2024 Good Neighbor Day Roadmap

• Sustainability Initiatives
  • Stormwater drain painting
  • Waterway cleanups
  • Rain garden installations
  • Water quality monitoring
  • Removing invasive plant species
  • Planting trees for shade or native diversity
  • Permaculture gardening
  • Picking up trash
  • Planting native pollinator gardens
• Intergenerational Connection Initiatives
  • Exchanging generational skills
    • Teaching technology such as email or mobile apps
    • Teaching practical skills such as sewing, cooking, or knitting
  • Providing mentorship or leadership
  • Providing social opportunity for intergenerational connection such as music, dance, or art crafting
• Local History Initiatives
  • Capturing history and storytelling
  • Hosting an interactive family craft workshop on a local history topic
• Food Security Initiatives
  • Hosting food drive benefiting local food banks
  • Packing or providing meals
• Education Initiatives
  • Hosting an interactive family craft workshop on a sustainability topic such as pollinators, climate change, or endangered animals
  • Hosting a children's book drive
  • Installing a tiny library

Nominated Projects

• Submissions are reviewed and selected by the Good Neighbor Day Planning Committee, which is comprised of representatives from the University of Maryland, the City of College Park, M-NCPPC, and key community partners.
• Each year, we choose several project sites that are divided among hundreds of volunteers.

Selected Projects

Good Neighbor Day partners will:

• Supply tools and materials necessary to complete the service project.
• Promote service projects on our website and social media.
• Provide volunteer registration, communications, and necessary waivers.

All projects are subject to review and may not be chosen for this year's Good Neighbor Day. 

1. The project site must be within College Park or surrounding communities. See map →
2. The project must enhance community space or knowledge.
3. The project must have an educational component for volunteers.
4. The project must be completed within 3.5 hours.

• Nominate a service project using our online Nomination Form
• Assist in the recruitment, assemblage, and management of volunteers
• Mobilize your networks and resources
• Delegate tasks and assign responsibilities to your volunteer team to ensure project completion within 3.5 hours.
• Provide guidance, support, and education to your volunteer team
• Identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and find appropriate solutions.

Assist Project Leader to:

• Motivate and inspire volunteer team
• Distribute tools and resources to your volunteer team
• Provide guidance, support, and education to your volunteer team
• Identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and find appropriate solutions
• Check in volunteers using the GivePulse Mobile Application

This year, we have a few main types of experts who are volunteering their time and expertise toward the success of Good Neighbor Day projects, including:

• Invasive Species
• Pollinator Gardens and Habitats
• Native Plants and Planting
• Tree Planting
• Permaculture Gardening

Assist volunteers in:

• Following proper procedures and guidelines for the best long-term results
• Making decisions about design and logistics
• Learning what you're passionate about whether that be pollinators, native plants, invasive identification, trees, permaculture, and more

• Register for a project using Services 24/7
• Check e-mail for up-to-date communications from your Project Leader
• Arrive prepared and on time to your assigned project site
• Accept direction and guidance from your project leaders
• Complete assigned duties with care and efficiency

• Discuss overarching themes and direction
• Attend in-person (catered!) meetings once a month in the Community Meeting Room at College Park City Hall. 
• Bring your expertise, ideas, feedback, resources, and network
• Participate in at least 1 working group
• Identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and find appropriate solutions
• Volunteer for a Good Neighbor Day project on Saturday, October 26, 8:30 a.m to noon.

• Discuss specialized or specific topics
• Participate in virtual meetings scheduled by Working Group Chair
• Provide your expertise to the working group team
• Mobilize your network and resources
• Identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and find appropriate solutions
• Volunteer for a Good Neighbor Day project on Saturday, October 26, 8:30 a.m to noon.

This group’s primary focus is the involvement of recruiting Prince George’s County residents and community members, particularly from College Park to participate in Good Neighbor Day.

This group’s primary focus is the recruitment of UMD students from all colleges across campus to participate in Good Neighbor Day.

This group’s primary focus is the recruitment of staff and faculty from the three partners: the City of College Park, M-NCPPC, and UMD to participate in Good Neighbor Day.

This group creates, publishes, and manages all GND digital content and public-facing materials including but not limited to event and recruitment flyers, nomination forms, and registration forms.

This group determines the overall logistics for GND, including transportation, volunteer needs, ordering supplies, and soliciting donor support.

• Establish project capacity
• Approve a limited number of nominated projects that most strongly align with the 2023 Good Neighbor Day Themes
• Provide an estimate of how many volunteers are needed to adequately complete all projects
• The Project Selection Working Group is comprised of all Working Group Chairs
• Working Group will meet virtually 1 time to establish:
  • How many projects will be selected 
  • Approve or pass projects
  • Estimate volunteers needed.

This group manages three aspects of GND including the food drive, Terps Against Hunger, and hot meals distribution. 

This group reviews nomination proposals and makes selections based on criteria including need for project, project feasibility, project sustainability, project impact, educational component, and appropriate use of volunteers for the duration of the time. 

This group is responsible for outreach and engagement of middle and high school students from PGCPS and beyond.

This group is responsible for developing and managing a centralized GND budget, and includes 1-2 key representatives from each of the three partners: the City of College Park, M-NCPPC, and UMD.

This group is responsible for planning activities to involve pre-K and elementary students and their families; as well as members of the aging population in GND. 

This may include arts integrated educational activities. The committee will be responsible for developing ideas and determining and managing the logistics for execution.