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Massachusetts Good Neighbor Day is a week-long celebration of community connection from September 26 to September 30. The Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness organizes the event. They focus on strengthening local connections and fostering a culture of belonging. This year, the Goodnow Library has planned two community events you won’t want to miss. We caught up with Karen Tobin, Laurie Ensley, Amy Hansen from the Goodnow Library, and they shared more details on the broader initiative and the events themselves.
Massachusetts Good Neighbor Day is built around the idea of community connection and ending loneliness. Why did Goodnow Library want to be part of it this year, and how does that mission fit with what a public library is for?
Community connection is a big part of what happens at Goodnow Library every day. People come not only to borrow books, but to attend programs, join discussions, take classes, meet friends, pursue hobbies, learn something new, and spend time with other people.
Good Neighbor Day gives us an opportunity to highlight that aspect of the library and, this year, to show the remarkable range of ways people in Sudbury are already coming together.
Social isolation isn’t always an obvious problem to tackle. What have you noticed in Sudbury, or in libraries generally, that made this feel like the right moment to focus on helping people connect?
Libraries don’t see people coming through the door and say they are socially isolated. What we see is how much people value opportunities to be together around a shared interest. A book group, a craft activity, a walking club, or a community program can give people a reason to come together and make connections naturally.
Tell us about the Find Your People Fair on September 27. What can someone expect if they walk through the doors that afternoon, and what kinds of groups and organizations will be there?
The fair will take over the library from 2–4 p.m., with participating organizations set up at tables throughout the building. There’s a real mix: Bookies Book Group, Sudbury Yarn Enthusiasts, Wayside Quilters, the Sudbury Garden Club and Thursday Garden Club, the Sudbury Art Association, the Intergenerational Walking Club, the Charles River Radio group, the Sudbury Fix It Clinic, the Sudbury Food Pantry, Sudbury Valley Trustees, the League of Women Voters, and several others. There will also be an art exhibit, Makerspace activities, live music from the Retro Polatin Trio, and cider and cider donuts. Visitors can move through the library at their own pace and talk directly with the people involved in these groups.
Who is the Fair really for? If someone is new to town, or has lived here for years but wants to get more involved, what might they get out of stopping by?
This could be for someone who has just moved to Sudbury and is looking for a first connection, someone whose children have grown up and is looking for something new to do, someone who has a hobby they’d like to share with others, or simply someone who is curious about what their neighbors are involved in.
The afternoon is an invitation to explore rather than a commitment to sign up for something.
On September 30 you’re screening the documentary Join or Die with Reconnect Sudbury. What is the film about, and why did it feel like the right centerpiece for this week?
It’s about the decline in social and civic engagement in America over the past fifty years or so, and how it affects us. It’s based in serious social science research, but the film makers present it with a lot of charm and creativity. The Find Your People Fair is all about finding commonalities and making those connections.
The film draws on Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone” research about declining community engagement. Without giving too much away, why do you think that message matters for a town like Sudbury right now — and what do you hope the discussion afterward brings out?
It matters because engagement strengthens the bonds in any community. And it’s good for individuals, too—physical health, mental health and longevity can be positively affected by connection, or negatively by loneliness.
We hope the discussion helps people realize that they’re not alone in this.
Looking at both events together, what would success look like to you? And for readers who want to attend or get their group involved, how can they find out more?
Success would be people walking around the fair, talking to one another, and finding commonalities.
Folks who want to attend can see details and a current list of participants on our calendar. Organizations interested in participating should contact us at goodnow@sudbury.ma.us. We’re almost at capacity, so please reach out soon.