On June 5th, NeighborLink Fort Wayne received a $135,000 grant from AWS Foundation that will be distributed over the next three years. Since 2016, AWS Foundation has been generously supporting NeighborLink’s work to address housing-related issues for children and adults with enduring intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities.

NeighborLink has seen significant growth in both the number of requests for assistance as well as an increase in volunteerism over the past few years. In 2018, we received just under 2,800 requests for low- and fixed-income homeowner projects and saw 170 different groups of volunteers self-select, organize and complete 1,310 home repair projects.

AWS Foundation’s recent funding will support NeighborLink’s mission – to connect volunteers to neighbors with tangible home repairs beyond their physical or financial ability as a way to increase independence and/or quality of life. The grant will also support operational efforts to meet the project and volunteer mobilization demands as NeighborLink ramps up their capacity-building efforts with AmeriCorps VISTA employees who will join the NeighborLink Fort Wayne staff starting this summer.

“We are humbled by the decision of AWS Foundation’s board to not only respond to our increased single-year grant request, but to make a three-year commitment. This generosity increases the stability of our organization and helps our staff increase our effectiveness by allowing us to make longer-term commitments to the innovative solutions for neighborhood transformation that we’re working on. Connecting those that want to help with those in need is time-consuming and at times, complicated work. Having the support of foundations like AWS Foundation encourages to know that focusing on the relational connectivity of diverse neighbors through service is the right work.” – Andrew Hoffman, Executive Director.

About NeighborLink Fort Wayne

NeighborLink Fort Wayne is a 501(c)3 non-profit Christian ministry that invites Fort Wayne residents and organizations to seek free assistance from their neighbors and invites Fort Wayne residents to join volunteer project teams to provide free assistance. NeighborLink Fort Wayne volunteers completed 1,310 projects in 2018 and 588 to date in 2019.

NeighborLink Fort Wayne’s mission is practical, neighbor-to-neighbor expressions of God’s love. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.nlfw.org call 260.209.0074.

About AWS Foundation

Founded in 2007, AWS Foundation supports a wide range of organizations and service agencies in northeast Indiana working to develop a community in which people with enduring intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities are engaged fully and meaningfully in all aspects of community life. For more information, visit awsfoundation.org.