Blog archive
March 2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
PASADENA VILLAGE WEBSITE
By Blog MasterPosted: 03/01/2021
PASADENA VILLAGE WEBSITE – IT TAKES A VILLAGE
As with all organizational websites, the Pasadena Village website offers an important “first impression”. It has not always shown us at our best. Constrained by the limitations of our web platform, Club Express, which also hosts our monthly calendars and member registrations, those of us at Pasadena Village did our best to make the site informative, attractive, and easy to use.
Over the years it was a source of frustration as we tinkered with different “looks”. Website designers and computer programmers are costly, beyond our small budget. Well-meaning volunteers can be helpful, but our limited expertise in websites and social media made it difficult for us to even communicate to outside people what we wanted.
Then, this fall, Village member Paula Rao expressed an interest in the website. She noticed its lack of style consistency, the various colors used, the mix of pages and information. It turns out that Paula, a much loved elementary school teacher at PUSD, also knew something about graphic design. Paula had studied art under famed graphic artist Corita Kent and shared Corita’s interest in exploring color, printmaking, and collage. In later years Paula put her skills to work designing marketing materials and even a website for the Music Circle at Occidental College, which was started by Paula’s husband, Harihar Rao, and musician Ravi Shankar to foster awareness and appreciation of the classical music of India.
“Would you like me to go over the website and see if I can make some changes?” Well – yes!
Still, Paula was not a programmer or website designer. But Village member and artist Karen Bagnard knew someone who could help. Enter Donna Hummer, owner of ConceptuaLine.com, a graphic and website design company. Donna has the expertise to do the coding to make our Club Express system function for us (and do we know what that means?). Donna and Paula formed a team. Says Donna, “Paula has the design vision – I make it happen in the system.”
Members of the Communications Committee, chaired by Dick Myers, took on the task of reviewing, revising, and updating text. Slowly but surely the look and the content of the website began to change. It happened because Village members wanted to give and share their skills and talents. It happened because we knew we needed outside help to get us the necessary expertise. It happened because a lot of people read each page, checked each link, and updated information. That’s how a Village works.
We invite everyone to go onto our website at pasadenavillage.org and browse through our site. We hope it is friendly and welcoming, full of useful information and easy to use. Of course it’s not done yet, it is still a work in progress. But then aren’t we all works in progress? And isn’t it wonderful that we are?