,000 grant will enhance leadership programs across Missouri, focusing on community engagement, skills development, and local project planning.
With HBO’s new six-part documentary series “Neighbors” debuting Feb. 13, a nationally recognized University of Missouri Extension specialist and neighboring enthusiast is available to provide interviews and commentary for reporters and broadcasters as part of a larger discussion about what it means…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – “I was a great neighbor until I discovered that I was not,” says David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Greene County. “I don't throw loud parties. I mow my yard regularly. I clean up my leaves. I even pick up after my dog when I…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Accessible, ergonomically designed beehives at the University of Missouri’s Jefferson Farm and Garden Extension and Education Center give disabled veterans an opportunity to practice beekeeping.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $179,614 grant to the University of Missouri to support efforts to help veterans, Latinos, women and socially disadvantaged persons to farm or go into agribusiness.
Voices from across America reflect on everyday neighborly acts—from greetings and gatherings to caring and uniting communities.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Local civil rights pioneer Eliot Battle is the subject of a new documentary that chronicles his pivotal role in desegregating schools, housing and the Columbia community.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A new statewide study of neighboring finds that Missouri residents have considerable goodwill toward the people living around them, but most neighbor relationships remain at the surface level.
The 2026 State of Neighboring study was conducted by University of Missouri Extension…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Sunni Purviance is president of the Southeast Neighborhood in Roanoke, Virginia. She has worked hard to improve the reputation of her neighborhood.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Addiction costs Missouri $1.4 million per hour, but a recovery-friendly workplace can increase profits for businesses and foster an employee-focused culture.
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…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Closing the gender gap in civic representation is the focus of the latest episode of “Show-Me MO Success,” a podcast from University of Missouri Business and Community Extension.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Six Missouri businesses have been selected to receive the 2026 Missouri Good Neighbor Week Most Neighborly Business Award, which recognizes businesses that go beyond transactions to build trust, uplift people and strengthen their communities.
For Missouri Good Neighbor Week, the Warren County Extension Council decided to create senior care bags filled with everyday essentials, including items such as toilet paper and dish soap, along with food items for seniors who may be experiencing food insecurity.
Celebrate 12 Missourians honored for exceptional neighborly engagement during Missouri Good Neighbor Week through statewide awards and community recognition.