Dear Editor- I have just read about a new concept for seniors. Often the elderly want to stay in their homes but they are afraid of what they can no longer do. They could end up in nursing homes. These fears could be allayed by the “Village” concept. A resident pays a membership fee of $25 to $600 or more a year.He or she can call the village office and they will send a “neighbor”who will clean her garden, fix her windows, bring her groceries or drive her to the bank. Most of these “villages” have opened only a short time ago. The idea has gained tremendous momentum. In Washington.D.C. the Capitol Village has in its membership Ed and Margaret Missiaen,both retired and in their late 60’s. Margaret has weeded the garden for Mrs Phinisee and Ed helped to fix her window. They would like to stay in their neighborhood and will likely look to Capitol Hill Village for this kind of help in their future. In Boston the executive director pf Beacon Hill Village tells us “It is not a social service agency. The village movement is consumer-driven and consumer-run.” Beacon Hill has received calls from all over the US wanting to create a village in their neighborhood. This year Beacon Hill partnered with NCB Capitol Impact, a nonprofit community development group.They have launched the Village to village Network. It is backed by big funders like MetLife Foundation. Sounds like the perfect focus for the Callaway Foundation here in LaGrange.

Edna Foster

LaGrange