‘Good Neighbor Week’ returns to Citrus Heights

By Sara Beth Williams–
This Saturday, Sept. 28, marks the beginning of the second annual Good Neighbor Week in Citrus Heights.

Good Neighbor Week originated in Missouri and was first brought to Citrus Heights in 2023 by the Residents’ Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights (REACH).

REACH hosts the week to “celebrate all things neighboring.” During the week, citizens are nominated and recognized, and other events to foster community engagement are promoted throughout the city.

This year, REACH is promoting a city-wide garage sale on Saturday, Sept. 28. Residents can sign up and view other yard sales at chgoodneighbor.com. As well, a movie night is being held at Brooktree Park on Friday, Oct. 4, hosted by the Park Oaks Neighborhood Association in Area 5.

On the website, residents can both nominate a “good neighbor” and also submit an “Act of Neighboring.” Acts include “any intentional gesture, service, gift, or event meant to foster connection and/or celebrate neighbors through kindness,” according to the website.

In 2023, 764 Acts of Neighboring were submitted during Good Neighbor Week. All nominees will be displayed on the website for one year, and the top three nominees will be recognized at the Oct. 23 Citrus Heights City Council meeting.

President of REACH and Sylvan Old Auburn Road Neighborhood Area 10 (SOAR) Natalee Price told The Sentinel that she hopes Good Neighbor Week can be a “catalyst for being an engaged neighbor throughout the year.”

“The importance of recognizing Good Neighbor Week in our city is that it improves quality of life through the art of neighboring,” Price said, adding that studies have shown community and individual well-being are interdependent and that social cohesion and having a “feeling of belonging” are important factors in quality of life. Price cited the aftermath that social isolation had on physical and mental health following the lockdowns that occurred in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“Engaging with neighbors has the power to improve our well-being, and it all starts with hello,” Price said.

The history of Good Neighbor Week extends back to the 1970s with its beginnings in Montana, according to chgoodneighbor.com. In 1978, former President Jimmy Carter officially proclaimed Sept. 24 as National Good Neighbor Day. In 2003, the date was moved to Sept. 28. In 2022, an initiative by the Hopeful Neighborhood Project established Good Neighbor Week as Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 in Missouri.

In 2023, the City of Citrus Heights officially proclaimed Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 as Good Neighbor Week.