Please join the effort to help our neighbors

Since Sun City Neighborhood Watch’s inception in 2002, our board has been asked many questions like “why NW,” “what do you do,” and “I’m not walking around at night patrolling for crime,” among others. I hope this article clears up these questions and answers some I have not listed. First let me address some of the most asked questions:

We do not patrol the streets at any time. That is a police function.

We are observational, not confrontational!

All members are instructed to contact 911 should they feel a crime is in progress or see a situation that may need police or fire department intervention.

No member shall be armed when acting as a NW representative.

We are ordinary citizens, whose only desire is for our safety and that of our neighbors and to create a greater sense of security, responsibility, and personal control. The police have a difficult job in serving and protecting, and we firmly recognize that duty. They are doing an outstanding job for our community, and one of our goals is to assist in their efforts.

Back in 2008, the Neighborhood Advisory Council, who NW answers to, added a Neighbors Helping Neighbors approach to NW to emphasize dedication to assisting our neighbors. The NHN approach is what I would like to emphasize in this article. The following are stories reported to us by NW coordinators, block captains, and neighbors:

“Hi, last week we had an inquiry from a First Service Residential staff member as to whether our neighborhood had a NHN program. I assured her that we do as do most neighborhoods in Sun City. Her inquiry was about how we could help one of our single residents who is having health issues that preclude her from leaving her home. The resident stated she was unable to even get the garbage can out of the garage or get to the mailbox for her mail. She has to rely on her family to bring mail in when they visit.

“I notified the coordinator/block captain and was able to get her commitment to establish volunteers on the block to take over these activities. I called the FSR staff back within one hour of her request with a successful resolution to helping the neighbor ‘in need.’ The resident expressed her gratitude to all involved.”

“On our street we have a tradition of doing two things when one of our neighbors is having surgery or has been hospitalized or is receiving a cancer treatment that has them ‘down and out’ for a while. First, we send a card (signed by all who contributed) with a gift certificate in it. Secondly, we put together a ‘meal schedule,’ whereby we take a home-cooked meal to the home every other day for several weeks. The schedule helps because then there is not an over-abundance of food that can’t be eaten. We kept it simple, just good old everyday healthy meals.”

“Many of our residents provide transportation for their neighbors to physician appointments and radiation treatments as needed.

Because we are a senior community, naturally we have ‘aged’ over our 10 years in Sun City, and we have had many different medical circumstances that were difficult for us to handle on our own. Therefore, we formed ‘Helping Neighbors Heal.’ This helping group provides:

Meals for surgical/accident residents who cannot cook.

Transportation for residents who cannot drive and need to go to a doctor’s appointment or a short shopping trip.

A lending closet that provides medical equipment, walkers, canes, etc. to residents who need them after surgery or just to help get around.
Plus a meditation group, prayer group and a recently added funeral/bereavement group.

We also provide handyman assistance.”

“One of our residents hadn’t been seen for several days in December, and papers were piling up. A neighbor called me, as he is an older gentleman living alone. I called the police and asked for a ‘wellness check.’ They came out…had to enter the home, and found he was there, just not communicating with the outside. Another resident hadn’t been picking up his newspaper…their neighbor called me and advised. I called the name on the emergency contact list … and was told by his daughter he went to Texas till spring, and she had forgotten to stop the newspaper; all was well.”

Some of the other benefits NW certification brings are: direct communication from the Huntley Police Department to neighborhood representatives, emergency preparedness, home safety inspections, and Nixle communication direct to your cell phone/computer.

“Coffee With a Cop,” an open forum with a representative of the Huntley Police Department.

As you can see, although we are NW, we certainly practice NHN on a greater scale. There are still several neighborhoods we are hoping will join us. If you are a resident of one of those neighborhoods, please consider NW/NWN.

Contact your neighborhood representative or NW for information. We are all about Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

•Article by Bob Gienko and the NW/NHN Committee

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