Throwing rocks into water is a universal pastime. Where children, water, and rocks exist, you will find children—and probably the adults with them—throwing rocks into the water. Why? Well, to watch the ripples, of course. 

It is hard to describe exactly what is so mesmerizing about watching the rings expand from the initial impact, but it pulls us all in, young and old. 

This year, as we wrap up National Good Neighbor Day, those ripples are the story—and they are truly mesmerizing. 

In the 1970s, a woman named Becky in Montana had an idea to create a national holiday celebrating neighboring. 

Splash. 

In 1978, Jimmy Carter signed an official proclamation for National Good Neighbor Day. 

Ripple. 

Celebrations continued to ebb and flow throughout the years. The ripples continued, but they grew smaller. Then, in 2022, a group of nonprofits interested in seeing the holiday grow started meeting and created a task force. 

Splash. 

That same year, Missouri celebrations grew into a statewide movement with the signing of Missouri Good Neighbor Week into law by the governor. 

Ripple. 

Ripples Multiply

In 2026, the ripples continue to multiply: 

  • 66,778 Acts of Neighboring Tracked  

Ripple. 

  • 33 Partners committed to equipping, promoting, and celebrating the holiday. 

Ripple. 

  • 30+ cities and towns with Good Neighbor Weeks, proclamations, and other citywide initiatives. 

Ripple. 

  • 4 States with statewide proclamations and legislation to celebrate Good Neighbor Day—Hawaii, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. 

Ripple. 

There is no way to catch every single story from this holiday anymore. We can capture some, but like water, the ripples are moving too fast and traveling too far for us to track them all. 

And there are more splashes, too: people starting celebrations and initiatives through their own organizations and in their own neighborhoods. Those splashes create ripples of their own. 

If you’re reading this, you are part of the splashes and ripples that have made this year so mesmerizing, and we thank you. We can’t wait to watch the ripples grow. 

Read stories from past National Good Neighbor Day celebrations: