Neighbor News
Silver Spring Village Now Over the100-Member Mark
Silver Spring Village signs up 100th member in early June - almost a month ahead of schedule.
Not only did Silver Spring Village make an important milestone in June – it went over it.
“We aimed to have 100 members by the end of June, but are delighted that as of June 10, we have 102 members,” said Village President Claire Maklan. “Further, we are building a membership and volunteer corps that represents the wonderful diversity of our service area.”
Passing the 100-member mark shows that people see the value of the village concept, said Anne McHenry, membership chairman.
“People join for different reasons -- it’s very personal,” she said. “Some join for the social activities, others want to be sure that they can get some extra help to stay in their homes as they age. But the common denominator is that most people want to be able to remain in their own home and community, and they like the idea of neighbors helping neighbors.”
Villages are growing nationally with the largest concentrations in the Washington Metro area and California. Montgomery County has 14 open villages and about 10 more in planning stages, and a designated Village Coordinator to help established and new villages.
Silver Spring Village is a nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. The Village’s service area is the 20910 ZIP code, the area including Silver Spring’s commercial core and nearby neighborhoods.
“We are fulfilling our mission of helping neighbors remain in their homes and engaged in the community as they age,” said Maklan. “With a strong base of more than 100 members, we can continue to offer interesting and helpful opportunities for our members and volunteers.”
The Village has 75 volunteers (and more in the pipeline) who drive members to appointments and social events, do minor home repairs, help with errands, and more. Village members can get referrals to professional services and receive discounts from some home repair professionals and some Silver Spring restaurants and businesses.
Learn more at: www.silverspringvillage.org
Contacts:
Jana Goldman pressherejg@gmail.com
Claire Maklan maklan@verizon.net
