Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
COMMUNITY:
Chair Chats set in
June in Tollgate
Continued from page 3
larger <Sisters Village,=
which is one of the AFSC
Action Teams.
The initial Village to
Village concept was devel-
oped 20 years ago by resi-
dents in a corner of Boston9s
Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The concept was developed
to help elders <age in place=
in their homes. With advanc-
ing age, home ownership
and/or maintenance of their
lifestyle can present hurdles
to the elderly for which they
need assistance.
A neighborhood organiza-
tion was established to help
with running errands, raking
leaves, and changing a light
bulb or smoke detector bat-
teries. The services, provided
by neighbors for one another,
created a safety net for resi-
dents and increased avenues
for social connection. The
Beacon Hill Village, and
another one in Washington
D.C., proved very successful
and word spread across the
country to neighborhoods in
large cities and small towns.
At present, there are over
240 open Villages and more
than 100 in development in
41 states and the District of
Columbia. There has been a
Village in Bend for 11 years.
The <Village= builders in
Sisters have done a meticu-
lous job of researching all
the possible options and
have crafted a Village con-
cept they hope will be ben-
eficial for Sisters residents 3
friendly for all ages, not just
elders.
AFSC, which is a 501c3
nonprofit organization,
already has all the pieces in
place to provide an umbrella
for <Sisters Villages.= The
first Village to organize
is Tollgate Village. Each
Village will have its own
organizing committee to
oversee establishing of the
Village; for example, Timber
Creek, Coyote Springs,
Rolling Horse Meadows, or
perhaps a few streets in one
section of town, can form its
own Village.
They will be a separate
organization from any estab-
lished homeowner9s associa-
tions. Neighbors can opt in
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SOLUTION
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Dues are minimal, to be
established by each Village
individually. The bottom
line is, within each Village,
needs can be met, skills
and talents will be shared, a
sense of community will be
strengthened as connections
are made, and new neighbors
(and old) can become easily
integrated into the Village.
A buddy system allows
for neighbors who live
alone to arrange to receive
regular, occasional, or tem-
porary check-in calls. If a
need arises or an emergency
occurs, neighbors will know
who to call for help 4 and
they will be just down the
street.
Social, educational, ath-
letic, and seasonal activities
can be organized around
shared interests. Rather
than living on a street of 12
houses, and knowing perhaps
one or two other people, cou-
ples, or families, the Village
concept encourages stronger
neighborhood bonds, creat-
ing a deeper sense of com-
munity, regardless of overall
growth occurring in the area.
Encouraging involve-
ment of all ages 4 children
through elders 4 provides
the opportunity for intergen-
erational interactions and
activities. Are you 65 years
old and you just can9t man-
age to conquer your <tech
phobia?= The teen down the
street is a computer whiz.
He doesn9t have any grand-
parents who live nearby. He
might be happy to help you
learn and you each make a
new friend.
Social isolation and lone-
liness for both teens and
elders have been identi-
fied as serious health con-
cerns. Village membership
can help create connections
among neighbors. The small
town feel that we all prize
can continue to exist, despite
growth, creating emotional,
physical, and mental con-
nections by supporting each
other right where we live. A
more connected community
creates a safer community.
The preview period for
the Tollgate Village has
begun, with their website up
as of June 1 at www.sisters
villages.helpfulvillage.com.
All Tollgate residents should
have received a postcard in
the mail this week. Watch
for people wearing T-shirts,
with the words <Ask me
about Tollgate Village= on
the front.
Beginning the week of
June 8, a series of <Chair
Chats= will be held outside
around Tollgate cul-de-sacs.
These chats will be socially
distanced (no more than 12
people), spread out by loca-
tion and time of day to fit
most people9s schedules.
Any resident of Tollgate is
invited to bring a chair, a
mask, and their curiosity
and questions to learn more
about Tollgate Village. There
will be four gatherings to
start and then randomly as
interest arises.
For more information
visit www.sistersvillages.
helpfulvillage.com. Tollgate
resident Jane Killefer is the
team leader for the Tollgate
Village and Chris Laing is
the AFSC board member
and liaison for the Sisters
Villages program. Email
Killefer at tollgate@age-
friendlysisters.com and
Laing at villages@age-
friendlysisters.com. The Age
Friendly Sisters Country
website can be found at
www.agefriendlysisters.com.
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31
Volunteers acted quickly
in COVID-19 crisis
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
With support from the
Ford Family Foundation
and The Roundhouse
Foundation, Sisters Villages
were able to speed up
their formation in order to
respond during the COVID-
19 outbreak.
Although planning was
already underway for the
Village project in Sisters, the
arrival of the coronavirus in
Central Oregon served as the
springboard for establishing
the first Village in Tollgate.
The two pillars of the Village
concept 4 strengthening
community and helping each
other 4 will prove invalu-
able in these difficult times.
The person-to-person
outreach will, by neces-
sity, increase; deepening
friendships and developing
trusted connections among
members and volunteers.
Volunteers will be offer-
ing phone check-ins and
donning masks and gloves
to provide members with
essential services by mak-
ing sure they have food
and medicines, are safe at
home, and have transporta-
tion for necessary medical
appointments.
With most of the orga-
nizational groundwork
already done, other areas in
town will benefit from an
established framework on
which to build their Village.
If you are interested in the
possibility of establishing
a Village in your neighbor-
hood, contact Chris Laing at
villages@agefriendlysisters.
com or leave a message for
her at 458-206-0169.
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