Neighbor Network of Nevada (N4) is a grassroots nonprofit that connects Northern Nevadans for inclusive, community-based services, volunteer opportunities, and affordable transportation.
Starting with a mission to provide transportation and a Time Exchange where people can exchange services they need, N4 has developed and expanded to now include transportation services, community-based services for people with disabilities and older adults, while also connecting families living with and affected by caring for a loved one with dementia.
N4 is the brainchild of Amy DeWitt-Smith, a woman on a mission to provide Northern Nevada with services to enable independence and self-sufficiency. After working for the Nevada Aging and Disabilities Services Division, she decided to put her experience to good use and pioneered a success story, capitalizing on thinking outside the box, to help people in need.
Time
N4 got its start developing the Time Exchange, a way for the community to give and receive services without exchanging money. People trade or exchange skills that is easy for them to do, in exchange for services they need that others can provide. “The non-monetary nature of our time exchange redefines and equalizes work,” Dewitt-Smith explains. “One hour of service provided by a member during an exchange is valued the same, no matter the type of work. When members provide a service for other members, one hour is earned for each hour spent providing the service. Members can then exchange their earned hours for an hour of service from someone else.”
The Time Exchange was the program that got N4 off the ground, but it didn’t take long for DeWitt-Smith to think of other possibilities. Next popped up N4 Transportation.
Transportation
N4’s transportation program has many components, including the N4Connect app (developed with Feonix Mobility Rising), which brings together public and low-cost transportation options across Northern Nevada, and soon the entire state. Visit N4Connect.org to find out how to download your free app to use this service.
N4’s Lyft and Uber program helps people with disabilities and adults 60+ access supplemental transportation by receiving a 50% discount on Lyft & Uber rides — up to $160 worth per person each month. N4 members can use their smartphones to request rides, or they may select the concierge option by calling N4 to have rides scheduled in advance. N4 also operates a wheelchair-accessible passenger van in Washoe County to help people with disabilities and older adults get where they need to go. Contact 775-453-4774 or [email protected] with any questions.
Community-Based Services
The N4 Community Care program supports people 18 and older who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, or dementia and related conditions, as well as their family care partners. They do this by getting to know them and how they like to spend their time and then pairing them with someone who can do these things with them, both in-home and in the community. Families are involved in decisions and care planning.
N4 offers the following services:
- Personal care
- Social, leisure & recreational activities
- Opportunities for civic engagement & self-advocacy
- Transportation
- Support accessing healthcare services, including routine wellness checks and vaccines
- Educational opportunities for people and their family members
- Respite for family care partners
- Home management
- Accessing community resources
- Care consultation/options counseling
Volunteer Opportunities
N4 also helps people to volunteer and help others. With the Volunteer Village, they build community partnerships with local organizations to provide fun and diverse volunteer opportunities for our members!
N4 is currently looking for volunteers to coordinate the Time Exchange and its Volunteer Village programs (which is a way for people to volunteer for N4 or other local organizations that help make Northern Nevada a better place). Both positions are virtual, require a one-year commitment, and include training. Volunteer Coordinators can make their own schedules (2-5 hours a week), and are responsible for reaching out to new members, assisting with member orientations, connecting people with other members for service exchanges or volunteering, and helping spread the word about the programs. If you’re interested, please fill out an Interest Form on the N4 website — NeighborNV.org. You can also contact them at [email protected] or 775-453-4774 with questions.
