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A Village of Many Villages
By Cy O'Neil
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Now that the Providence Village is in our third year of operations, the Providence Village Board is looking at how best to ensure our long-term sustainability. At the same time, the Providence Village office is getting calls from people interested in starting a Village in their own communities. They are looking for advice on how best to proceed.
These are the three key challenges for the broader Village movement in RI: growth, development and long-term sustainability.
We talk about the Providence Village as a community of mutual support, where neighbor helps neighbor in ways that make a difference, in ways that make it possible for us to remain in our own homes and community as we grow older.
What if there were a community of mutual support for Villages – a Village of many Villages, where resources were shared in order to respond to our common challenges? The benefits of such an approach could include: a shared call center that handles requests for volunteer services for all of the Villages; a shared resource that could provide a wide array of referrals when member needs exceed what volunteers can provide; shared resources to support the recruiting of new members and volunteers; and a shared office and staff. What if this Village of many Villages could provide meaningful support to communities that want to start a local Village, support that would help them get up and running in less time than if they were on their own? In short, what if there were a Village of many Villages whose mission was to support the growth, development, and long term sustainability of the Village movement in RI?
This larger vision is currently under consideration by the Providence Village Board. In the summer and fall of 2017, Board members looked at five different Villages around the nation that have a large membership, but are also able to maintain a strong sense of local community and connectedness among members. Each provided a different example of a way that a Village of many Villages could work.
One Village was of particular interest – HomeHaven of New Haven, Connecticut. HomeHaven is a configuration of six distinct Villages that all operate as a part of one larger HomeHaven Village. Each local Village is rooted in a specific neighborhood in New Haven or in a neighboring community. Some are located in dense urban areas. Some are located in suburban areas. And one is in a semi-rural area, some distance from New Haven. In addition to its Board of Directors, HomeHaven has a leadership council made up of leaders from each local Village. The leadership council meets regularly with the HomeHaven Executive Director to ensure operational support for each local Village and to ensure that the special needs of members are met.
Over this past winter, the Providence Village Board has held planning sessions to explore both how best to support the long-term sustainability of the Providence Village in particular and the growth and development of the Village movement in RI. In April, four Board members travelled to HomeHaven to meet with HomeHaven leadership to learn more about their operational model.
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As a result of all of this work, the Providence Village Board, at its April meeting, voted to use the operational model of HomeHaven as a starting point for a more formal strategic planning process for what could be created here in Rhode Island. Stay tuned for future developments…
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Atwater-Donnelly Folk Trio Featured at Spring Concert
By Liz Palter Photos by Phil West
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One of Rhode Island’s favorite music and dance groups performed for members and friends of Providence Village on Sunday, April 15. On one of our coolest spring days, Atwater-Donnelly and Cathy Clasper-Torch were like flowers, lovely spring flowers. The event was hosted by the Social Events Committee of Providence Village at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church hall, chaired by Ada Winsten. More than 65 East Siders attended the performance. The Atwater- Donnelly Trio includes Aubrey and Elwood, the Atwater-Donnelly couple, and Cathy Clasper-Torch who sings and plays the violin, cello, and erhu, which is a fascinating Chinese violin. More than 20 musical instruments provided variety and authenticity to their traditional folk music-making. Other instruments included banjo, harmonica, dulcimer, and ‘feet.’ Aubrey took the stage with her clogging, much to everyone’s great enjoyment. At one point, she also turned to her full bag of pipes of many sizes - whistles, some antique, some handmade, and even a dog whistle. Aubrey was great at telling us all about the instruments they were playing with and their music. Her narration is a wonderful part of the performance.
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Their music is Celtic, Appalachian, Cherokee, American, Canadian – some of them were songs and melodies passed down by Jean Ritchie from a “singing family of the Cumberlands.” Jean Ritchie at a young age had sought out her uncle to learn 300 tunes with Celtic roots, which she has passed on. Aubrey underscored one of her own favorite lines from one of the early 1800’s, “Your beauty has conquered me.” She called on her dulcimer to play a favorite Joan Mitchell piece from her Blue Album, “Spanish Lady.” This was a 300 year old Irish song. We thus returned to the days of coffee houses.
