Silver Spring Village Insider (December 2022)

Village Insider December 2022

WELCOME BROOKE! We are happy to announce that Brooke Kenny started as the Village's new operations manager at the beginning of November. Brooke has more than twelve years of professional experience supporting older adults. Before coming to the Village, she was executive director of a local nonprofit organization supporting men in the early stages of memory loss.

She enjoys walking, swimming, gardening, reading, writing and spending time with her husband and two young daughters.

NEW MEMBERS Please welcome new members Raymond Fudge (Rosemary Hills), Janet Kravis (Downtown Bethesda), Joanne Schwandes (McKenney Hills Carroll Knolls), Kenny Trupin (Downtown Silver Spring), Adrienne Blyther (Woodside) and Myrna Goldman (South Silver Spring); and new trial members Maddalena Comune & Nicola Mariotti (East Silver Spring), Lorraine Peterson (Layhill), and Andy Slettebak (Park Hills).

HOLIDAY PARTY Members and volunteers are invited to join us for Cider and Sweets on Friday, December 16, 1-3:30 in the Spring Room at the Silver Spring Civic Building.

The Village will provide mulled cider and homemade sweets. Please RSVP no later than Friday, December 9 to Brooke by phone at 240-833-5580 ext. 6 or by

email to operations@silverspringvillage.org.

STAR VOLUNTEERS Volunteers keep the Village running! We want to extend a giant "thank you" to the Village's "Top 5" volunteers for September: Jane Brown (12 hours); Jane Carroll (11 hrs); Isabelle Melèse d'Hospital (10 hs); Mary Millar (9 hrs); and Chuck Sherer (8 hrs).

October's "Top 5" were Jane Brown (22 hrs), Joanne Schwandes (13 hrs), Maryann McGowan (9 hrs); Sandy Kemper (8 hrs), and in a two-way tie for the fifth slot, Cheryl Gardner and Connie Raab (7hrs).

NEW VOLUNTEERS We are thrilled to welcome three new volunteers who were trained in October—Ruth Conlon, Susie Farr, and Lucia Fort. All three are also members!

HELP WANTED: VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS The Village has many rewarding opportunities to help out your neighbors. Volunteers can be members or people in the broader community. The average Village volunteer spends just four hours a month helping, but those few hours make an enormous difference to people who need a little extra help. We are especially seeking additional volunteers who can drive members to medical appointments, errands, etc. Other opportunities include technology coaching, technology troubleshooting, minor household repairs, friendly

visiting and calling, home organizing, and storm preparedness. For more information, please contact Vanessa by phone at 240-833-5584 or by email to vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org

SERVICE SPOTLIGHT Did you know that the Village offers one-on-one coaching to help members become more comfortable using technology? Unlike online classes such as Senior Planet, we offer personalized assistance that moves at your pace. Tech Coaching focuses on teaching you what you want to learn via an ongoing relationship with a trained coach. One member wrote, My tech coach has been a shot in the arm for me! We had three or four sessions and at each one I received clear assistance with my questions. For more information about signing up as a learner or as a volunteer coach, please contact Vanessa by phone at 240-833-5584 or by email to vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org.

DECEMBER MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS In the space of a year, the Village hosts nearly 800 one-time and recurring activities! The following is a small sampling of events that are open only to Village members (including trial members) in December. More detailed information is available on the Village's online calendar. Be sure to log in to gain access to the most important information. We can sometimes accommodate non-member guests who may be interested in joining the Village. If you would like to bring a guest or if you are a non-member and would like to be a guest, please contact Doug at 240833-5582 or doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org.

Author's Talk Acclaimed mystery/thriller writer, Tom Crowley, will discuss his latest books and how his experiences in the military and foreign service in southeast Asia informed his approach to writing.

Sunday, December 4, 12:30-2pm, Wheaton Library Media Room, 11701 Georgia Ave. Fireplace Party Cozy up to a roaring fire with Village friends at the home of Deanna and Jim Anderson. Please RSVP on the Village calendar or by email to programs@silverspringvillage.org. Sunday, December 4, 5-7pm, 126 Fleetwood Ter.

Costume & Bead Jewelry Swap Meet Come trade your old colorful jewelry for some new colorful pieces. Get help with small repairs like a new claspor untangling a strand. Find a free gift for a friend or something for yourself! RSVP by email to programs@silverspringvillage or on the Village calendar.

Sunday, December 11, 2-4pm, home of Jeanne Adams and Lynne Ebner, 107 Sheffield St. Stitchers For Good Join fellow crafty Villagers to make an array of knitted, sewn, and crocheted items ranging from caps for premature babies at Holy Cross Hospital to tote bags to hang from a walker.

Call Connie Raab at 301-588-7206 for more information. Monday, December 12, 3:30-5:30pm, location to be determined.

