August 22 – 28, 2025Vol. 27, No. 11

Neighbors Driving Neighbors Summer Happenings

What’s been happening at Neighbors Driving Neighbors (NDN) lately?! A lot!

First, they are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year. What began as a small but mighty grassroots effort has grown into a nonprofit leader in the community.

They are proud to say they not only survived the 2020 pandemic, but have thrived. In 2023, they added Readfield to their service area and in 2024 they were happy to add to their volunteer driver pool as well as register several new riders.

To keep that momentum going, they are always looking for new drivers, so contact them if you enjoy driving and like to help others. Additionally, if you find yourself or a loved one in need of rides to medical appointments, supermarkets, pharmacies, other errands and even social visits, please reach out and register with them before you need that ride.

This past spring, NDN received special recognition from the Maine Volunteer Foundation. The certificate read: “Exemplary Recognition: This certificate is proudly presented to Neighbors Driving Neighbors in recognition of your outstanding community service, meaningful contributions, and commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.” The commitment of their volunteer drivers is indeed exemplary and is greatly appreciated by their riders.

In early August, NDN hosted a BBQ for their volunteers. They hope to make this an annual event, as the connection and camaraderie that is made at these casual neighborly events is just wonderful. It was a sunny day, with about 30 people in attendance. They took a few minutes to recognize four drivers who went above and beyond with over 100 trips each in 2025: Steve Symonds, Sandy Beal, Nancy West, and Susan Emmerling. Each received a gift basket with a new NDN 20152025 T-shirt among other things. Additionally, they honored six drivers who have been with NDN from the beginning: Shelly Fitzgerald (Rome), our current president; Sandy Colt (Belgrade), our vice president; Allan Harville (Vienna); Bob Weimont (Fayette); Quimby Robinson (Mount Vernon); and Dave Fuller (Mount Vernon).

For more information, visit www.neighborsdrivingneighbors.org.

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