Two volunteers from a village in the Portland-metro area help a woman move a table to a different spot in her house.
Getting rides is typically one of the most popular services village members ask volunteers for.
Hoping to completely launch sometime in mid-2018, Villages Clark County, a non-profit organization, is on a mission to help senior citizens age in place.
Initially, Villages Clark County will exist under the umbrella of the already established VillagesNW group. VillagesNW is Portland-based and is essentially the “hub” for six other villages in the Portland-metro area. VillagesNW is a branch of the national Village to Village Network.
The organization was started in 2001 in Massachusetts. There are more than 200 “villages” across the country.
The villages aid senior citizens in being able to live independently in the homes and areas they love. They are powered by volunteers.
Once a village is established in an area (such as the planned Clark County village), a volunteer base is created, trained and otherwise prepared to help the seniors who act as members of the village. Services include housework, shopping, driving, tech assistance, cooking and more. Basically, volunteers offers services that will allow members to keep living in their homes as opposed to an assisted living center. In each village, there is usually a central phone number members can call for assistance. Once the call is received, village volunteers are assigned to whatever the task may be.
John Chapman, co-chairman of Villages Clark County, said it’s a great and proven system that works. He said he has no doubt it will also work well in Clark County. In his words, it’s a “culture changing approach to aging” and another option that’s much more comfortable and affordable than assisted living.
“This age group grew up independent and most want to stay that way,” Chapman said.
According to Chapman, the minimum age a member can be is different from village to village. He said the planned Clark County Village age limit is undetermined at the moment. He also adds that each village isn’t necessarily restricted to only senior citizens. People as young as 18 can become members as well if they have disabilities or other debilitating issues.
According to Chapman, the Clark County village offshoot has been in the works since February 2016. The process to establish a village can take as long as three to five years, he said, because “it takes time to get the word out and build a volunteer base before launching.” Chapman said the fact that this new village in Clark County isn’t entirely starting from scratch and is rather building off experience from the location in the Portland area has made the process faster.
Chapman and other leaders of the Clark County chapter are working hard to round up volunteers for the planned new village.
This Saturday, April 22, a “101 talk” featuring discussion and presentation is being offered for prospective volunteers in the North Clark County area. The event will take place at the Battle Ground Community Library from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Chapman said village leaders will basically “go through the logic of why villages are important and what makes them successful.”
“We get people who are like ‘what’s this?’ all the way to people who are ready to serve right now,” said Chapman about who should attend if interested.
For more information about Villages Clark County, visit
VillagesClarkCounty.org. On the site, there are also links to the regional VillagesNW and national Village to Village Network websites.