Duckpin Bowling Snacks, drinks, and itsy-bitsy bowling balls all add up to good fun! RSVP on the Village calendar or by calling Marilyn Bate at 301589-7466. Thursday, December 22, 3:30-5:30pm, The Eleanor, 931 Ellsworth Dr. December Birthdays Celebration Calling all December babies! Join us for celebratory ice cream courtesy of the Village. Members born in other months are welcome to come celebrate, too—just on your own dime. Friday, December 30, 2-3:30pm, SweetFrog Frozen Yogurt, 100 Lexington Dr. (behind Woodmoor Shopping Center).

UPCOMING SPARKLE EVENT Silver Spring Village and Silver Spring Town Center co-present this series of monthly events to enrich the lives of older adults. The series features guest speakers, musicians, artists, authors, activists, and more. SPARKLE events are open to the public. Some are in person and others are on Zoom. Nonmembers can access the Zoom link by emailing programs@silverspringvillage.org.

Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson and the Struggle for Social Justice Virginia Mecklenburg, senior curator of 20th-century art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, will discuss Johnson's groundbreaking artistic tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, performers,

and heads of state. Wednesday, December 14, 24pm, Zoom.

OUTREACH AT THE PEARL & THE BLAIRS In partnership with The Tower Companies, the Village will host a special outreach event for potential members and volunteers living in The Pearl and The Blairs. If you have a friend who lives there, please pass along the word to watch their community newsletter for information about our events on the afternoon and evening of Monday, December 12.

And let them know there will be free wine...!

SUPPORT YOUR VILLAGE Your generous financial support of the Village is more important than ever! Membership fees pay for just 27% of the cost of running the Village. Here are some ways you can support us with your year-end giving.

Cash You can donate by credit card by clicking on the "Donate Cash" menu tab of the Village website or at bit.ly/ssv-give22. Gifts by check can be mailed to 8700 Georgia Ave, Ste 306, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

IRA Distribution If you are at least 70-1/2 years of age, you can direct the custodian of your IRA to make a payment directly to the Village. Because you do not receive the payment yourself, you will not have to pay income tax on the distribution.

Appreciated Securities If you have stocks, bonds or other appreciated securities, some of them may have significantly increased in value since your bought them. Giving appreciated securities is a taxsmart strategy that avoids capital gains tax. Ask you broker to "transfer the securities in-kind to Silver Spring Village, Account #X96662021, DTC #0226, Fidelity Investments, Attn: TOA Receives, PO Box 770001, Cincinnati, OH 45277-0036." Sometimes, transfers do not include sufficient information for us to identify who made the donation. You can help by contacting Doug at 240-833-5582 or doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org as soon as possible to let us know your name, the security's ticker symbol, and the number of shares transferred.

Spread the Word Do your siblings, children, grandchildren, and neighbors know how much the Village means to you? Please take a moment to share with them during the giving season all the things that make the Village special and ask them to invest in our mission!

TRY THE VILLAGE EXPERIENCE WITH A NO-RISK TRIAL Do you have friends or family who are curious about how you manage to have so much fun? Ask them to try out the Village with a no-risk trial membership!

Residents of any zip code can join as an associate member for a three-month trial ABSOLUTELY FREE! At the end of the trial, they can choose to pay the normal fee to make their membership permanent or walk away having invested nothing but a little curiosity. Trial members can also upgrade to full membership if they live in our service area which includes all of zip codes 20901 and 20910, 20815 east of Rock Creek Park, and the Kemp Mill portion of 20902. For more information, contact Doug at doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org or at 240-8335582.

OFFICE ADDRESS & STAFF CONTACTS The Village's mailing address is 8700 Georgia Ave, Ste 306, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. If you need to stop by at a different time, please let us know and we will try to accommodate you.

The main phone number is 240-833-5580. When you call that number, a "receptionist" will guide you to reach any staff member. You can bypass the receptionist by calling our direct phone numbers below. Outside of normal office hours, please leave a message. If your after-hours call is urgent, dial the main number and when the receptionist answers, press "1." Your call will be directed to Doug's and Vanessa's personal cell phones. operations@silverspringvillage.org Doug Gaddis, Executive Director 240-833-5580 ext. 2 -or- 240-833-5582 (direct) doug.gaddis@silverspringvillage.org

Vanessa Ripps, Director of Volunteer Services 240-833-5580 ext. 4 -or- 240-833-5584 (direct) vanessa.ripps@silverspringvillage.org Brooke Kenny, Operations Manager 240-833-5580 ext. 6 -or- 240-307-4132 (direct) operations@silverspringvillage.org

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, all 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 also include volunteer-provided services, and are availably only to residents of zip codes 20815 east of Rock Creek Park, 20901, 20901 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.