Lights, Camera, Action: PNA Village Is Rolling Out the Services!

The PNA Village team has been working diligently in preparation for the initiation of delivering services to members beginning April 1. The team, ably led by Chair Ed Medeiros, consists of steering committee members and PNA/GSC staff who will see the result of their work over the past two years come to reality. Additional team members include our first staff person, PNA Village Coordinator Janice Dilworth, and AmeriCorps member Joanna Wright.

“I am so impressed with all the groundwork that has been laid over the past two years by Ed Medeiros and the 20 plus volunteers on the steering committees. We are also very fortunate to have the support of the PNA and GSC staff. Most importantly, I’m excited to see how this Village takes off with the PNA community behind it” says Janice, who has been working closely with the Advisory Board and steering committee members, who have been meeting for two years, to help ensure a successful launch of services.

The past few months have been full of preparation for the April 1^st launch date. The PNA Village was officially launched Saturday, January 21, at the PNA Annual Meeting. Village volunteer Frank Flannigan gave an overview of the aging-in-place program and answered questions. We signed up our first member at the meeting! Over the next several weeks volunteers and staff worked diligently to find areas for promotional pieces and developing a training presentation for in-home Village informational sessions.

In February, we welcomed our first office support volunteer who joins us every Monday to enter data into our database and other administrative tasks. The first group of volunteers have been undergoing training, which includes a core training for all volunteers, and specialized training for the Handy Helpers, as well as for the Drivers. Our Volunteer Committee continues to provide key support throughout the training and screening process. Another group of volunteers have been hard at work recruiting and vetting the businesses who will participate in the Village's Business Referral program. Other steering committee members have been assisting with marketing, outreach, membership campaigns, data requirements, funding and governance.

All of this operational work should be seamless to our members when in April we begin delivering services to our members. If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about the Village, sign up for your free one-on-one consultation with members of the PNA Village Board, Ed or Jean-Loupe, who will be happy to discuss any aspect to you. Call ahead to reserve a time, (206) 783-2244. If you are interested in becoming a part of the team, we would love to have you! Visit the Village website for current volunteer openings: phinneycenter.org/village/volunteer.shtml.