Upcoming Events
See what's happening this
month.
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Would you like your event or notice to appear in the next Village Voices Newsletter? Use
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Please submit by the 15th of the previous month. Late submissions are not guaranteed placement in the next newsletter.
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Ringing in the New Year with Exciting News:
Richmond Expansion Formally Approved!
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Richmond Planning Group and new members at the holiday party
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The Ashby Village Board is very pleased to announce that it unanimously voted at its last meeting to expand the Ashby Village service area to include Richmond. Our recent efforts to increase membership and volunteer participation in Richmond began as a pilot project...A warm Ashby Village welcome to our Richmond members and volunteers!
Read more background on the Richmond Pilot and the full announcement
here
.
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2019-20 Annual Campaign hits $150,000 in gifts and pledges to date!
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We are constantly in awe of this incredible community. Sending our thanks to all who have already donated their support to this year's Annual Campaign. For others who are so moved, there's still time to donate!
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In honor of this Tenth Anniversary, we cordially invite you
to join us for our special “10 for 10” programming series:
ten events that celebrate who we are as an organization, a community, and a Village.
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Soul Clapping
Ashby Village is beginning to shape a major new initiative for our tenth anniversary, dedicated to developing and sharing our members' creativity, in all its varied expressions. Details will be announced in the coming months. As we are nailing down the plans for launching the initiative and engaging all our members, we are guided by
this vision.
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10 for 10 Events to Look Forward to in 2020
- 90s Tea and Centenarian Birthday Celebration
- Arts & Aging Exhibition
- 10th Anniversary Gala @ Claremont Hotel (May 8, 2020)
- Community Open House
- Grand Opening - Ashby Village Archive
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*Back by Popular Demand*
The Perennials: Ageless Improv
When: January 3, 3:00-4:00pm
Where: Ashby Village
We are excited to have The Perennials: Ageless Improv back to Ashby Village.
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The Perennials improv troupe challenges assumptions and stereotypes about aging. This performance will spotlight a group of women in their 60s and 70s who create light-hearted entertainment by weaving songs, scenes, and rhymes into our performances—all made up on the spot! Audience members can suggest topics to use in scenes and everyone is welcome to join The Perennials onstage in games and stories.
The Perennials keep their skills sharp through improv and acting classes at Oakland’s Stagebridge Performing Arts Institute, the longest-running senior theater company in the United States (
www.stagebridge.org).
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Hearing Loss Support Group: Special Presentation
When
: January 15, 3:30-5:00 pm
Where
: Ashby Village Office
Dr. Jessa Muscio Traylor
, a Berkeley audiologist, will be giving a special presentation on "Hearing Tests and How to Read and Understand An Audiogram (Audiology Report)". As always, we welcome AV members, friends, and anyone who wants to know more about hearing loss and how to better cope with it. Please bring your most recent audiogram, if you have a copy or can get one from your health care provider. As time allows, Dr Traylor will answer as many questions as she can. It should be a very lively and interesting meeting.
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Living Room Chat
Invite a friend to join our Living Room Chat.
They'll have the opportunity to hear what Ashby Village offers to our members and volunteers, how it enhances their quality of life, and why it helps them develop peace of mind about the future.
Sunday, January 19, 2:00-4:00 pm
OAKLAND -
RSVP for location
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Documenting History with
Francis Reid
*Arts & Culture (A&C) Series*
When: January 26, 2:00-4:00pm
Where:
Epworth United Methodist Church,1953 Hopkins Street, Berkeley
Frances Reid will read from her memoir about making one of her early documentaries, “Greetings from Washington DC,” and will then show the film which chronicles the first ever National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979. This screening will be one of the few times the film has been publicly screened in over 30 years.
Frances Reid is an acclaimed Bay Area documentary filmmaker. Her films include the Sundance Grand Jury winning and Oscar nominated film “Long Night’s Journey into Day” and “Skin Deep.” She was also the cinematographer for the Oscar winning “The Times of Harvey Milk.”
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This program is co-sponsored with Epworth United Methodist Church
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A Visit to Mongolia: Slide Show by Roger and Audre Newman
When: February 7, 3:00-4:00pm
Where: Ashby Village
Join us as Ashby Village follows Roger and Audre Newman on their adventures through Mongolia.
