Good Neighbor of October.

CommunityHope, Scituate

A Hope man invited the whole street to his Pumpkin Spectacular

Mike Castelli, 25, hand-delivered invitations to his Halloween display. Neighbors turned out, met for the first time, and donated to his Special Olympics team.

Read aloudMike Castelli is 25 and lives in Hope, a village in Scituate, Rhode Island. He built a Halloween display he calls the Pumpkin Spectacular and walked invitations to neighbors on his street. Nearly everyone came. Some of the neighbors were meeting each other for the first time. People brought snacks, looked at the pumpkins and inflatables, and gave donations for Mike's Special Olympics team. The party was his idea, and the street showed up.

HeroesWyandotte County, Kansas

Neighbors tarped a Wyandotte County roof after a televised plea

A silver maple fell through Gilbert Kirk's roof and trapped him and his dog for hours. After he asked on television for a tarp, neighbors covered the hole. They did not rebuild the house.

HeroesBucksport, Maine

A Bucksport 10-year-old rallied volunteers to write 1,100 veteran cards

Evan Hunter, his mother, and 27 volunteers spent Saturday writing thank-you notes to veterans. They have held the card-writing day every year since 2020.

Read aloudEvan Hunter, who is 10, got his mother and 27 volunteers together in Bucksport, Maine, and wrote thank-you cards to veterans. They filled out 1,100 of them on a Saturday. The family has held the same writing day every year since 2020. The cards are notes, not a big program. The count is how many they finished in that one sitting, with the same neighbors coming back each year. A short message, written by hand, was the whole gift.

CommunityLancaster, Missouri

A neighbor donated two defibrillators in Schuyler County

Dave Irvin gave two AEDs and the cabinets to hang them in. They are mounted at Cousins Cafe and Coffee and at Lancaster Senior Housing.

HeroesMahanoy City, Pennsylvania

A homecoming king gave his crown to a classmate with Down syndrome

Moments after being crowned at a pep rally, Keny Cedanio Ramirez handed his crown and sash to his friend Axton Kuhl, making him Mahanoy Area's homecoming king.

Read aloudAt a pep rally in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, Keny Cedanio Ramirez was crowned homecoming king. A moment later he saw his classmate Axton Kuhl start to cry. Keny took the crown and the sash and gave them to Axton, and Axton became Mahanoy Area's homecoming king. Keny said he was surprised he won and happy for a few seconds, then he wanted to cheer his friend up. He said his younger brother has autism, and he hopes people will be that kind to his brother too. He thanked his mom for teaching him to care about that. He also said the dance was still a good time without the crown.

HeroesOverland Park, Kansas

Overland Park mechanics gave up a day off for free oil changes

Christian Brothers Automotive staff came in on a day off for four hours of free oil changes and safety inspections. Fifteen to 20 single and widowed mothers brought their cars.

HeroesTallahassee, Florida

A Tallahassee student has donated 2,000 stuffed animals

Kinsley Locke, a sophomore at North Florida Christian School, marked a decade of giving plush toys to local fire departments and is now sending them to children in foster care.

Read aloudKinsley Locke, a sophomore in Tallahassee, Florida, has spent about ten years collecting stuffed animals and giving them to fire departments in her county. She has now passed 2,000 donations, a project she calls Kinsley's Cuddles for Kids. She is widening the giving to children in foster care, and she hopes to donate another 1,000 stuffed animals this year. Firefighters often keep a plush toy for a child at a hard scene. The milestone is a long string of small comforts, counted one toy at a time.

CommunityKansas City, Kansas

Neighbors and teenagers are growing food in a Kansas City, Kansas garden

Build WyCo and St. Peter CME Church planted 11 raised beds and a young orchard at Boulevard Lofts. About 15 young people help, and residents take the produce as fast as it ripens.

Read aloudIn Kansas City, Kansas, a church and a neighborhood group turned unused garden beds into a place to grow food. Build WyCo and St. Peter CME Church planted 11 raised beds with vegetables and herbs, plus a young orchard. The beds are at Boulevard Lofts. About 15 young people and 10 adults help plant, water, and weed. The nearest grocery store is a drive away. Residents take the vegetables as soon as they are ripe. One neighbor said the young people frowned at first, then liked eating what they grew and taking it home.

HeroesOverland Park, Kansas

An Overland Park volunteer was honored for holding more than 540 NICU babies

Terry Berggren holds babies in Overland Park Regional Hospital's Warm Arms program when families cannot be there. The hospital gave him its Humanitarian Award.

HeroesHoboken, New Jersey

A Hoboken sixth grader is leading all fundraisers for the Hoboken Shelter's 5K

Jacob Cyprys, who turns 12 on October 11, has raised $1,780 for the HoBOOken 5K and is asking neighbors for $12 each.

Read aloudJacob Cyprys, a sixth grader in Hoboken, New Jersey, is the leading individual fundraiser for a shelter's yearly 5K. He has raised $1,780. Before his 12th birthday he asked neighbors for $12 each to help people facing hunger and housing trouble. He first ran in the shelter's kids' race in 2017, when he was three. This year he planned to run the full course with his mother after months of weekend training. He said he wants everyone to have a home. The shelter's director said the effort is a reminder that kindness has no age limit.