When Sarah Harmeyer moved to Dallas, she didn’t know any of her neighbors. So she offered to invite them all to dinner—and was thrilled when 91 people showed up in her backyard. For Harmeyer, it started with a simple desire to know others in her community. And the free Nextdoor neighborhood networking app made what could seem like a tough process easy.
“I went to the app and I said, ‘If you’ve never stepped outside your house to meet your neighbors, would you consider coming? I would love to meet you’”, she said. After she reached out, Harmeyer discovered others wanted to connect just as much as she did, if not more.
Since that first request, Harmeyer has now hosted gatherings with more than 3, 500 neighbors in total. She’s had people over for backyard concerts, holiday parties and more. Harmeyer even shares hosting tips and tricks with others interested in becoming “people- gatherers” like her.
According to a recent survey, now half of Americans feel they can depend more on their neighbors and local community than before. 72% of Americans have made it more important to support local businesses and 61% now feel it’s more necessary to build connections in the neighborhood than outside their community. Research also shows that a majority of people (58%) have a renewed appreciation of their neighborhood.
Whether it’s by picking up groceries for a disabled neighbor, offering childcare, or sharing trusted information and recommendations—like which local pizza joint satisfies tastes most—neighbors are showing up for one another and are happy to do so.
Harmeyer’s story shows how one person has the power to strengthen their entire neighborhood. Technology like Nextdoor can be used to promote real-world interactions—and, in turn, these gatherings can make positive change.
“Something is extraordinary when we reach out to each other as neighbors”, Harmeyer said.
【小题1】Why did Harmeyer invite people to have dinner when moving to Dallas?| A．To become a public figure. | B．To know people around her. |
| C．To celebrate her new move. | D．To market her own free app. |
| A．Posting her invitation. | B．Teaching her programming. |
| C．Offering her specific tips. | D．Presenting Internet surveys. |
| A．Managing bigger money from their communities. |
| B．Sharing more information about their family gatherings. |
| C．Becoming more dependent on and devoted to their neighbors. |
| D．Building stronger connections with people outside their communities. |
| A．selfless and lucky | B．sociable and helpful |
| C．wise and sensible | D．responsible and humorous |