Roger and Audre are long-time members of Ashby Village who have traveled widely and enjoy sharing their experiences with others via slide shows and videos. Roger is a retired instructor of Anthropology and History; Audre is a retired biological illustrator. They have lived in Berkeley since the 1970s.
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Painting Ashby Village's (new) Meeting Space
Monday January 6, 10-4pm
For this project Ashby Village is the lucky recipient!
Read more
Light lunch provided. Join us!
RSVP
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Hearts N' Hands...
TADA!!!!!
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The Hearts N' Hands team strikes again, this time painting the interior of a small garage.
"There are not enough words to say how thankful I am."
AV Member~ Marcia Freedman
********
The
Hearts N' Hands
program provides volunteer assistance to Ashby Village Members when they need a hand with larger projects. Volunteers gather for a half day to complete multiple jobs at once.
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Office Corps Holiday
Get-Together
Each year we take
time
out of our busy days to celebrate, eat and be together.
Thank you
to the twenty nine office corps volunteers who support the office throughout the year!
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Keep it Moving in 2020...
Check out
our energizing classes that build muscle and improve balance while you mingle with your fellow Ashby Villagers in the new year.
Thursdays
10 - 11:30 AM
Gentle Yoga
@ The Yoga Room - 2350 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley
Fridays
10 - 11 AM
Tai Chi Chi
-
Wait List only @
Epworth United Methodist Church -1953 Hopkins St. Berkeley
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...Rain or Shine!
On a cold Monday morning after the Thanksgiving weekend, seven Ashby Village members hiked at Cesar Chavez Park,
"i
n a bit of a drizzle but with warm company!" shared Claire H.
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Join the next
nature walk
, Sunday, January 12th from 1:00-3:00 pm at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Preserve.
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A Well-Deserved Promotion
Volunteer advocate. Jill of all trades. Lola's mom. Party queen. Pat Carvalho is known by many names and hats and she just gained one more.
Pat's title has changed from Operations and Volunteer Manager to Operations Director.
Ashby Village has been so fortunate to have had Pat on its staff for the past eight years, and this title better represents her role and all that she does for our Village. Many congratulations and thanks to Pat for her dedication and support of Ashby Village!
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Berkeleyside is also 10 Years Young!
We are thrilled to be celebrating our 10th Anniversary alongside Berkeleyside. These copies were specially decorated and hand-delivered to our office in thanks for our partnership in advertising (check out page 90!).
Grab your copy of their special 10th Anniversary printed edition!
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Annual Member Survey Coming in February!
We will be launching our all-member survey in February. Drawing on the excitement of the forum, this is another opportunity for you to give us your feedback as we move into our second decade, and to ensure that Ashby Village will continue to meet your needs.
The survey will provide us important information on members’ experiences and the impact the Village is having on your lives. There will be two short surveys - each will take under 15 minutes to complete, and launched a month apart - and the first will launch in February. Survey questions were solicited from staff, board, team and neighborhood group leaders. More information will follow in the February Village Voices. We hope you will participate and share your voice!
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Thinking of Creating a Connection?
The Connections Team provides ongoing friendly visits for members who, for a variety of reasons, are feeling socially isolated or in need of extra support following changes in their living situations. Members are paired with a volunteer and together the volunteer and the member plan what kind of a connection they would like to have.
The Connections Team helps members access services, programs and resources from the Village, take a walk together, have a cup of tea or just have a conversation. Together you plan the type of activities you would like to engage in and the frequency of the visits.
For more information or to create a connection, please contact Erik Whitaker at 510.204.9200 or
erik@ashbyvillage.org
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Please Be Aware of Holiday Scams Especially Targeted at Older Adults
Unfortunately not everyone embraces the holiday spirit and many scammers take advantage of this gift buying season. Ashby Village has been alerted by a member that their email was hacked and fake emails were sent to their friends asking them to buy gift cards.
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Technology workshop February 20 10am-12pm
Ashby Village and the U.C. Berkeley Retirement Center are co-sponsoring a workshop on
Internet Spam & Phishing
at
Ashby Village
on
February 20 10:00am-12:00pm
.
