Neighboring Movement

10/07/2026

This is what celebrating neighboring looks like. 🧡

Hundreds of neighbors gathered in SoCe for our National Good Neighbor Day Block Party — to dance, create, play, eat, laugh, meet someone new and simply spend time together.

There was Ballet Folklórico and Baila Wichita. Art made side by side. Kids meeting animals and flying down inflatables. Community organizations sharing their gifts and resources. Volunteers pitching in. And conversations happening all across the park.

It was a celebration of something we believe deeply at The Neighboring Movement: our neighborhoods are full of people, gifts, creativity and connection worth celebrating.

And we had such a good time that we've decided something:

🎉 The National Good Neighbor Day Block Party is becoming an annual tradition!

We'll be back next year to celebrate National Good Neighbor Day with our neighbors again — and we're already dreaming about how this gathering can continue to grow.

Thank you to the estimated 250–300 neighbors who joined us, and to every performer, community organization, volunteer, sponsor and partner who helped make the day possible.

📸 XXV Business Photo + Video

Same neighborhood spirit. More neighboring. See you next year. 🧶

10/06/2026

Sometimes neighboring means being willing to get it wrong. 😂

While planning a neighborhood gathering, Rochelle thought she was texting her neighbor, Susan.

“Can I come over and talk about the gathering?”

Sure, Susan told her. She’d sit on the porch and wait.

So Rochelle walked over, only to find no one sitting on the porch. She knocked anyway. Her neighbor answered, invited her inside, and before long they were sitting around the kitchen table planning the whole neighborhood gathering together.

Success!

Except… as Rochelle walked home, she got a text:

“Where are you? I’ve been sitting out here for 45 minutes.”

Rochelle was confused.

“I just left your house.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Wait…is this Susan?”

“No, this is Matthew.” 😂

Rochelle had switched the last two digits of Susan’s phone number. She’d been texting a complete stranger while accidentally planning the gathering with a different neighbor.

Matthew wished her luck with the gathering. Rochelle, naturally, told him he should throw one in his neighborhood, too.

And when gathering day came, Rochelle told the whole story as an icebreaker.

Because connecting with our neighbors can feel awkward. We might knock on the wrong door, say the wrong thing or apparently text the wrong person entirely.

We can do it anyway.

You don't have to be an expert at neighboring to start.

10/05/2026

This is what neighboring can look like.

Horizons Community Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, asked a simple but powerful question: What does our community need, and what could our church offer?

They listened — through churchwide surveys, conversations with neighbors, and partnerships across their community — and one idea kept rising to the surface: an accessible, inclusive playground where everyone has a place to belong.

We’re grateful to partner with Horizons as they continue exploring what it means to connect with the neighbors right around them and put their assets to work for their community.

This is the kind of story we love to see: Listen to your neighbors. Notice the gifts and assets already present. Then imagine what you can build together.

Congratulations to the Horizons community! We can’t wait to see this space filled with neighbors.

Read the full story from the Great Plains Conference:
https://buff.ly/BlLoWJM
📷 Photo by David Burke, Great Plains UMC

10/02/2026

We love seeing what our alumni are up to in the community! 💜

Juanita Ridge, an alum of The Neighboring Movement’s Community Animator Network (CAN), was recently featured by The Voice for her work using music to encourage and empower young people.

Her newest song, “Drug Free Generation,” releases tomorrow, October 3! The song grew from a message Juanita has shared with Wichita youth for years — encouraging young people to value themselves, their futures, and their dreams.

At The Neighboring Movement, we believe communities are full of people with gifts, passions, and ideas that can make a difference. Juanita is a beautiful example of what it looks like to put those gifts into action.

Congratulations, Juanita! We’re proud to have you as part of the TNM alumni community. 💜

Read her story from The Voice below. 👇

Wichita’s Juanita Ridge releases “Drug Free Generation” Oct. 3, using music to encourage young people to make positive choices.

10/01/2026

📚 The BIG READ starts today!

The Neighboring Movement is excited to join Weave: The Social Fabric Project as a National Partner for The BIG READ, a global shared reading experience happening October 1–November 5.

Over the next several weeks, people across the country and beyond will be reading and reflecting together—and our Executive Director, Brittany Kruger, is reading along, too!

At TNM, we believe stronger communities are built through relationships, curiosity, and truly knowing the people around us. We’re excited to be part of a shared experience that invites more of those conversations.

Want to read along with us? Scan the QR code to join The BIG READ. 📖💜

09/30/2026

Connection starts with knowing your neighbors. 💜

Last night, our Program Manager Marisa joined Hot Girls Vote at Bubbles Ch*****ne Bar inside The Workroom for a Collage + Notes to Neighbors night — featuring collage art with Kinta McGhee . ✂️💌

Marisa shared about something at the heart of our work at The Neighboring Movement: the power of knowing the people around us and the role neighbor relationships can play in combating social isolation and creating a stronger sense of belonging.

Sometimes building community really does start small — learning a name, saying hello, sharing a note of encouragement, or simply making time to connect.

We loved getting to be part of a night centered on creativity, connection, and neighbors. 🫶

Thank you to Hot Girls Vote ICT for creating such a fun space to connect and inviting us to be part of it!

09/29/2026

❤️❤️❤️

National Good Neighbor Day is September 28 Join the movement to make the world better, one neighborhood at a time. Get Started Meet Your Neighbors Build Connections Increase Belonging Have you noticed how our culture has redefined what a good neighbor looks like? It used to be a good neighbor was so...

09/28/2026

What a way to celebrate National Good Neighbor Day! 💛

Yesterday, neighbors from across our community came together for an afternoon filled with music, dancing, laughter, connection, and a whole lot of neighborly joy. This is what neighboring looks like—and we’re so grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.

A huge thank you to our sponsors — Evergy, Fidelity Bank, Kansas Health Foundation, and Black Hills Energy — for helping make this celebration possible. Special thanks to the incredible Fidelity Bank volunteers who showed up and served alongside us, and to every vendor, performer, partner, and volunteer who brought something special to the day.

And most of all, thank you to our community for showing up. ❤️

Today is officially National Good Neighbor Day, and the celebration doesn’t have to end. Knock on a door. Say hello. Check on someone. Share something. Learn a neighbor’s name. Small acts of connection can change a block, a neighborhood, and a community.

Go be a good neighbor today. 🏡✨

09/27/2026

🎉 TODAY IS THE DAY! 🎉

Come celebrate National Good Neighbor Day with us at The Neighboring Movement’s FREE Block Party!

🐐 Petting zoo
🎨 Art + activities
🏰 Inflatables
💃 Live dance performances
🎶 Music
🤝 Community organizations
❤️ And lots of opportunities to meet your neighbors!

📍 Kansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park
🕛 TODAY | 12–3 PM
🎟️ FREE + open to everyone!

Bring your family, bring a friend, and come spend the afternoon with your neighbors.

Because stronger neighborhoods start with something simple: knowing the people around us.

09/25/2026

💃 More dancing is coming to the National Good Neighbor Day Block Party!

We’re excited to welcome Baila Wichita to the park this Sunday! Join us as they bring music, movement, and plenty of energy to our celebration.

❤️ And during Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re especially excited to celebrate the people, cultures, and traditions that are part of the beautiful tapestry of our community.

💃 Baila Wichita
⏰ Performing from 1–1:30 PM
📅 Sunday, September 27
🎉 FREE family fun!

Bring the family, bring a friend, bring a neighbor — and come spend the afternoon with us.

Come meet your neighbors!