Open for Nominations of Most Engaged Neighbors in Monroe and Ralls County

September 02, 2025


Being an engaged neighbor should be a celebrated way of life. Do you know someone who builds relationships and sustains caring practices of neighborly love?

Submit your nominations for Missouri’s Most Engaged Neighbor in Monroe or Ralls County. Every nominee will be interviewed and recognized in the Monroe–Ralls paper.

The REACH Principles of an Engaged Neighbor

Relationship (connect and stay connected)

  • Learn and use my neighbors’ names.

  • Learn the gifts and talents of my neighbors.

  • Invite neighbors into my daily routine with a plus-one approach.

  • Practice hospitality—share meals with my neighbors.

Empathy (understand the feelings of others)

  • Listen first and talk second.

  • Be motivated by love, kindness, and mutual respect.

  • Share honestly about myself and my family.

  • Pursue reconciliation, offer forgiveness, and give neighbors the benefit of the doubt.

Action (build mutual trust by doing for others)

  • Focus on what is strong, not what is wrong.

  • Invest in a homeowners’ or neighborhood association, or gather neighbors in ways that serve the community.

  • Help set neighborhood priorities and pursue the common good.

  • Express gratitude with spontaneous acts of kindness.

Courage (withstand fear or difficulty)

  • Trade a lifestyle of busyness for being available.

  • Spend more time in the front yard for conversation and service.

  • Include neighbors who are overlooked, marginalized, disabled, widowed, or lonely.

  • Follow local etiquette to help create a culture of trust.

Humility (modest view of one’s importance; open to continual improvement)

  • Celebrate neighboring holidays.

  • Be a continual learner about neighboring.

  • Don’t turn a neighbor into a “project,” and don’t gossip.

  • Celebrate what it means to be an engaged neighbor.

Do you know someone who intentionally builds connections, shows leadership on the block, and grows social capital through neighborhood relationships? Let’s celebrate them.

How to nominate:
Email the nominee’s name and contact information—and a brief note on why you’re nominating them—to robingregg@monroecountyappeal.com.





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