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Another familiar song, if you attend Atwater-Donnelly concerts, was the counting song…”round and round goes the wheel of fortune.” Elwood had several songs and harmonica solos and caught our attention with his puppetry. Before the break for refreshments, the group performed a humorous song to honor Rhode Island. One of the lines was this one - “only Rhode Island has quahogs the size of your fist.” The concert continued with a seaman’s song and a tune for children. We learned a bit more about the duo and its travels. We also learned that Cathy teaches many violin classes up in Cumberland. Atwater and Donnelly have been singing together for more than 30 years, and they perform at numerous folk festivals and give workshops around the country.
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Upcoming is the Blackstone River Theater Solstice Festival, to be held Saturday, June 16, 11 am to 7 pm at Diamond Hill Park where Atwater-Donnelly and many other groups will be performing. The Social Events Committee’s next event is Wednesday, June 13 –the Colt State Park Picnic and Games.
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Annual Meeting
Set for May 5
By Wendy Oliver
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The Providence Village will hold its annual members’ meeting on Saturday, May 5 from 2-4 pm at Tockwotton Home in East Providence. (see side bar for rsvp details) The main purpose of the meeting is to elect a slate of new board members and officers to fill the positions of those rotating off the board. Board members serve three-year terms, participating in the governance and activities of the Village. An update on Village news, along with refreshments, will round out the meeting. We hope to see you there! Non-members & Volunteers are welcome to attend, but will not vote. The following people were nominated to serve on the board for the 2018 slate:
Officers:
Suzanne Francis, President-Elect, 3-yr. term
Gary Leib, Treasurer, 2-yr. term
Board of Directors, 3-yr. term
Tony Allen
Lenore Bunting
Terry Percelay
Peter Viner-Brown
Phil West
We hope to see you there! Non-members are welcome to attend, but will not vote. Please call the Village if you need a ride: 401-441-5240.
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Wisdom From Bella Luna's Human Companion
Story & Photos by Phil West
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After a trip to City Kitty, a member of the Providence Village returns to her home and unzips a wheeled pet carrier. She agrees to share her story if I promise not to use her name. “Just mention Bella Luna,” she smiles. As if on cue, the cat bolts out of her carrier.
She hates getting her claws clipped, says Bella Luna’s human companion. “I can’t understand how she can forgive me for allowing her to be tortured. That’s the only way an animal can think of it. She knows I sit there and let it happen to her. But I bring her home, and she’s still happy with me.”
Bella prowls the apartment. “She’s taking inventory, making sure everything’s still in place. Cats believe that everything belongs to them.”
Like the poet T.S. Eliot, whose lifelong love of feline personalities inspired the musical “Cats,” Bella Luna’s human companion admits to loving animals as much as people. “I’ve lived with animals my entire life.”
The longest she ever went without an animal was four months. “When I lost my previous cat, I said ‘I’m done. My heart’s been broken too many times. No more.’” But then a friend asked her to babysit Bella, and she agreed. The owner seemed relieved, and Bella found a permanent home.
I ask if elders who feel lonely should get a pet, whether cat or dog.
She ponders my question. “That could be a good thing if they have a connection to animals. But if you take in an animal and your heart’s not in it, that’s not going to last. The animal’s going to get hurt. I never encourage people to just go out and get an animal.”
She strokes Bella affectionately. “Sometimes people want an older person to get married or get an animal. They think, ‘Grandma is feeling lonely, so let’s get her a cat.’ That relieves their worries, but the cat may start ripping the drapes and flying off the chandelier. That makes grandma crazy, and the cat ends up back in a shelter.”
So, what should someone ask before getting an animal?
