Make Every Block Better.

It's time to reconnect.

Across the country, isolationism is on the rise. It is an epidemic spreading coast to coast. The more we are connected digitally, the more we are becoming disconnected personally. But it's not just about technology.

According to a study by the American Cancer Society, social isolation is linked to a higher risk of death, with Inc. reporting that loneliness is just as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Civic and social organizations across the country have declining memberships or are forced to disband, and, a study by Cigna uncovered that only half of those surveyed have meaningful in-person social interactions, with Pew Research noting less than one-third of those living in the suburbs know all or most of their neighbors.

This crisis not only affects us as individuals and impedes connections within our neighborhoods, it also impacts small business owners. During recent focus groups of entrepreneurs conducted by H&R Block, some told us that connections were even more important to them than capital. Being a small business owner can be a lonely endeavor.

Bottom line – our neighborhoods and business communities are suffering because we are having fewer face-to-face conversations.

At H&R Block, we believe we can make a difference. That’s why we have launched Make Every Block Better, our community impact program to help foster more conversations and help people and small business owners connect to their community. We believe we are uniquely suited to help tackle isolationism in our communities. Think about this, every year, across more than 10,000 H&R Block offices, we engage in conversations with more than 12 million people. That equals approximately 12 million hours of conversations every year. For many people, that could have been the most important conversation they had with anyone that year. We’re not just helping people get a financial outcome at tax time, rather, we are providing a forum for conversation and connections with people in our communities. Building relationships.

Others are joining in our efforts to Make Every Block Better. Specifically, H&R Block is working with the neighborhood social network platform, Nextdoor, the Kauffman Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, KC Rise Fund and the Urban Neighborhood Initiative. Each of these partners brings passion and purpose to helping communities thrive.

This is just the beginning. Every year our employees and franchisees donate thousands of hours volunteering and supporting causes important to their local community. Giving back to our community is core to our company, rooted in the civic engagement and volunteerism of our founders, Henry and Richard Bloch. They believed in the power of people helping people, by being a mentor to an entrepreneur, fostering the love of learning in children and much more. Their vision lives on in our purpose today: To provide help and inspire confidence in our clients and communities everywhere. This is why we are here.

We’re ready to Make Every Block Better.