Who We Are
People Who Care (PWC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to provide transportation and non-medical services to adults who are unable to drive because of aging, disability or vision loss so they may continue to live independently.
We proudly serve the Quad Cities of Arizona — Prescott, Chino Valley, Prescott Valley and Dewey — at no cost to our clients through a network of volunteers. We call our clients Neighbors.
Founded at a kitchen table in 1992, People Who Care has provided thousands of rides and other services to those in need. It is the only organization to offer these services in the Quad Cities, and one of only two in all of Northern Arizona.
Our Team
Jane Harrison
Executive Director
Barry DeKemper
Development Director
Debbie Scherer
Program Director
Renee Braner
Program Manager
Lynn Bernardo
Chino Valley
Program Manager
Meredith Dohanyos
Volunteer Program Manager
Heather Turbiak
Administrative Assistant
Karen Locke-White
Program Coordinator
Malanie “Lanie” Brand
Call Center Program
Coordinator
Ryan Anetsberger
Technology Assistance
Coordinator
Julie McCurdy
Accountant
Our Board
Leadership
Bev Thurber
President
Daniel Keeley
Vice President
Joe Jenkins
Treasurer
Lesley Nystrom
Secretary
Members
Jim Edmonds
Kate O’Connor-Masse
Susan Milon
Mick Gleason
Stephen Cantor
Paul Hewelt
Dave Fletcher
Our Vision
“All adults in the Quad Cities who are unable to drive because of aging, disability, or vision
loss have access to the services they need to live safely and independently.”
“All adults in the Quad Cities who are unable to drive because of aging, disability, or vision loss have access to the services they need to live safely and independently.”
Our Mission
“To provide essential transportation and non-medical services at no cost to adults in the Quad Cities who are unable
to drive because of aging, disability, or vision loss, so they may continue to live independently.”
Our Values
These three core values are the foundation of our services.
Integrity
We act ethically in all we do.
Dignity
We honor and respect each individual.
Compassion
We serve with kindness and understanding.
Our Milestones
PWC’s humble past drives a promising future, upholding the same mission and vision for more than 30 years. We have established ourselves as a unique and essential community asset and meet every challenge we face with resourcefulness, innovation and compassion.
Where It All Began
In September 1990, the Arizona Department of Economic Security asked the Volunteer Interfaith Caregiver Program (VICAP) in Phoenix to introduce its model volunteer caregiving program to rural Arizona. Local communities, clubs and other nonprofits around the state then began to create collaborative partnerships to recruit volunteers and raise money for the new outreach programs.
People Who Care Is Born
Seeing a need for such a program in the Prescott area, Sarah Hoover, Rhoda Falk and Addison Hawley, working from Ms. Hoover’s kitchen table, began fundraising and organizing what would eventually become Prescott People Who Care (PPWC). Arizona incorporated PPWC as a 501(c)(3) in May 1992.
Upgrading Offices & Operations
For the first two years, we rented shared space in a Prescott office building on Cortez Street. In 1994, to accommodate growth and more effectively serve our Neighbors, PPWC moved to the old Prescott United Methodist Church parish house on South Summit Street, where we rented space for 25 years before leasing a larger office on Grove Avenue.
Chino Valley Expansions
While Chino Valley had always been part of our service area, we established a second office at the Chino Valley United Methodist Church in 2005 to better manage and facilitate services in that community.
New Name, Same Mission
Prescott People Who Care legally changed its name to People Who Care in 2007 to more accurately reflect the areas we served, which by then included the entire Quad Cities (Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Dewey).
Low Vision Classes Launch
In 2007, we offered our first “Confident Living with Low Vision” class to help people with vision challenges maintain independence and better navigate the world around them.
The Stroke Support Group
PWC launched monthly Stroke Support Group meetings in 2017 to give stroke victims and their families new ways to cope with challenges and communicate with others facing the same circumstances.
Well-Earned Award
We were named Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s “Organization of the Year” in 2018.
A Forever Home for PWC
In July 2021, we purchased our current office in Prescott on Plaza West Drive. This was made possible by longtime Neighbor R. Doris Glushenko, who left her estate to us when she died in 2020. We moved in February 2022, now with ample space to accommodate all staff, plus the call center. Later in 2022, we converted the building’s atrium into a meeting space, which is now home to our low vision classes.
More Community Recognition
We earned the Arizona Community Foundation’s “Community Benefactor Award” in 2022. In addition, the cities of Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley have issued official proclamations to recognize our work and the impact that it’s made on these communities.
Low Vision Service Expansions
PWC began offering 1:1 low vision appointments in January 2023, hosted by volunteers with decades of experience living and working with low vision. Thanks to a generous grant, we were able to establish a separate office for this service in our Prescott building and purchase a variety of new low vision aids and devices.
