SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — National Good Neighbor Day is September 28. University of Missouri Extension County Engagement Specialist David Burton is encouraging individuals to celebrate the day by setting a goal of meeting their neighbors.
“Neighboring does take time and effort. But there are both personal and community benefits and being neighborly is easy to get started,” said Burton. “Take the day to meet neighbors you do not already know. Or plan and organize a neighborhood block party or workday.”
Current research shows many Americans suffer from a lack of personal relationships, which leads to isolation, depression, and anger. Meanwhile, less than three percent of Americans say they know the names of their neighbors, know a fact about them and have spoken to their neighbors in the last month.
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE IN REPUBLIC
This week, every mailbox in Republic received a “who is my neighbor” postcard distributed by the Greene County MU Extension Council.
Residents are encouraged to use the chart on the mailer as a way to learn and remember the names of their neighbors, their contact information and facts about them.
“Knowing and using your neighbor’s name is the very first step! The next step is to plan a gathering and invite your neighbors. Get acquainted and then stay staying connected,” said Burton. “Your neighbors may need a friend or your neighbors might have the skills to contribute. What we do know is that in areas where people know the names of their neighbors, crime is 60 percent lower.”
Residents of Republic are being encouraged to reach out on National Good Neighbor Day (Sept. 28) as an initial first step toward making Republic a neighborly city.
The city of Republic is also preparing to kick off a neighborhood watch program. For information about an upcoming training for block captains, contact Lieutenant Jamie Burks of the Republic City Police Department at (417) 732-3964 or email jburks@republicmo.com.
Other groups in town – like the Republic Chamber of Commerce and the Republic Ministerial Alliance – are also having conversations about what it means to be neighborly.
“The long term goal is to develop a neighboring group or coalition that will make neighboring efforts a focus in town and provide direction and encouragement and training. Hopefully, the group can also provide at least a yearly reminder to residents about the importance of neighboring,” said Burton.
NEIGHBORING IS DIFFERENT
Less than three percent of Americans meet the definition of what it means to be neighborly.
“Meantime, our culture is becoming angrier and much less forgiving. We are more isolated. Part of the reason is that we have forgotten the art of neighboring,” said Burton.
Neighboring does take some effort and time. It requires some purposeful planning. But it should be a priority and there are both personal and community benefits according to Burton.
“I am not saying that you try to be neighborly to everyone in town,” said Burton. “However, what would your town look like if you made an effort to be neighborly to the people next door?”
Burton says that when he and his wife were young, they lived in a subdivision where he ended up taking on the role of homeowners association president. Then the calls started.
“A resident called saying his neighbor’s dog barked all night and he wanted me to go tell the neighbor about the rules violation and to tell him to make his dog stop barking. Imagine how that problem might be better resolved if the neighbors had instead had a relationship by being neighborly,” said Burton.
The same type of situation still occurs, especially in small cities where residents expect the city government to fix their neighbor problems. Residents are quick to call the city about a code violation but never consider helping a neighbor.
“In one example I know about, an overgrown yard was reported and cited with a ticket. It turned out the single mom living there was taking care of her terminally ill mother and the yard was the least of her concerns,” said Burton.
Burton asks, before you call the city about your neighbor’s two-foot-tall lawn have you considered checking on the neighbor and offering to help? Which action would be neighborly? Which actions would result in a strengthened relationship?
HISTORY OF HOLIDAY
This annual holiday was first proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Becky Mattson from Lakeside, Montana came up with the idea of a national holiday recognizing the importance of good neighbors in 1971. In 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced the creation of a national day aimed at raising public awareness that good neighbors help achieve human understanding and build strong, thriving communities.
Since then, National Good Neighbor Day has been acknowledged by various levels of government and is celebrated every year on Sept. 28.
LEARN MORE
To schedule a program for your organization or neighborhood to learn how to begin neighboring or the importance of it, contact me at (417) 881-8909 or email burtond@missouri.edu.
There will also learning group sessions on neighboring held between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., starting Friday, Sept 27 and then every Friday in October at tables inside the Kum and Go at Hwy 60 and Hwy MM, Republic. The sessions are come and go.
Get resources to help with neighboring (like a video explaining how to use the neighbor chart) and learn more about online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene.
Share your experience using the neighboring chart and give us other feedback at www.surveymonkey.com/r/neighboring.
— University of Missouri Extension
For more news from Missouri, click here.