It’s a simple concept. Neighbors helping neighbors. Individuals, businesses, nonprofits, government, and faith communities, all working together to help older adults  in our community.

Ann Wheat first served on the Duet board in 1999 when she was still working for the City of Phoenix. When she retired as Acting Deputy Director, she joined the Duet team and in 2019 was named executive director.

Ann has been in the position of being a caretaker for a loved one. She has a special passion for Duet, which offers compassionate services to family caregivers and aging adults, free of charge. They work with four groups:

• Family caregivers
• Grandparents raising grandchildren
• Homebound adults
• Faith community nurses

Ann’s philanthropic career began as a volunteer where she founded one of the first summer camps in the nation for children with cancer, Arizona Camp Sunrise, and more recently, Arizona Lost Boys Center, a nonprofit helping Phoenix’s 500 Sudanese refugee war orphans successfully acculturate to life in a modern society. She received Arizona’s top volunteer award, the Hon Kachina, in 2012, and the Martin Luther King Junior Living the Dream Award in 2002.

Now, she is dedicating her time and talents to helping families know they are not alone.

Click here to learn more about Duet: https://duetaz.org/

Original air date: August 22, 2024.