Leadership : article
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.
In his seventh grade history class, Noah Temple learned how children in other countries often lack access to quality education, a privilege he enjoyed every day. That led him to launch Junior Java, a business that blends entrepreneurship and purpose.
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…
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — University of Missouri Extension will host HOMEGROWN: Creative Entrepreneurship in Your Community, a free, two-day workshop and vendor fair to support creative entrepreneurs and strengthen the local creative economy, April 17-18, in Poplar Bluff.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will host its 2026 Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference in Maryville, Sept. 15-17.
Wilson Majee, a Mizzou health sciences professor, collaborates to adapt the Neighborhood Leadership Academy for South African community leaders.
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…
A new fellowship program in St. Louis empowers leaders to co-create community-driven solutions, focusing on economic mobility and disaster recovery.
Voices from across America reflect on everyday neighborly acts—from greetings and gatherings to caring and uniting communities.
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…