Mariah Reese never expected her family to be recognized as Niagara-on-the-Lake’s standout neighbours — but to someone who knows them, the honour couldn’t be more fitting.
To celebrate Good Neighbour Day, June 21, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake invited residents earlier this month to nominate someone who makes a difference in their neighbourhood.
Nominations were accepted by the town’s communications department until June 19.
“It was very touching,” said Mariah of learning that her family were chosen.
Living just outside Old Town, Mariah heard about the nomination through a text from nominator Michelle Reynolds, who put forward Mariah, her husband Robert and their children, Sebastian, Saxon and Skielor, after seeing the contest on the town’s Facebook page.
Mariah runs a private Facebook group, Joyous NOTL, which has almost 2,000 members and aims to spread positivity and connection across the community.
“There’s a lot of people that have made friends because of the group,” she said.
Reynolds saw that impact — and much more.
“I am writing to wholeheartedly nominate Mariah and Robert Reese, along with their family,” wrote Reynolds in her letter to the town, which she shared with The Lake Report.
“They embody the true spirit of community and are more than deserving of this recognition.”
Surprised and hosting guests at the time of Reynolds’ text, Mariah said she felt undeserving, feeling that many others — including Reynolds — deserved the recognition.
“I do a lot of stuff for (the Facebook page), but it doesn’t seem like I do enough to win something like that,” she said.
She pointed instead to her husband, Robert.
He’s the kind of person who steps up without being asked, she said. When they lived on a street with many older residents, he once cleared every neighbour’s driveway during a snowstorm.
“The world is a much better place because of Robert,” she said.
And although Mariah may not feel she’s as deserving of the recognition as others, she’s experienced what it means to be a good and appreciated neighbour.
One particular moment with a neighbour stuck with Mariah during the COVID-19 pandemic: A stranger stopped her while she was walking through town.
“And they’re like, ‘Excuse me, are you Mariah Reese?’” she said.
She assumed the neighbour was going to say something about her well-known son.
Instead, Mariah said the woman thanked her for creating the Facebook group, saying it had brought real positivity not just to her, but to the whole community.
At a time when other local Facebook groups were full of negativity, she told Mariah, this one helped shift the tone.
“She was like, ‘Ever since your group has started, I can see the softening of the other groups,’” said Mariah.
As part of her efforts to spread positivity, Mariah also started Joyous NOTL bracelets — green bands meant to signal friendliness and openness to conversation.
The idea came from Mariah listening to how one of her neighbours felt, often walking her dog alone and wishing there was a simple way to show she was open to chatting with others.
“At this point, I think I’ve given away probably 500 or 600 of them,” she said, adding that she regularly hears from people who’ve made new connections as a result of them.
She also makes “cheer baskets,” which are small care packages to lift people’s spirits. When she hears about neighbours going through a tough time, she and her sons bake treats, make cards and deliver the baskets to their doors.
“We call them cheer baskets to kind of cheer people up,” she said.
The baskets began during the pandemic but Mariah still does them today and she said, years later, people still reach out to thank her for a gesture that reminded them: Someone in town cared.
A neighbour once told Mariah, “‘It really turned my whole view around, that there was someone in town who was looking out for me,’” she said.
Mariah said to be recognized in a kind town like NOTL, where neighbours always look out for each other, was especially meaningful.
That kindness is something she is thankful to receive back, too. One winter, while her husband was away, a neighbour quietly shovelled their driveway without being asked, a small gesture that captured what being a neighbour in this town is all about, she said.
When it comes to being a good neighbour, keeping things positive goes a long way, Mariah said.
She suggests starting with a smile and a simple compliment, like noticing someone’s yard work or home. “Then you take it from there,” she said.
It’s that simple, genuine approach that makes a difference, Reynolds said: “Mariah and Robert have an incredible ability to bring people together,” she wrote in a direct message.
