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Neighbor of the Month--Rob Hincks

Emily Harrison Weir | Published on 1/3/2023

Rob Hincks spent his professional life helping people as a therapist. In retirement, he helps people in other ways, including as a volunteer driver for NN members. In his electric Hyundai Kona, Rob is often seen ferrying people around town to buy groceries and run errands. Rob also regularly takes NN member Paul Soliwoda to and from church services. “When I drive people, I usually take a brisk walk while the other person is at the doctor's appointment, shopping, or whatever,” he says.

“I hear from other volunteers, and have experienced myself, how wonderful NN members are, and how fulfilling it is to spend time with them and other volunteers,” Rob says. “It's delightful.”

He also takes on small repairs and other odd jobs. Recently, he spent several hours putting together two storage cabinets for an NN member. “The member gave me lots of help and encouragement and gratitude for what I did,” he said. And when it turned out her project needed more help than he could provide, Rob referred her to another NN volunteer for advice.

Rob was part of the early discussions that led to NN’s formation, having learned about the Village-to-Village model from his partner’s mother, who participated in a similar group in Ohio. “I was familiar with and impressed by that model, but only actively got involved with NN after I retired this past June,” he says.

When he’s not volunteering, Rob is a singer-songwriter and photographer. You can see his photos, and audios and videos of him performing some of his folk-rock compositions, at hincksongs.com.

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Rob Hincks (left) is a volunteer driver for NN members such as Paul Soliwoda (right). Photo by Cheri Cross.

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