Ashby Village and North Oakland Village Enter Second Decade Together
By Julie Freestone and Rochelle Lefkowitz
Most ten-year olds have a major growth spurt. Their elders often shake their heads, amazed by the strong, maturing beings these pre-teens have become, yet at times frustrated by what we see as energy wasted in order to appear more independent.
Today, amidst closures and cutbacks brought on by the current pandemic, our two ten-year-old villages, with the same vital mission and vision, have created a way to strengthen both of our offerings and operations.
As of July 1, 2020, Ashby Village (AV) and North Oakland Village (NOV) have merged to provide even more robust programming and support to older adults in Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Kensington, parts of Oakland and Richmond.
Both organizations bring a lot to the merger. They have worked closely together for over a year to blend hundreds of trained volunteers and internal membership structures to create a close-knit community of elders that addresses our needs and engages us in even more stimulating events and activities.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to join forces, to make us stronger and
more resilient in these challenging times,” says Andra Lichtenstein, President of AV’s board. She points out that since both villages have existed for ten years, they have a wealth of experience and wisdom to share.
Judith Coates, co-founder of NOV agrees. She says both organizations, having considered the merger for some time, realized there would be both administrative costs savings and enriched programming for members of both groups. Combined, our Village will have well over 400 members and more than 300 trained volunteers.
Starting on July 1st members of North Oakland Village and Ashby Village will all be able to enjoy the support and services which before have only been open to each individual village’s community.
Charlotte Dickson, Director of Village Movement California, a coalition of over 43 villages in our state, says the coalition applauds mergers like this since they’re truly win/win situations. “I’m excited,” she says. “This will widen opportunities for older adults in the East Bay,” she adds, “plus it’s a very wise business move.”
Andy Gaines, AV’s Executive Director and Susan Pierpoint, NOV’s Board Chair, point out another advantage: both Villages have contacts and partners who open doors and provide opportunities that will benefit us all.
To create a seamless transition, three members of the North Oakland Village Board of Directors will join the Ashby Village Board of Directors. Joseph D. Evinger brings more than 40 years of experience in budgeting, financial analysis and auditing, as well as a career in financial management and consulting. Susan Thomas Pierpoint, president of the North Oakland Village board, practiced law for more than 30 years in a private law firm and then at University of California. Bryan Ricks is chairman of the Oakland Mayor’s Commission on Aging; executive director of CareBuilders at Home-East Bay; and a member of the Livable Oakland Committee.
A lively introduction for North Oakland members and volunteers to AV programs took place on June 18th, with enticing introductions to the broad array of new options, from the Arts & Culture Group and ELDER ACTION to Healthier Aging and our Science and Ideas interest group. A recent meeting of the Ashby Village Program Leadership Team (PLT) happily expanded to include North Oakland Village’s co-founder and chair of their Program Committee, Judith Coates.
To honor and sustain the ties NOV has created and nurtured these past ten years, it will be retaining its name and identity as North Oakland Village, part of the Ashby Village family. Plus, in order to assume and retain a strong voice within the AV structure, NOV will act as a new AV Neighborhood group and Greg Finnegan of NOV will become part of the Ashby Village Neighborhood Group Council (NGC).
Thanks to the core team who’ve worked long and hard to make this merger meet all of our needs and hopes. Bravo to AV Board President Andra Lichtenstein, NOV Board President Susan Pierpont, AV Executive Director Andy Gaines, NOV Co-Founder Judith Coates, NOV Board Member Joe Evinger, AV volunteer Flo Raskin, and both villages’ staff members. Important support was also contributed by AV Communications Team members Julie Freestone and Rochelle Lefkowitz.
As those parents among us know, the opinions that mean the most to pre-teens of course, are those of their peers. So here’s how AV Member Mary Jo Powell, who coordinates the activities of the Thousand Oaks Hamlet Neighborhood Group, one of eight neighborhood groups in AV puts it: “We are pleased to welcome Greg Finnegan as NOV’s representative on our Neighborhood Group Council and are happy that NOV is becoming part of our AV family. We will all learn a lot from each other!”.
A warm Ashby Village welcome to North Oakland Village! Here’s to the joys of interdependence!