What are N2N members doing - May 2010

AmeriCorps Week Activities ~ May 8 - 14

Fri. May 14th  Burlington - AmeriCorps Laugh-in ~ Celebrating Our Year of Service with Laughter Yoga   Justin, Derek, Megan, Jack, and Casey, N2N Team-CVAA, led nearly 40 people, including seniors, in an exuberant Laugh-In at the top of the Church St. Mall.  N2N alums joined in, and Vt. Public Radio was there to interview N2N members and record this unique way of celebrating community service. The Laugh-In was on VPR’s Vermont Edition on May 20th. 

                   Laugh-In to celebrate service

                        

 

      

 

       Discovering the joy of Laughter Yoga

All week in Rutland - Helping seniors get their yards & gardens cleaned up and ready to grow  Marilyn, Lydia, and Brenda, members and RC at SVCOA, visited seniors who had requested assistance getting their yards cleaned up, their gardens ready for spring, and their windows washed.  They even spent a day assisting seniors in Bennington.

 

Mon. May 10th  Barre  – Helping a senior with clean up, sorting, and packing for a move  N2N Team at CVCOA had a very successful event.

 

Mon. May 10th  St. Johnsbury - Spring planting at the Municipal Center and Senior residences  Summer, Laurie, and Patty, N2N Team at NEVAAA, worked with 15 students from St. Johnsbury  Academy’s Freshman Challenge, planting bushes and flowers downtown and at seniors’ homes.

 

Tuesday May 11th  Randolph - Assisting with packing and move preparations for 85+ senior  N2N Team at CVCOA assisted this senior lady with chronic health conditions, helping her as she dismantles her home of 40+ years and gets ready for a transition to a small senior community. 

 

Tues. May 10th  Barton and Lyndonville – Planting raised beds with eager senior gardeners  N2N Team at NEVAAA went to the Barton Senior Center and the Lyndon Senior Action Center and worked with senior volunteers to prepare the raised beds and get the vegetable gardens started.  

 

Wed.  May 12th  Barre & Fri. May 14th Montpelier  – Cleaning up the beds & getting a new start  N2N Team at CVCOA did garden work and took direction from the senior who has not been able to work in her yard and garden for several years. A volunteer joined in. 

 

Thurs. May 13th in Montpelier and Northfield - Memory Boxes & Writing Life Stories Workshops  Marie and Sandy, N2N-CVCOA, inspired seniors to decorate memory boxes and start writing about important events in their lives.

 

Thurs.  May 13th St. Johnsbury  – Growing vegetables by the bucket full  N2N Team at NEVAAA launched a new container gardening project, preparing buckets with good soil and young plants and keeping track of requests for deliveries to seniors all around the area. 

Building Partnerships  & Strengthening Networks of support for Seniors & People with disabilities                   

 

SVCOA Partners:  At Home Sr. Care, Castleton Community Center, Castleton Community Club of 6th graders, Fair Haven Rotary, Godnick Adult Center, Green Mountain College, Hubbardton seniors, Mendon seniors, Parker House, Pittsford Fire Dept., Poultney Senior Housing, Poultney Rotary, Sheldon Towers, Slate Valley Com. Connctions, Sudbury Senior Rd Runners, Templewood Sr. Center, Vt. Assoc. Blind & Vis Impared.  Secondary Partnerships: Park Street Boys, RSVP Bone Builders, Castleton State College, Fitz-Vogt Food Service, Castleton Elementary School, Castleton Free Library, Rutland Co. Caregiver Coalition, Mendon Methodist Church

 

NEVAAA  Partners:  Brainerd Memorial Library-Danville, Burke Senior Meal Site-West Burke, Concord S. Citizens–Gilman, Darling Inn Sr. Meal Site-Lyndonville, Glover Senior Housing, Hardwick Community Coalition, Lyndon Senior Action Center, Lyndonville St. Action Center, Maple St. Apts.-Hardwick, Michaud Manor-Derby Line, North Troy Senior Meal Site, Orleans Senior Meal Site, St. Johnsbury Nutritional Center, St. Johnsbury Senior Action Center.  Secondary Partnerships: Derby Elks, Newport Rotary, Unitarian Universalist Church-St. J., Kingdom Recovery Center, Farm Direct, NEKCA, Head Start, Union House Nursing Home, Green Mountain Food Direct, IROC, Barton Area Chamber of Commerce, RSVP Program, North Country High School, Springfield College, Green Mountain Food Direct, Vermont Country News, Miller Run School-Sheffield, Vt.  Dept. of Fish & Game, St. Johnsbury Academy, Sheffield Food Bank, Cobleigh Library

