KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is partnering with Nextdoor, the neighborhood hub, to ask Americans to nominate an improvement project in their neighborhood, ultimately fostering more conversations and connections to help local communities thrive. People can nominate a deserving project through Nextdoor or directly at the nomination website. This spring, the companies will select 10 initial projects.
“Nextdoor and H&R Block have a shared purpose to create stronger, kinder communities, and we both believe that starts with the neighborhood,” said Sarah Friar, CEO of Nextdoor. “I’m excited to hear from neighbors around the county, to bring people together, and most importantly, to create connections.”
This partnership is part of H&R Block’s new community impact platform, Make Every Block Better. The company seeks to build sustainable connections in neighborhoods and for small business owners at a time when more Americans are experiencing increased social isolation.
“Every day we see how social isolation negatively impacts our communities and neighbors,” said Jeff Jones, H&R Block President and CEO. “We have more than 12 million cumulative hours of conversations with people each year as we help them prepare their taxes, discussing major life events and helping them with a significant financial moment in their year. These conversations are just the beginning of how we can foster more conversations in communities and tackle isolation year-round.”
Recent studies reveal that people are increasingly disconnected from the community around them. A Pew Research Center survey notes that only about a quarter of Americans living in the suburbs know all or most of their neighbors and a study by the insurance company Cigna revealed that three in five Americans consider themselves lonely. The rise in isolation has impacts on people’s health with a study by the American Cancer Society finding that social isolation is linked to a higher risk of earlier death, and Inc. reporting that loneliness is just as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Visit the Nextdoor and H&R Block nomination website for more information.
About H&R Block
H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation, financial services and small business solutions. The company is disrupting the tax industry by providing consumers price transparency and with digital platforms such as Tax Pro GoSM. H&R Block believes the best solutions blend digital capabilities with human expertise and care. For more information, get H&R Block News online and follow @HRBlockNews.
About Nextdoor
Nextdoor is the neighborhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services. We believe that by bringing neighbors together, we can cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.
Building connections in the real world is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighborhoods are one of the most important and useful communities in our lives, have been a guiding principle for Nextdoor since the beginning. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and Canada, with many more to come.
Nextdoor is a privately-held company based in San Francisco with backing from prominent investors including Benchmark, Shasta Ventures, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Riverwood Capital, Bond, Axel Springer, Comcast Ventures, and others. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom.
For further information Investor Relations: Colby Brown | 816-854-4559 | colby.brown@hrblock.com Media Relations: Susan Waldron | 816-854-5522 | susan.waldron@hrblock.com
