About Us:
The mission of Neighbor to Neighbor in the Nenes (N3) is to help elders in the Indianhead/Lehigh neighborhood stay in their homes as long as possible as they age.
Board of Directors:
Nancy Gines, President
Ed Gines, Vice President
Rosie Mintern, Treasurer
Janice Hartwell, Secretary
Connie Beane, Volunteer Coordinator
Sonia Crockett, Board Member
Kat Milla, Board Member
History
N3 began organizing at the end of 2016 with the philosophy to support the well-being of neighbors, especially elders, and promote a willingness to do for others in need. This communal caring concept fits well in the Indianhead/Lehigh neighborhood because it was already part of the neighborhood culture.
A 4-person planning committee worked, quietly, for over a year completing the administrative tasks needed to establish a non-profit organization. They also established a partnership with Elder Care Services, a well-established organization that offered a ride program called STARS (Seniors Transporting At Risk Seniors). This collaboration facilitated the provision of rides for Indianhead/Lehigh elders because STARS was able to conduct background checks and provide insurance (which N3 was not yet able to afford) for Indianhead/Lehigh drivers to transport neighborhood residents in need of this service.
When N3 was introduced in May 2018, many residents had not yet heard of it, and few called to request services. Volunteers went door to door to the homes of elders, talked with them about N3 and left flyers that explained the new organization. Eventually the phone started to ring, and N3 was launched. The planning committee morphed into an official board of directors and recruited new members.
N3 provided volunteer services to elders in Indianhead/Lehigh 32 times between May and December 2018. The most used service was rides; trailing second was yard work. In 2019, N3 delivered services 73 times, started monthly education programs at the community center, and helped organize social gatherings for small groups of elders. It soon became clear that some elders wanted more opportunities for on-going social contact with a volunteer, so N3 explored Friendly Phone Call and Friendly Visitor services and soon began offering both.
Then the pandemic hit and services were delivered by volunteers 157 times in 2020 (but the education and social activities were reluctantly canceled). By 2021, volunteer-delivered assists occurred 384 times. Yard work, Friendly Phone Calls and rides were the three most used services. Volunteer time sheets were introduced so N3 could better track the services delivered, and in 2022, service delivery increased to 416.
N3 has an established network of committed and fantastic volunteers, and has demonstrated the growing need for services in the area. In 2022, a generous grant from the NextFifty initiative allowed for the very first contracted Executive Director to be hired, and N3 is growing with their efforts along with the continued guidance and leadership of founding and new board members.
2019 Social Improvement Award
On December 10, 2019, the City of Tallahassee recognized Neighbor to Neighbor in the Nenes (N3) by awarding it the 2019 Best Neighborhood Program Award, First Place in Social Improvement. According to John Doherty, Neighborhood Services Coordinator with the Tallahassee Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs, the award honors the Tallahassee neighborhood that did the most during the year to bring residents together. N3 faced competition for the award from among the other 200 city neighborhoods but came out on top. Betsy Tabac and Judy Rainbrook accepted the award plaque for the organization.
