We Have Something to Be Proud Of, and YOU Are Part of It! 

What started more than 30 years ago as a local effort to help older neighbors has grown into something worth sharing across America.

Neighbors Who Care has been selected as one of just three community-based care programs nationwide featured in a new AARP Public Policy Institute research study, From Innovation to Implementation: Replicable Community-Based Care Models for Aging in Place.

The study explores how organizations are helping older adults remain independent at home and, importantly, what other communities can learn from the models that make this support possible.

Our work in Sun Lakes and south Chandler is being recognized as an example of how volunteer networks, community partnerships and essential services can come together to support an aging population.

The People and Systems Behind the Model

“You can do everything for a few people, or you can do a few things really well.” Bonnie, NWC Case Manager

One of the important lessons highlighted in the AARP study is that successful volunteer-based programs require more than people willing to lend a hand. They need the organization, resources and systems to make that help possible.

Neighbors Who Care is supported by more than 400 registered volunteers, with approximately 200 actively volunteering each month. Together, they provide much of the direct assistance that allows the organization to serve hundreds of seniors.

A staff of just seven employees coordinates the operation, including client assessments, volunteer recruitment, scheduling and service delivery.

Volunteers choose the services they want to provide and when they want to help. There are no minimum volunteer hours, and an online scheduling system makes it easier to find opportunities that fit their schedules.

Behind every ride, friendly visit or shopping trip is a network of people and systems working together to make it happen.

A National Recognition Built on Local Commitment

Being included in an AARP national research study is an exciting milestone for Neighbors Who Care. But the recognition represents something much bigger than one organization.

It’s a reflection of the volunteers who give their time, the donors who make services possible, the staff who coordinate the work, the community partners who lend their support and the older adults who allow us to be part of their lives.

For more than three decades, this community has demonstrated what can happen when people come together to support older neighbors.

Now, something our community has built together is being studied as an example for other communities across America.

We’re proud to see the Neighbors Who Care model recognized on a national level. And we’re grateful to everyone who has helped make it possible.

A Local Difference. A National Example.