CVCOA  Partners:  Barre Senior Center, Chelsea Court, Chelsea Gardens, Chelsea Sr. Center, Gingras Com. Home, Joslyn House, Lamoille View Apts., Montpelier Sr Act. Ctr., Marshfield Senior Center, North Barre Manor, Northfield Senior Center, Out and About Day Ctr., Project Independence, Randolph Senior Center, Rowan Health & Rehab, Roxbury Senior Center, S. Royalton Sr. Ctr., St. John’s Knoll Apts, Williamstown Square.  Secondary Partnerships: Trans-Video, Barre City Elementary/Middle School, Montpelier High School, Norwich University Whitcomb High School, Vt. History  Center, Barre Masonic Order, Computer Barn, Reiki Materst-Trudi Dennison & Catherine Seymore

 

CVAA Partners: Alburgh Library, Alling Library, The Arbors, Arrowhead Sr. Center, Bixby Library, Burlington Housing Auth., Cathedral Square, Champlain Sr. Center, Center for Technology/Essex, CIDER, Converse Home, Country Park, Elderly Services, Essex Sr. Center, Fairfield Community Center, Firehouse in Alburgh, Franklin Co. Sr. Center, Franklin Homestead, Hawks Nest Sr. Housing, Heineberg Sr. Center, Holy Cross Senior Housing, Hording Task Force, Huntington Library, Ilsley Library, Living Well, McAuley Square, Moebius Mentoring Project, Pierson Library, Pillsbury Manor Allenwood, Richmond Terrace, Round Barn Apts., Russ Sholes SC/VFW, School St. Manor, Stacie Griffiths, The Terraces, VCAM, Vergennes Eagles Com. Meals, Winooski Sr. Center.  Secondary Partnerships:  VCAM, St. Albans Coop, True North Radio, Care Partners, Savvy Seniors,  Edmunds Middle School, Kinney Drug,  Shaw’s, Cats’ Meow-UVM A Capella group, S. Burlington Parks & Recreation Dept., Colchester parks & Recreation, Taft Farm Senior Living, Tuttle Middle School, Vt Folklife Center.

 

Volunteer Recruitment:  As of April 30th, members have recruited 341 adult volunteers, 68% of the target 500, and these dedicated individuals have reported nearly 3,500 hours.  74 have passed the 10 hour milestone.  In addition, 183 youth volunteers have contributed about 400 hours of service.

 

Direct Services:  As of April 30th, 507 elders and adults with disabilities have received assistance in their homes from N2N members and volunteers, enabling these older Vermonters to continue "aging in place."

Healthy Aging Programs ~ HAPs  241 programs are completed or in progress, and ove 3,500 seniors have signed in as participants.  93 of these programs have engaged seniors in physical activites, for example Seated yoga, Laughter yoga, RSVP Bone Builders, Wii Bowling, line dancing, and walking groups.  Evaluations indicate (with answers of "Very" or "Somewhat") that participants have enjoyed themselves and received useful information.  Responses from the exercise programs also indicate that most participants are either "Very" or "Somewhat" likely to make a change in their lifestyle as a result of the healthy aging program.

Member Training Sessions:  Members evaluations of the recent Vt. CNCS National Service Conference at Stoweflake were very positive, and N2N took a leadership role in several conference events, including a Laughter Yoga workshop, the Art of Service exhibit, AmeriShare and our "Flexing for Service" evening activity.  There is nearly 100% attendance and lively participation in all the N2N monthly trainings, and members are taking responsibility for major portions of the 3 remaining trainings; leading discussions of civic engagement readings, sharing reflections on this year of service, and managing the grills at the End of Service celebration.