Education and Resources

Community Partners

Making it work for you:

Social Health & Well-Being Community Model


    Neighbors helping senior neighbors with Lend-A-Hand

    Lend-A-Hand Senior Outreach, Inc. was started in January of 2006 to help senior neighbors stay independent in their homes for as long as possible. Working under the umbrella of Pima Council on Aging, the outreach was the dream of representatives of 7 neighborhoods from Ward III, one faith community, Mountain Avenue Church of Christ, and the Campbell Avenue Business Partnership: they now form its board of directors. Lend-A-Hand coordinates trained volunteers to provide services free of charge to seniors who need transportation, yard work, light maintenance, household help, friendly phone calls, and friendly visits. The 7 neighborhoods served by Lend-A-Hand include: SAMOS, Mountain/1st, Hedrick Acres, Limberlost, Campus Farms, Winterhaven, and La Madera.

    Now in its third year of operation, Lend-A-Hand has helped 59 seniors with 45 volunteers within the 7 neighborhoods in the program. In 2008, January through April, seniors were transported 1,048.8 miles and received over 302 hours of services! Here are some stories from the program:

    Mary     makes a friendly phone call each week to her senior friend who just needs to know that someone will look in on him regularly. They may spend 20 minutes or an hour on the phone, and sometimes visit in person.

    In April, 2006, the women from the Amparo community plus some of their staff members personally delivered Easter baskets to 10 elderly neighbors. Their baskets had candy, bunnies, real potted flowers and a homemade Easter card—all their own creation! Some of the senior recipients had never received such a surprise gift and called to express their tearful thanks!

    Rudy     is a retired railroad conductor who has a huge heart and a love of life, music, and people. He still drives, but needs Lend-A-Hand to help with letter writing, Christmas cards, and conversation and company. He always leaves volunteers saying “down the line…”—railroad talk for “see you later”.

    Sue     has had serious, life-threatening health issues. She was temporarily relegated to a wheelchair, but loves to create lovely, bejeweled wire sculptures. Lend-A-Hand matched her with a Scrabble player who regularly drops in to visit.

    For more information on receiving or providing services, contact Michele Brubaker, Volunteer Coordinator, at 248-6882.

Volunteers from the Amparo Community share a meal with seniors.

Volunteers help with yardwork at the Youth Rally Clean-up.

Education and Resources



City of Tucson Department of Neighborhood Resources

City of Tucson Department of Community Services

PRO Neighborhoods

PRO Neighborhoods is a strong advocate for problem solving and revitalization. We offer both small grants and technical assistance. We assist groups working together to mobilize and build upon existing talents and resources within the community. In addition to helping with the grant application process, PRO Neighborhoods maintains a resource library, organizes workshops, and is available to assist groups with project development.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

For more than 80 years, United Way has held a reputation as our community's fundraiser, but United Way doesn't just raise money. Today’s United Way is a focused, results-driven system working year-round to change community conditions and create lasting solutions.

Community Partners


Programs serving seniors in other neighborhoods: