Our guest speaker Monday evening was Laurie Meisner. She and Sarah Cote of Jonnycake Center are both involved in a new project called "The Westerly Village". This project has evolved from "The Village Common of RI" whose mission is to fundamentally change the experience of growing older here in Rhode Island by fostering the creation of communities of mutual support - villages - across the state and by directly supporting their long-term sustainability. Currently, there are three active villages in Providence, Edgewood and Barrington. "In the fall of 2014, a small group of people living on the East Side of Providence were inspired by the national Village Movement and what had been accomplished in other communities around the country to enhance the experience of growing older and support older adults." The core values of "The Village Common" are Generosity, Diversity, Engagement, Collaboration and Sustainability - "neighbors helping neighbors"....
Volunteers (members and non-members) can help in a variety of ways - providing rides to members; running errands; household chores and light maintenance; providing technology support for TVs, phones and computers; planning social, educational and cultural activities. All volunteers who work directly with members receive background checks and training; volunteer drivers' records are reviewed.
For more information, please contact Laurie Meisner, Co-Lead Westerly Village at 401.322.9343 or meisner22@verizon.net OR Sarah Cote, Social Services Director at Jonnycake Center, at 401.377.8069, ext 110 or scote@jonnycake.org
