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Happy New Year from the Providence Village
and we begin with a warm welcome to Eliza Sutton.
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Our New Village Coordinator:
Eliza Sutton
Story by Wendy Oliver O'Neil
Photos by Phil West
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The Providence Village recently completed a search process for our new Village Coordinator to replace Kathleen Harrington. Eliza Sutton came to Rhode Island to work at the Southside Community Land Trust, where she worked for many years as the Director of Community Growers. Her job there included acquiring land for gardening, recruiting neighborhood gardeners, and developing the gardens. She also currently runs a small business, Sanctuary Herbs of Providence, which is in its third year. She and her partner, Christina Dadora, work with about 15 farmers who grow herbs for the business. She will continue working on her business part-time while also working for the Village.
Eliza grew up in upstate New York outside Syracuse, and attended college at both Skidmore and Antioch. She received her Masters of Public Health from Hunter College in New York City during the 1990s, which was during the AIDS crisis. Her professors were involved in AIDS activism, and after graduation, she worked in the area of AIDS education and healthcare. A little later, she became interested in food access in urban areas, along with urban farming, and that is what led to her job in Providence with SCLT.
Eliza lives with her husband and 10-year-old daughter on the East Side of Providence, along with their dog and cat. Eliza also has two stepdaughters, who are 21 and 23. Her husband is a carpenter, and her youngest daughter attends Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Fox Point. Her favorite activities include hiking, cooking, reading, and puzzles. She especially likes hiking in the mountains of New Hampshire, but has also found some beautiful hikes in Rhode Island.
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Jim Maxwell, president, and board member, Lenore Bunting, welcome Eliza Sutton to the organization.
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On December 18, Eliza came into the Village office in Hamilton House for an orientation with President Jim Maxwell, who began to teach her how to navigate our software platform, Club Express. Some of her duties will be tech-focused, but others will be more people-oriented. Her first actual work day will be in early January, and she will be in the Village office three days per week. Eliza is looking forward to learning more about the Providence Village, it services, its activities, and how it makes a difference in the lives of its members and volunteers. “I recently read the book Being Mortal, and that gave me a lot to think about…My mother is 80, and I am thinking about what is next for her.” She is looking forward to meeting everyone in the Village, and we are looking forward to having her expertise in our Village office!
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The Village Common
Story & Photos by Phil West
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The Village Common is a new endeavor that will expand the village concept within Rhode Island. It has been under discussion at the board level for the past year and will facilitate the creation of additional villages.
At their final meeting of 2018, board members reviewed a position description for an executive director of The Village Common. “We seek a leader,” one section declares, “with excellent organizational and communication skills, entrepreneurial drive, a strategic mind set, a high degree of emotional awareness, and the capacity to work collaboratively with members, volunteers, board, and staff.”
A major part of the new executive’s work will be to identify potential partner communities, encourage their participation in forming The Village Common, identify local volunteer leadership, and actually launch new villages. The document emphasizes ensuring “that services are delivered in a timely and satisfactory manner.”
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“We hope to have this person on board by early April,” said Suzanne Francis, who is president-elect of the Providence Village and a member of the planning committee, “but the need for a working board isn’t going away. At some point,” she said, "As we become the Village Common, the focus for the executive director will be on outreach and communications."
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Board members reviewed a draft budget that envisions a half-year executive salary in 2019. In answer to a question, Ms. Francis emphasized flexibility: “That could mean a full year at half-time, a half-year at full-time, or something in between.”
Tufts Health Plan Foundation has provided a grant of $10,000 to support outreach activities in communities interested in creating Villages (Dec. Newsletter), and a proposal is being considered for funds now available through Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Increasingly foundations and government programs recognize the value of helping people stay in their own homes as a means of reducing costs and enhancing health among elders. Private charitable contributions remain crucial in this effort. Fundraising chair Anne Connor thanked board members for their 100 percent support of the year-end fund drive.
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Volunteer Spotlight:
Kate Sanders
By Vivian Malloy
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Kate Sanders has been an advocate for the Village and its goal of creating a community of mutual support, since the early planning days. She particularly likes, she says, “ the fact that the Village concept is strongly geographical.”
Currently Kate volunteers on the Teletree committee, acting as Organizer of the Hope Street area, plus compiling the final report of all three Teletree Commitees. Kate also works with the committee that is revising the Village website.
