Village Insider News for Members & Volunteers August 2022
STAFF TRANSITION The Village's operations manager, Will Tiwari, has resigned to take a full-time position and his final day in the office will be Thursday, August 4. We appreciate Will's contributions to our work and wish him well in his new job. We have already begun the search for a new administrative assistant/office manager. If you know of someone who may be interested in a part-time (30 hours/week) position, please let them know about this opportunity. A copy of the job announcement and application instructions is available by email to doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org. Vanessa and I will be filling in the gaps during the vacancy, so we may not be able to respond to you as quickly as usual. Please be patient with us during this transition!
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT! Word of mouth is the Village's best public relations strategy. The board of directors has appointed members Sara Daines, Laurie Ekstrand, and Sarah Letnes to an outreach task force charged with helping the Village rebuild its PR strategy and make connections with diverse portions of the Silver Spring community. You can help those efforts by volunteering to post the occasional short article on your homeowners association's listserve. If you happen to know the editor of your neighborhood's newsletter, you can also ask if they would like to publish a pre-written blurb about the Village and how its services can be helpful to older people who want to continue living in the homes and neighborhoods they love. We can also come to your neighborhood to participate in association meetings, community celebrations, or other gatherings where potential members or volunteers might be eager to learn about the Village. Please contact Sara (301-395-2939 or sadaines@gmail.com), Laurie (301-346-3693 or ekstrand99@gmail.com), or Sarah (240-802-0580 or scletnes@gmail.com) to share your suggestions.
WANT TO LEARN SOME NEW TECH SKILLS? The Village offers one-on-one technology coaching to build your confidence using a computer (laptop or desktop), tablet, or smartphone. The sessions can take place via Zoom or in person. Everyone's learning needs are different, so volunteer coaches are trained to go at the learner's pace. One member told us,
"Tech Coaching has been a shot in the arm for me! I am very glad to have signed up. At each session, I was given direct and clear assistance with my questions. Thank for trying out this program and giving us 'tech resistant' Villagers a helping hand with getting started." Please contact Vanessa at vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org or at 240-833-5584 if you would like to learn more.
MEDICAL NOTE-TAKING TRAINING A complicated medical diagnosis can be a very confusing time. Sometimes, the amount of information coming from the providers to the patient can be overwhelming, and in the heat of the moment, it's easy for patients to forget all the questions they meant to ask the provider. Volunteer medical note-takers can help members organize their questions and then accompany them to appointments to take careful notes and make sure the appointment has a two-way flow of information. We are offering a specialized volunteer training for those interested in helping with medical note-taking on Wednesday, August 31, 11:30am-2pm. The training is open to current Village volunteers who want to expand their repertoire of volunteering, and to those who've not yet volunteered but would like to provide this particular service for Village members. For more information, or to register for the training, please contact Vanessa at vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org or at 240-833-5584.
HAVE A SPARE CAR (OR BOAT OR AIRPLANE) SITTING AROUND THE HOUSE? You can now support your Village by donating your used car, truck, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, boat, jet skis, snowmobiles—or even your private airplane—to the Village. Proceeds from your donated vehicle will support the Village's work to provide volunteer services; arrange social, educational, recreational, and cultural events; and so much more! Four easy ways to donate your unwanted vehicle: Visit the Village's website at silverspringvillage.org and click on the "Donate Your Vehicle" menu tab to submit an online form —or— Fill out an online form at bit.ly/ssv-vehicle-donation —or— Call 855-527-2232 to speak to a customer service agent. The call center is open Mon-Thu 8am-7pm, Fri 8am-5pm, an Sat 9am-4pm. Be sure to indicate that you're calling to support Silver Spring Village —or— Call the Village office at 240-833-5580 for personalized help. FAQs: Q: My car doesn't run/the battery is dead/the tires are flat. Is that a problem? Not at all! We can accept vehicles of all ages and in all conditions. Q: What if I can't find the keys? Also not a problem! Just let the customer service agent know or indicate that you don't have the keys on the donation form. Q: What if I can't find the title? We cannot accept a donated vehicle without the title document. You can order a duplicate title from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Q: How long will it take to get rid of my vehicle? The towing company will pick up your vehicle anywhere in the Washington DC region within 72 hours. You don't even need to be home. Just agree upon a place to leave the keys and paperwork when you speak to the customer service agent. Q: Can I get a tax deduction for donating my vehicle? Every person's tax situation is different, so we recommend you speak to a tax professional. However, donated vehicles do qualify as a charitable donation. You will receive a tax receipt with the sales value of the vehicle shortly after it is sold.
