On September 28, National Good Neighbor Day turns the spotlight on putting your good-neighbor skills into action. In Missouri, it kicks off Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2022, which runs through October 4. The Hopeful Neighborhood Project (HNP) is partnering with the MU Extension at the University of Missouri to “foster compassion and respect for our neighbors.” At missourigoodneighborweek.com, participants can register their act of neighboring and nominate a notable neighbor for his or her impact on the place where they live. The goal is simple and ambitious-accomplish 10,000 Acts of Neighboring.
Stumped for ideas? The HNP website offers a dozen suggestions of things you can do to become a neighborhood superstar. They’re easy and fun to do, and they can open doors to conversations and relationships you may never have had otherwise. You can find them at hopefulneighborhood.org/good-neighbor-day. This year the HNP is challenging everyone to “show an act of neighborly love and kindness.” It doesn’t have to be spectacular to be meaningful. Sometimes a cup of coffee is the only ice-breaker necessary for a friendship to begin-and for great things to follow.
Nationwide, we can all “Start with Hello” as a first step to impacting our neighborhoods in positive ways. To confirm your intention, at NationalGoodNeighborDay.org, you can take an affirming pledge to be a “Good Neighbor,” whenever and wherever you can. There, you can register for the Better Neighboring Workshop; it features a four-step process of intentionality, introductions, invitations, and involvement to jump-start your real-time efforts. Also available is a social media kit to promote Good Neighbor Day and a newsletter with ideas on how “good neighbors make great neighborhoods.” And be sure to get inspired by Tim DeTellis in his TED talk; he speaks to the need for us to love and serve our neighbors, as we come “together” in our communities.
You can also get your church involved in Good Neighbor Day. At the HNP website, you will find ideas for your congregation to come together and contribute to area neighborhoods and communities. Being nice to the people who live around us is a great way to share the love of Jesus, and there are lots of ways to do this. Enlisting a neighbor for an hour’s worth of picking up trash or volunteering at a local community garden is a great way to start. Whatever it is you do, be sure to share your acts of kindness on social media and tag @hopefulneighborhood with the hashtags: #ilovemyneighborhood #goodneighborday.