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INVITE NEIGHBORS TO DINNER, STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
DOYLESTOWN, PA
December 14, 2004
info@dinnerday.com
How do you turn a neighborhood stranger into a lifelong friend? Simply invite them
to this year's Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner Day.
Since January 11, 2003, neighbors throughout the United States have been opening
their doors, and hearts, on the second Saturday in January each year, to their not-so-familiar
neighbors by inviting them over for dinner.
Dinner Day, a concept originally brought to life by Jeff and Barbara Smith of Doylestown,
PA, celebrates the reintroduction of suppertime as a great American pastime. To celebrate
the holiday, all you have to do is invite someone you don't really know from your
neighborhood, or any community for that matter, to join you for dinner.
Like many other Americans in the wake of September 11th, Jeff and Barbara were devastated
by the events that haunted them through the media, yet they were inspired to become
more appreciative of the people close to them, their communities, and ultimately,
their country. A month later, they took a class together entitled Self Expression
and Leadership, offered by Landmark Education, which encouraged them to create a
major project and begin its coordination by the following year.
Jeff and Barbara brainstormed at home. They wanted their project to address the burning
question that went through many American minds on September 12, 2001: "How can
I make a difference?"
At long last, when the question was posed to their kids, Josh and Jeremy, the concept
of Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner Day began to form. When asked what they thought
of the idea, other classmates became instantly invested. One fascinated friend, Bob
Schultz of Havertown, PA, called Jeff during a random afternoon the following year
to ask how he could help. It was then that the Smith family realized that Dinner
Day, to all who heard of it, was more than just a fleeting notion.
They decided to form a Dinner Day committee, which is anxiously preparing for this
year's Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner Day. "The American Public should realize
that safety and security start in our own backyards," Jeff said. "We just
don't know the people who live around us anymore. We need to reach back to our roots."
Perhaps the Smiths are right. If we take one day out of the year to extend our homes
beyond four walls, we may find that we can dig up more than just roots in our backyards.
We may be able to uncover true friendships that will strengthen our communities,
and ultimately protect the core values of our great nation.
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