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The Village Transforms The Experience of Aging

Life in the Village: A Personal Testimonial

It means more than I can possibly describe, but I will make the effort. For me, being part of the Village is a source of excitement, enrichment, and opportunity—a fullness of life I never expected to find in this stage of aging. As my capacities have declined, I have watched my world shrink in some ways. Activities I once took for granted are no longer possible. Yet in the Village, the opposite has happened. Instead of retreating into isolation, my life has opened outward. I find myself in a dynamic environment full of new challenges, new people, and new experiences.

The Village itself began as an effort to maintain an existing network of neighbors and friends. That was the original idea—simply to keep a specific group of people together. But as time passed, we realized this was unsustainable. You cannot simply hold onto the same group forever; sustaining requires renewal. New members bring new energy, and while the dynamics shift, the values endure. In 2020, we made a pivotal change: the Village was no longer just about maintaining a network. It became an organization with a larger purpose—to change aging itself. Aging will always bring deterioration and loss, but our goal is to change the focus to one of opportunity and growth.

That purpose has been lived out in countless stories. One woman I know approached her 60s with trepidation and anxiety. She was not sure she even wanted to live that long. She had carried responsibility all her life, and by her 60s she felt she was finished. Then she joined the Village. Today she is in her 80s, and she is a force—shaping the Village, leading projects, and inspiring others. Her life has not only continued, it has blossomed in ways she never imagined.

Another friend told me that before she found the Village, she often lay curled up in her bed, unwilling to face the day. The world outside her door felt unwelcoming and overwhelming. Then she discovered this community. Today, she is one of our most active members, participating fully in Village events, engaged with others, and living with energy and purpose. The change is nothing short of remarkable.

Stories like these are common. Many are written by villagers themselves in testimonials on our website. They speak of lives opened up, friendships formed, and new meaning found. New members often tell us the same thing in their first weeks: that they have never encountered a more welcoming or friendly place. They are astonished by the warmth, the generosity, and the openness they find here.

I remember at my very first meeting, I met a woman who was a college professor. She and her husband —both well-established college professors –had a full social life . I was puzzled. I had joined because I knew no one and needed to meet people. Why would someone with such a rich circle join the Village? She told me something that stayed with me: “Everywhere I went, I met academics. I wanted to meet people with different life experiences.” That spirit of diversity—seeking out new perspectives, not just replicating the old ones—is part of what makes the Village so vital.

The Village has also shown its strength in the face of crisis. Shortly after I joined, COVID struck. In-person meetings, the lifeblood of our community, were shut down. Many organizations faltered at that moment. But in our Village, members stepped forward. They learned how to use Zoom, often for the first time in their lives. Within a month, we had a full schedule of events running online. More than 100 out of our 140 members participated in that first month—a remarkable testimony to resilience, adaptability, and determination.

Not long after, another crisis came when we lost our major sustaining funder. Once again, instead of giving up, villagers gathered. We studied the problem, discussed options, and made hard decisions. We realized we could not survive by staying the same. We had to grow larger, market ourselves more widely, and bring in new leadership with skills we did not yet have. We formed new groups and teams, hired a new executive director, and got to work. These kinds of reactions go well beyond the objective of keeping an existing group of friends together and illustrate the fact that the Village became something more that it was during this period of time. Today, we are a stronger, larger, and more vibrant organization because of those decisions.

Years later, when a devastating fire destroyed much of our surrounding community, we faced yet another test. And once again, villagers rallied—led by our new executive director, supported by our staff, and carried forward by the determination of our members. Our efforts were so effective that the larger community recognized our strength, and generous financial support poured in, more than we could have imagined. Out of devastation, the Village once again found renewal and growth.

All of this convinces me that the Village is unlike any other community I have known. It is a place where people not only face aging together but embrace it with courage and creativity. It is a place where new leaders emerge, where people discover gifts they never knew they had, and where tomorrow always feels bright and full of promise.

I feel honored and deeply grateful to be part of this. In the past, I have known what it feels like to sit alone, staring at the wall, feeling unwanted and unappreciated. But since joining the Village, that is an indulgence that is no longer possible. Here, I am surrounded by opportunity, support, and friendship. Here, life is not shrinking but expanding. And here, at this stage of life, I find myself in the most dynamic environment I have ever known.

Aging inevitably brings deterioration and loss, but Village life changes the focus. Here, I have opportunity, growth, purpose, agency, and gratitude—the essential ingredients of a full and meaningful life.