Registration is now open!
Email
info@ashbyvillage.org
or call (510) 204-9200 to register.
Further details will be included in the February 1
Village Voices
.
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Would you like personal assistance from Technology & Electronics Volunteers?
Volunteers can help you with a
wide range
of devices!
- Worried about the end of Windows 7 on January 14th?
- Not sure how to get your TV hooked up?
- Interested in finally getting your printer to work?
- Ready to learn how to use Skype or FaceTime to have video calls with friends and family?
- Have you had enough of that weird thing that keeps happening with your computer?
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Neighborhood Groups &
Ongoing Activities
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Check out our
online calendar for the
full view of our upcoming meetings, activities and other
events.
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Reflections on Past Events
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2019 Holiday Party
Story by Karin Evans, Photos by Nancy Rubin and Richard Bermack
Despite rainy weather, 129 people showed up for the annual Ashby Village holiday celebration on December 7. They shook off their umbrellas and gathered at Ashby Village to eat, drink, and enjoy each other...
...As the room buzzed with conversation, village co-founder Patricia Sussman looked around in awe. “It just blows me away,” she said. “What this community has done is wonderful. Just listen to the conversations. No one is talking about the aches and pains of aging. Whenever anyone gets a good idea, they take it and run with it.”
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Thanksgiving Day Potluck
On Thanksgiving Day Ashby Village came together as a community to celebrate the holiday in a special way. Arriving guests were escorted to tables draped in white linen table cloths and found their names on place cards beside beautiful china settings. The tables were arranged in a way that everyone could see everyone else (just like a big family dinner!)...
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Pre-Social Hour Event: Mingle and Move with Impromptu No Tutu
Photos by
Greacian Goeke
On November 1
st
, we had a room full of members and volunteers who attended our pre-social hour event, “Mingle and Move.” We were moved by the contemporary version of artist Judy Chicago’s renowned Dinner Party Exhibition that was created by the members of Albany’s
Impromptu No Tutu
ensemble.
In addition, our members and volunteers enjoyed some easy social movement with music in celebration of the “Phenomenal Women” in our lives. We hope they will come back to move us again.
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Curated by volunteer Patricia Hom
by Joseph Coughlin, Forbes, 02/10/2019
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy,
dwell
, 02/13/2019
by Dan Patterson, Graham Kates, CBS News, 02/23/2019
by Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post, 03/06/2019
By Dr. Nura Orra, abc NEWS, 04/13/2019
by Ken Mogi, make it, 05/28/2019
by Jennifer Finney Boylan, The New York Times, 10/01/2019
Recommended by Laura Peck, Board Member
by Kate McDonald, PBS NewsHour, 11/25/19
Recommended by Peter Sussman
by Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, 11/18/19
Recommended by Laura Peck, Board Member
by Robin Estrin, Berkeleyside, 12/2/19
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Berkeleyside highlighted Berkeley Home Match, a program created through a partnership between Ashby Village and
UC Berkeley Retirement Center
based on our common knowledge of the need of our members. Ashby Village serves as the lead partner and fiscal sponsor. The program is still open! Please contact
Berkeley Home Match
if interested.
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Looking to Share Your Home With A Fellow Ashby Villager?
An Ashby Village member who has have lived in this area for many years, has to move out of his 30-year rent controlled house by this summer and is looking for another place to live. He is alert, adept, and in excellent health, and has aptitude and skills from many years of offering services with an international non-profit. There is time for a "test run" to see if you are a compatible fit. If you are interested please reach out to
Bruce Pachter or call
510-435-2966.
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It is with sadness that we share that Daniel Sabsay died on December 11, 2019. Daniel had been an important presence in the Ashby Village community since its launch, serving as one of the first building blocks of Ashby Village internet and data management platform. In 2010 he crafted the first Ashby Village website with co-founder Shirley Haberfeld, and continued on over the years in developing, refining and upkeeping our Club Express platform. He assisted many of our members with their computer challenges. Founder of the “East Bay Skeptics Society", Daniel had a wry sense of humor, always engaging in provocative conversation and seeking to make connections. He will be missed.
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Thank you to the Ashby Village volunteers who contributed to this issue of the Village Voices newsletter.
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