Still time to nominate Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor Contest nominations are coming in: e-mails, letters typed on old-fashioned erasable paper, notes on pages torn from a binder. They tell of a neighbor on dialysis who cooks for everyone, a neighbor in a wheelchair patrolling for crime, a neighbor recovering from heart surgery who goes out, even when he “don’t feel too good,” and mows people’s lawns and helps out at the church.

The judges will have a hard time picking just one Neighbor of the Year from each part of town. Each letter is better than the last, and every letter tells the story of the best of our community.

One writer described her nominees as “surrogate parents,” who not only take care of her but others – “through birthdays, graduations, weddings, divorces, sickness, deaths, pounds on and off, and many many more things.” Another writer described her nominees as the “glue that binds the neighborhood.”

Some neighbors are watchdogs, keeping an eye out for crime; some are living community centers, keeping people connected with barbecues and other events. Some are elderly, embodying old-fashioned values of helpfulness; some are young, channeling their energy into improving their surroundings.

But they all exemplify the best of Spokane.

They all embody the spirit that unites people related only by geography.

If you have a neighbor who has helped unify your neighborhood, let us know. Be specific. Tell us what they do to help you or others in your neighborhood. Tell us why they should be the one chosen for recognition. And tell us in 250 words or less before Aug. 11. While we can choose just one winner from each part of town, we will run a list of all the names we receive.

Winners will get a catered block party thrown in their honor for the whole neighborhood to enjoy.