Q: Who is eligible for a Good Neighbor Award?

A: Any person, couple, family, business, neighborhood or group who is connected to our community – through residency, business, the school district, or any other affiliation – who demonstrates the mission of NRO through their actions. Award winners are inclusive, tolerant, and they reach out to others in a variety of ways to bridge the gap between people, cultures, and ideas. Also, keep in mind that we recognize those activities that are volunteer in nature as opposed to those that are considered part of a person’s job description.

It is the purpose of the Good Neighbor Award to honor a unique individual, group, neighborhood or company each year. Since 2015 is the first annual Good Neighbor Award, moving forward, NRO reserves the right to reconsider, for example, a previous winner is nominated on the basis of a new activity or initiative that is completely different than the activities for which they were previously recognized. NRO accepts nominations from any source – from students, residents, business owners, city employees, etc.

Q: How many candidates can I nominate?

A: There is no particular limit to the number of candidates that one person can nominate. In order to facilitate efficiency for the selection committee, however, please send us only your top choices. There’s always next year!

Q: If I nominated someone in a prior year and they did not receive an award, can I nominate them again?

A: Absolutely! You may want to look at your previous nomination and see if there are additional details that you could include in order to enhance the application. The committee has a tough job and you want to make sure your written nomination offers a complete picture of the nominee’s activities.

Q: How much detail should I include in my nomination?

A: Start with the full name and contact information for your nominee. Tell us what you know about them that you think makes them a good candidate for the award. Give us some examples or anecdotes that exemplify the qualities that you’d like to highlight regarding your nominee. We receive many nominations and the more specifics you can include the more likely the committee is to understand why you have nominated this person.

Q: Do I have any other obligations, once I submit my nomination(s)?

A: We may contact you for some follow up information (clarification, etc.), but for the most part, your job is done. If your nominee is selected, we will notify you and may invite you to a future event.

Q: Are nominations confidential/secret?

A: No, but we strongly encourage discretion. Although we anticipate receiving numerous nominations, only seven (7) Good Neighbors will be recognized this year. Nominees who are not recognized this year, may be nominated again next year for consideration.

Q: What is the Mission of the Neighborhood Resource Organization?

A: The Neighborhood Resource Organization (NRO) is committed to providing resources, support and technical assistance to individual neighborhood groups (i.e. Watch Groups/Neighborhood Associations), to help them carry out strategies as laid out in the Erie County Community Action Plan (CAP), created by the Unified Erie Violence Reduction Initiative, to address the root causes of problem behaviors in their communities. The NRO is a service agency that offers regular trainings, researches and communicates best practices information, educates on services available, connects groups with key community partners as well as other neighborhood groups, provides notification of funding opportunities, assists with funding applications, and serves as a fiscal agent for grant funds to individual Neighborhood groups. These services are available to any Neighborhood Group in Erie County free of charge and their offices are located in the old St. John the Baptist School, 509 East 26th Street.