Born in Tennessee, she grew up in the NYC suburbs, came to Brown University in 1973, where she double majored in English, and Greek and Latin literature. Switching fields, she later earned a Ph.D in computer science and began teaching at Rhode Island College, a position from which she has recently retired. Kate lives in Providence with her husband Robert McCartney, a professor of computer science at University of Connecticut in Storrs, and their two cats.
Kate’s interests include opera, reading (history, mysteries and classic fiction), travel, learning to knit, local theater, RIPTA, taking long walks, and– not unexpectedly–organizing and analyzing data. She invites contributions, she has said, to the list of things, such as dentistry and peel-off stamps, that are better than they were in the “good old days.”
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Villagers Take Museum Trips
Story and photos by Jane Adler
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We PV members are so lucky: it took awhile to plan it, but we are now able to go on day trips by bus, and many of us are taking advantage of this, and loving it!
Last month, we went on our first trip, and it was more than successful. It was terrific. On November 28, we went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. What an opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest works of art. On the way home, everyone expressed interest (an understatement) in going on another bus trip.
Our second trip, December 12, was to the Worcester Art Museum, and that was great. Some of the more outstanding exhibits included “Preserved Pages: Book as Art in Persia and India,” and Stained glass by Tiffany and LaFarge. There is a nice café in this museum, and some of us were smart enough to have ordered their pear and mushroom soup.
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This month, January 23, we are going to the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass. Many of us have never been there, so this will be a treat. We’ll bring our own ‘’picnic lunch,” and eat there so we can all discuss our favorite pieces. Surprise desserts will be offered to all.
Keep tuned to the schedule: we are going to try to go somewhere every month.
And don’t forget our Sunday dinners. These have been delightful. This month we went to the China Inn. We pick a restaurant that has good food, plus, we ask for a room that is private or in another section of the restaurant so we all can hear each other. We tend to include all people in the conversation, so everyone has a chance to express themselves, and that they do. This month we’ll go to the Red Stripe restaurant, close to home. Consider joining us for these activities. You’ll feel comfortable right away!
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Enjoying dinner at the China Inn
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The Providence Longevity Explorers in 2019
By Diane Strommer
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This group, begun in March 2018 as a collaboration between the Providence Village and Hamilton House, is part of an initiative and on-line presence called "Tech Enhanced Life.” Designed as an exploration and discussion group for aging adults (and anyone else interested) who want to identify and address their own experiences and needs in products, services, and information related to aging, the Providence group is one of a number of Longevity Explorer Circles.
In recent months we have discussed helpful gadgets, various housing options, how to know when it’s time to stop (or change) one’s driving, scams and technological safety, useful apps, and issues like social isolation and loneliness. The recordings and summaries of each of our meetings--and of all the Longevity Explorer circles--are published on line. You can get more information about our group at techenhancedlife.com/circles/providence.
The winter/spring program schedule follows. More detailed information about each program will be published closer to the event.
2019 Dates, Topics, and Meeting Guests & Facilitators
February 21 “Self Care,” Elissa Arfa
March 21 “Health Care Directives and End of Life Planning,” Pat Mattingly
April 18 “Update on Alzheimer’s Research,” guests, Charles Denby & Theresa Fogarty, Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders Center at RI Hospital, Diane Strommer
May 16 “Research Study: Monitoring Health with the Apple Watch,” guests, Dr. Elizabeth Goldberg and Dr. Jennifer Mammen, Miriam McRobb and Jerianne Berman
June 20 “Essential Apps and How to Use Them,” a workshop for all levels, including non-tech users, Ronda Umphrey.
After a summer break in July and August, meetings resume on September 20 with our fall schedule. Sylvia Danforth serves as the Coordinator of the program and can be reached through Hamilton House.
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The Providence Village needs you!
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There are many opportunities to volunteer. Training is provided for each job, and the schedule is under your control. Here are the job descriptions:
Home Help: Household Chores and Handy Help
Village Friends: Provide regular check-in calls, longer friendly phone calls, or in-person visits to members.
Member Group Activities: Help plan and assist small group social, cultural and educational activities.
Social Events Committee: Help plan and execute large social events, open to members and non-members alike.
Technical Support: Assist members with computers, phones, TV remotes, i-pads, and other devices.
Driver: Take members to and from doctors’ appointments, shopping, and errands. The schedule is flexible.
Service Coordinator: Take phone calls from members to coordinate services for them. This can be done from your home.
To volunteer, please call us at 401-441-5240.
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Join us
for Member Group Activities, a wonderful way to have a great time and meet new, friendly people.
Invite a Friend
Friends interested in learning more about the Village are welcome to join Member Activities; please contact Jane Adler in advance.
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