Giving assistance and support to others in need shouldn’t be difficult. And for 12 years, that simple premise has proved to make a powerful and invaluable difference as the driving force of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Scottsdale, an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit.
Through contributions in the form of finances, hours, and other resources, Neighbors Helping Neighbors has supported dozens of organizations that primarily assist children, veterans, and the community by addressing homelessness, hunger, children battling cancer, and veterans who need peer support. These include UMOM New Day Centers, Southwest Kids Cancer Foundation, St. Mary’s Food Bank, MANA House, and others.
Six neighbors in the McDowell Ranch area created the concept, wishing to skip the red tape that stymies philanthropic efforts.
“The original idea was that it was an easy way to help,” says board member Larry Hewitt, who is among the group’s 60 active members. “It’s about lending a hand up rather than a hand out.”
Every donation and fundraising dollar goes directly to these programs, with annual membership dues covering any additional overhead. Its single annual fundraiser, All Hands on Deck, will take place Nov. 7. Sponsorship and tickets to the event are available on the Neighbors’ website.
Hewitt is the chair of the nonprofit’s support of the Rebuilding Together program, which builds ADA-compliant ramps for homes of individuals who require a walker or wheelchair to get around. He organizes a team that spends four hours on a Saturday morning that culminates with someone’s world becoming larger.
This is one of the projects that reminds him of the difference the nonprofit—which was recently honored with the Spirit of Scottsdale Award—is making.
“To see someone who has been homebound for months all of a sudden has the freedom to leave and go to the doctor or grocery store.” Hewitt says. “For me, that’s one of the biggest things I get out of it.”
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“It’s about lending a hand up rather than a hand out.”