Delores Anderson
A Legacy of Service: Honoring Delores Anderson
Robin Wilson
At Neighbors Who Care, we are often humbled by the dedication of our volunteers, but few stories radiate as much warmth and resilience as that of Delores Anderson. As Delores prepares to retire from volunteering at the remarkable age of 97, we take a moment to celebrate a lifetime defined by “showing up” for others.
Delores and her husband Don traded the harsh winters of Anchorage, Alaska, for the Arizona sunshine in 2016. It didn’t take long for them to find their calling. In 2019 a simple flyer in their mailbox led them to our doors. Having been a lifelong volunteer, Delores knew immediately that Neighbors Who Care was the perfect fit. Together, she and Don became staples of our team, serving in dinner delivery, respite, and welfare checks.
Service was the heartbeat of their 76-year marriage. While Don worked hard in construction to provide for their three children, Delores turned “volunteer” into her middle name. From leading Camp Fire Girls and Cub Scouts to serving as PTA president, her impact was everywhere. Her faith was equally central. She taught Sunday school, chaired church groups, and took immense pride in being one of three women entrusted with preparing Sunday Communion.
Perhaps most inspiring was Delores’ devotion to her oldest daughter who was blind. To ensure her daughter could thrive in public school alongside sighted peers, Delores mastered the braille writer. She spent countless hours transcribing textbooks—a skill so refined that she was eventually hired by a law firm to transcribe a Bar Exam for a student.
After 30 years in Seattle and another 30 running a laundromat in Anchorage, Delores and Don brought that same industrious spirit to Sun Lakes. Even after Don passed away last year at age 96, Delores refused to slow down. Enlisting the help of dear friends like Jan and Pat to serve as her drivers, she continued her dinner delivery routes, proving that community is a team sport.
Whether she was sewing matching outfits for square dancing or being “GG” to her five great-grandchildren, Delores has lived with a spunky, selfless grace. Delores, thank you for being the hands and feet of our mission for so many years. You have shown us all that you are never too old to make a difference.
Happy retirement, GG—you’ve certainly earned it!
Sheryl Keeme
NWC Executive Director Sheryl Keeme to Retire
Neighbors Who Care (NWC) Executive Director Sheryl Keeme came on board in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was hired mostly on Zoom!”
In August of 2020, Sheryl was vetted amidst the frightening backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic. Previously a volunteer helping NWC with events and marketing, and an experienced nonprofit executive and fundraiser, Sheryl dreamed of serving Neighbors Who Care before she would retire.
“I never saw an agency with a small budget like NWC’s accomplish as much with as little,” Sheryl said, “I had a dream to be part of that charge!”
As Sheryl announces her retirement, she celebrates what she and so many alongside her have been able to accomplish for Neighbors Who Care’s clients since she arrived in September of 2020.
Sheryl’s Dedication to Neighbors Who Care’s Mission
Under her leadership for the past five years, NWC has experienced stable financial growth; broader, more strategic partnerships; a reaffirmed commitment to NWC’s long-term sustainability; and solutions to new challenges.
NWC Aging Education
Sheryl and the NWC Board of Directors updated and modernized practices. As the pandemic highlighted caregivers’ challenges, NWC held “Conversations with the Caregiver,” an afternoon expressly for caregivers. Also, beginning with a Zoom speaker series during the pandemic in 2021, an annual Summer Speaker Series hosted at various assisted living and independent living properties in Chandler and Sun Lakes now helps keep Neighbors Who Care’s mission in the forefront when summer volunteer recruiting becomes more difficult. Rounding out the NWC portfolio of learning is the “Aging Made Easier” free annual aging conference to attract new friends and volunteers, raise dollars, and provide free aging information to the East Valley senior community.
Battling Isolation, Fostering Connections
The pandemic highlighted isolation’s impact on seniors. With this understanding, NWC formalized our friendly visiting program aimed at reducing isolation. Sheryl knew NWC could do still more, tapping Realtors Who Care, which gathered to establish social luncheons for NWC homebound clients. Clients attended free luncheons to connect and visit since 2023.
NWC Formal Volunteer Program
Virginia Piper Charitable Trust funded Sheryl’s three-year proposal for a stronger volunteer program. In 2024 an experienced volunteer manager was on staff offering connections with other like-minded people and confidence in their volunteer activities. Neighbors Who Care’s volunteer program is better positioned to address the growth of aging baby boomer clients.
Client Programming
Emergency Financial Assistance was set up in 2023. The program is meant to offer acute, immediate repair/replacement assistance when dangerous Arizona heat strikes.
Improved Dinner Delivery Program
A key program of Neighbors Who Care, its dinner delivery program, now uses one vendor, Friendly Neighbor Meals, a restaurateur with a commercial kitchen, offering a variety of warm and delicious comfort foods for our clientele. Gabe Garfio of Ocotillo’s Taqueria Factory delivers quality menu items weekly to our homebound clients. Our program’s coordinator keeps a gentle eye on the clients, checking in on them while taking food orders. Also, Gabe began offering weekend Mexican food choices on Fridays at the same prices to those who wanted an additional weekend meal.
The Past & The Future
In November of 2024, Neighbors Who Care celebrated its 30th anniversary of helping seniors age in place safely for up to five years longer with our help. Respected for longevity, strength in volunteers, and care of thousands over the years, Neighbors Who Care’s future will be shaped by the 2025 Strategic Plan framework. Four areas: Space—reviewing mortgage-free space; Financial—future financial growth and investment; Volunteers—Strategize unrealized volunteers; and Technology—utilizing technology smarter.
“My tenure with Neighbors Who Care has been among the most rewarding (and really fun and exciting!) times of my career. The goodwill I have seen poured into this agency joins many, many years of wonderful contributions from thousands,” Sheryl muses.
“The friendships, kindnesses, and the gratitude I witness every single day is proof that Neighbors Who Care is a charmed place,” Sheryl says wistfully, “Leaving it is bittersweet. I wish nothing but strength and stability for this amazing program.”
If you want more information about all our services, contact our care manager Bonnie Kosar at neighborswhocare.com or call 480-895-7133.
Looking for flexible opportunities to connect and help? Learn more by visiting neighborswhocare.com or by calling Robin, volunteer manager, at 480-895-7133.