AUGUST MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS The following are one-time events open only to Village members. Log into the Village calendar with your user name and password for more detailed information. We can sometimes accommodate non-member guests who may be interested in joining the Village. If you would like to bring a non-member guest to an event, please contact Doug at 240-833-5582 or doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org. Men's Group Tuesday Breakfast—Men's Tuesday Breakfast Group—All male-identifying members are welcome to join in good food and conversation the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30am. If you need transportation, please call David Maklan at 301-792-1674. When the weather is nice, the group meets outdoors at Lemon Slice Café, 8737 Colesville Rd., or in times of bad weather, indoors at Tastee Diner, 8601 Cameron St. Mandalay Dinner—Explore Burmese cuisine with Village friends at this treasured Silver Spring restaurant. Reserve on the Village calendar or by email to programs@silverspringvillage.org. Saturday, August 13, 5-7pm, Mandalay Restaurant, 930 Bonifant St. Summer Patio Party—Member Karen Fierst invites fellow Villagers to her home for a mid-summer evening patio party. Karen will provide everything and asks attendees not to bring additional items, food or beverages as her family maintains a Kosher household. Reserve on the VIllage calendar or by email to programs@silverspringvillage.org. Sunday, August 14, 5:30-8:30pm, 614 Sisson St. AFI Movie Night—Thoroughly Modern Millie is a "Roaring Twenties" send-up of the country girl in search of fame and a husband in New York. How can you go wrong with Julie Andrews, John Gavin, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing? Members pay for their own tickets. Reservations are recommended on the Village calendar or by email to programs@silverspringvillage.org. Tuesday, August 16, 3:30-6pm, AFI/Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd. LGBTQ Group—The Village's LGBTQ Group welcomes Villagers who self-identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and is often joined by members of other senior villages in Montgomery County. We gather for conversation by Zoom and sometimes for in-person happy hours or dinners. For more information, call Brian Burns at 240-491-2031 or Doug Gaddis at 240-833-5582. Zoom or various locations, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 4-5:30pm. August Birthdays Celebration—Calling all August babies! Join us for celebratory ice cream courtesy of the Village. Others are welcome, too—you'll just have to buy your own scoop! Friday, August 26, 23:30pm, Island Tropical Ice Cream, 9324 Georgia Ave. Parkway Deli Dinner—The Village Scrabble Group meets monthly at Parkway Deli and invites other Villagers to join them afterward for Silver Spring's most delicious deli dinner. Reservations are not required. Monday, August 29, 5:30-7pm, Parkway Deli, 8317 Grubb Rd.
STAR VOLUNTEERS Volunteers keep the Village running—especially to those who reach out to help Village members directly. Fiscal Year 2022 (ending on June 30) was a busy year for our volunteers, and we ended on a high note with 42 volunteers providing nearly 193 hours of direct service (grocery shopping, transportation, friendly visits, household tasks, technology coaching, etc.) in June. That's an average of 4 hours per month for each volunteer. Now that we're on to a new year, we want to extend a giant "thank you" to the Village's "Top 5" volunteers for July: Jane Brown (27 hours), Mary Millar (16 hours), Rita Naimoli (14 hours), David Maklan (12 hours) and Brian Eggleston (11 hours).
NEW VOLUNTEERS Please welcome new volunteers Elias Menissa, Eddie Mintz, Nathnael Tesfaw, and John Schmoldt.
HELP WANTED: VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS Now that the pandemic is easing and more members are asking for more assistance, we are looking for volunteers who have time to spare. Just one or two hours a week can make a big difference! Call Vanessa at 240-833-5584 to learn how you can experience that special feeling that only comes from helping a Village member.
NEW MEMBERS Please welcome new members Sharon Brown (Rock Creek Gardens), Al Godley-Davis (Leisure World) and Ruth Conlon (Kensington).
TRY THE VILLAGE EXPERIENCE WITH A NO-RISK TRIAL MEMBERSHIP The Village is open to new members in all parts of our service area zip codes—20815 east of Rock Creek Park, 20901, 20902 east of Wheaton Regional Park (Kemp Mill), and 20910. If you have a friend or neighbor who might be curious about Village life, please let them know about our trial membership program. Trial members get all the benefits of Associate Membership for three months at no upfront cost. For information, contact membership chair Claire Maklan at membership@silverspringvillage.org or at 301-588-5535.
OFFICE ADDRESS & STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION The Village's mailing address is 8700 Georgia Avenue, Suite 306, Silver Spring, MD 20910. To reach us by phone, please call 240-833-5580. A virtual receptionist will guide you to reach any staff member, or you can dial any of us directly. Office hours are M-F, 9 am-5 pm. When the office is closed, please leave a voice message for us. If your after-hours call is urgent, dial the main number and press "1" when the virtual receptionist answers to redirect your call to both Doug's and Vanessa's private mobile phones. Doug Gaddis, Executive Director 240-833-5582 (direct) | 240-833-5580 ext. 2 | doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org Vanessa Ripps, Volunteer Services Director 240-833-5584 (direct) | 240-833-5580 ext. 4 | vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org Best wishes,
Doug Gaddis
Silver Spring Village sustains a robust neighbors-helping-neighbors network that supports older adults who wish to live as independently as possible and be fully engaged in their community as they age. Unless otherwise noted, activities and services mentioned in the Insider are available only to Village members. The Village's social, educational, recreational, and cultural events are open to associate and full members. Full memberships include volunteer services, and are available only to residents of zip codes 20815 east of Rock Creek Park, 20901, 20902 east of Wheaton Regional Park (Kemp Mill), and 20910. Associate memberships are not restricted to these geographic areas. For information about a free trial associate membership, or if you are ready to join as a regular member, become a volunteer, or wish to donate, please call 240-833-5582. Our website is www.silverspringvillage.org and our email is info@silverspringvillage.org.