Bella nuzzles her human companion, who answers with a question: “Do they really have the compassion to save an animal that’s in a shelter? I took Bella when she was seven. I would never have taken a kitten. I’m much too old. People want puppies and kittens because they’re cute, but they need a lot more attention.”
She turns pensive, saying she calls a friend every morning: “Just to let her know I’m alive. If anything happened to me, Bella has to be protected.”
For most of her life, she says, “I’ve preferred animals to humans. But that’s changing. I’ve been with the Village for almost two years, and I haven’t yet met anyone I didn’t like. It’s changing my view of humanity.”
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Gene Armstrong
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Gene Armstrong passed away on Friday, April 20, 2018 at the age of 72. Gene was a volunteer driver for the Providence Village almost from the first day of our operations. Consequently, she was known and well-liked by many Village members and Village volunteers. She graduated in 1967 from what was then Pembroke College as a math major, and went on to work in computing and programming in a number of jobs, including at MIT. When that work no longer suited her, she decided to travel extensively, living for extended periods in places as diverse as the south of France, Laguna Beach Ca, Key West Fla and Cape Cod. Later in life, after returning to Rhode Island, she became immersed in Kundalini yoga and Buddhism. She insisted on living at home until the very end, and several Village Health Advocates and other volunteers came together to help make that possible.
A memorial service will be held for Gene on May 20th at 2pm in Lincoln Woods, a place Gene loved to walk with her dogs and her friends. If you plan on attending, please send an email note to office@providencevillageri.org. Memorial donations in her name can be made to: Doctors Without Borders, ASPCA, Defenders of Wildlife, or the US Fund for UNICEF. Rides may be requested by calling 401-441-5240.
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Sally Marks
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Sally Marks, one of the first members of the Providence Village, passed away on Jan. 13, 2018. She was 86. Sally was an internationally known scholar of twentieth century European history. She was a graduate of Wellesley College (Undergrad), the University of North Carolina (Masters) and the University of London (PhD). Her teaching career included positions at Rhode Island College and Brown University. In addition to numerous articles in journals in this country and abroad, she published four volumes of history, specializing in inter-war European international relations. She was a generous supporter of the Providence Village.
There will be a memorial service for Sally at noon on Friday May 4th at 608 Hope St. in Providence.
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Grace Tagliabue
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Grace Ten Eyck Tagliabue died on March 29, 2018 at age 95. Grace was married to John Tagliabue [poet and Bates College English professor 1953-1989] who died in 2006. Grace moved to Providence in 1998 from Lewiston, ME. She was an artist who sometimes illustrated her husband's poetry. Her father was a mayor of Schenectady, NY. Survivors include daughters Francesca Gould, who lives in Providence, and Dina Tagliabue, who lives in Torino, Italy. Her grandchildren are Phoebe and Alexander Gould, and Juniper and Terra Tagliabue.
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SENIOR COALITION HONORS
CY O’NEIL
Providence Village organizer, founding Board member, and Past President Cy O’Neil is one of three community leaders to be feted at the Senior Agenda Coalition’s Fourth Annual Spring Awards Luncheon.
Tuesday, May 8
Providence Marriott Downtown
Linda Katz, co-founder of the Economic Progress Institute, and Kathy McKeon, supervisor of community services at Catholic Charities and a long-time leader in supporting providers of respite care, will also be honored.
Luncheon tickets are $60 per person.
Register by telephone: 401.351.6710
or online
CLICK HERE
and learn more about the Senior Agenda Coalition of RI
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Providence Village
Wine & Cheese
Meet & Greet
Photos by Jane Adler
Plenty of good cheer and company to go around at the Wine & Cheese - Meet & Greet in April at the Hamilton House. Members and volunteers shared wine, food and stories at these popular event. Join us again at the next Wine & Cheese - Meet & Greet in June.
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Invite a Friend
Friends interested in learning more about the Village are welcome to join Member Activities; please contact Jane Adler in advance.
Please join us at our next Member Activity. We have a lot of fun and it's a great opportunity to meet others who want to meet you, too. Some new faces join in at events each month.
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