As the New Year 2016 begins, we want to give you an update on the status of CvilleVillage. We are moving forward, although not as rapidly as we had expected.

● 7^th ANNUAL NATIONAL VILLAGE GATHERING, Seattle, October 5-7.

Carolyn Benjamin represented CvilleVillage. Nationwide, interest and enthusiasm for the village concept remains high, as evidenced by 350 people in attendance. Within the Village to Village Network (www.vtvnetwork.org) there are now 190 fully operational villages with another 185 in development. The speed at which villages develop varies widely: 1) depending on an adequate number of committed people actively involved in building the village infrastructure and 2) determining how the village will complement/partner with other organizations serving seniors, which varies geographically.

● SURVEY, June 2015.

Our thanks to all of you who responded to the survey sent to our email list to measure ongoing interest in creating a village in Charlottesville. The survey revealed that there is still strong interest in having a village here; however, there are not enough people with The time and/or commitment to assist in creating it. Many people expressed their desire to have a village in Charlottesville, and their willingness to support it once it opens, especially when assessing the financial reality of retirement homes and assisted living facilities.

● IMPACT

 IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together) has selected Elder Care as their focus for this year. They have asked for our input as part of their community-wide research on this issue, and we look forward to working with them to raise awareness of the state of Elder Care in Charlottesville. (www.impactcville.com)

● CORE PLANNING GROUP

Carolyn Benjamin, M.K. Gleason, Helen Plaisance, and Judy Zeitler are continuing to reach out to individuals and groups to educate them about the village movement. We hope to attract more individuals with the skills necessary to support a thriving village. We would also appreciate your suggestions, questions and involvement as we make CvilleVillage a reality, providing another option for helping seniors “age in place”.

● CONTACT US

You can find out more about who we are by exploring the rest of ourwebsite or you can email us at    CvilleVillage@gmail.com