In the last newsletter I put out a call for Beaumont Wilshire neighbors who may be interested in forming a group that would help our fellow neighbors in need. I’m extremely happy to report that 10 people responded and we held an initial meeting to discuss ideas concerning the group – we even drafted a Mission Statement as follows:
Mission:
Group seeks to help fellow neighbors, who are dealing with physical limitations, by performing simple home or yard maintenance tasks on a one-time basis. Scheduled and coordinated “work bees” will be held periodically to accomplish these tasks, with involvement and approval of home owner.
The group was very interested in hearing the presentation by “The Villages” organization at the BWNA general meeting on Feb 10th. The “Villages” is a national non-profit that works to help people “age in place” and stay in their home as long as possible by offering a number of services (much broader in scope then our volunteer group) to seniors who enroll in the program. While their “villages” typically cover a much larger area then our own Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood, we plan on staying in close contact as they work to establish a NE Portland Village to see if there’s a benefit to linking with them.
While there are still a few details to work out concerning liability (always an issue when providing services on others’ property), we’d like to keep momentum going and get word out about our group through this newsletter, as well as through local churches and senior centers. BWNVG fully appreciates and understands the reluctance of people asking for help; however, we hope to overcome those hurdles in a kind and giving manner. Please allow us the opportunity to do our small part to demonstrate and celebrate that Beaumont Wilshire is truly a place we can be proud to call “home”.
BWNVG Contact: John Sandie 219.508.4162 sandiefam@gmail.com