Raising Our Glass To Ten Years
by Jan Corazza and Pat Sussman
We hope you were able to raise a drink and toast with Andy to our next 10 years!
Re-watch the half-hour celebration here if you missed it!
(Start at the 15-minute mark to enter towards the end of the pre-show)
How did well over 500 members, volunteers, donors and friends join the Ashby Village 10th Anniversary Gala in this time of Corona 19? Virtually... of course.
Ten incredible years
With a proclamation from Berkeley’s mayor Jesse Arreguín and the City of Berkeley, the premiere of the film "Aging Better. Together." along with surprise guests, Ashby Village celebrated what founding member, Pat Sakai, called “Ten incredible years” as other guests spoke of their support for the vision and work of our Village.
Learning and adapting
Longtime member June Cheit noted, “during the time of the pandemic, I consider Ashby Village to be essential.” Member Russ Ellis spoke of new ways of bringing people together by using technology in new ways. Ellis recently led a Zoom meeting where 65 members came together to talk about their interests in the creative arts.
Broad community support
Michelle Moros, Executive Director of Belmont Village, a generous
Gala sponsor, spoke of our shared values, recognizing “the importance of supporting people to stay socially active.” Jeanine Saperstein, a Gala sponsor and long-time supporter, highlighted the importance of Ashby Village in helping members “to stay happy and healthy in their own homes.”
Falling in love with the village’s energy and enthusiasm
The celebration marked not only our 10th anniversary, it was was the opportunity to welcome the members of North Oakland Village into our Ashby Village community. As members of the National Village Movement for the past decade, both Ashby Village and North Oakland Village bring deep commitments to “the connections that are the heart of the community,” said AV Board President Andra Lichtenstein. Susan Pierpoint, former president of the North Oakland Village Board, said that when she became hooked on the village concept, she had fallen “in love with the energy and enthusiasm.” Bryan Ricks, former North Oaklander and now a member of the Ashby Village Board, noted that this was the time for a “re-look at how cities support health, wellbeing and opportunity” for all our citizens, and lauded the promise of the combined organization.
The heart and soul of the village
Volunteers are at the heart of villages and Ashby Village looks to our many dedicated volunteers to make things happen. People like Holly Brownscombe, Sam Duncan and Lula Greene have donated many hours to keep the wheels turning! Help with grocery deliveries, technology support, and office help have been vital, and they are only three of our over 350 volunteers who make things happen. As eight-year volunteer Lula Greene put it, “It gives me purpose” and “we have so much fun!”. Today, it’s a bit more difficult than it was a few months ago but “we can still help" Sam noted, "Because of the members, I love being part of Ashby Village.”
Ensuring the future of Ashby Village
Noting their support for the “10 for 10” group of inspired and passionate donors, Pat Sakai said that she and her husband Dick Shapiro, are supporting the village to “ensure that Ashby Village is here long past the time that we need it.”
Elaine and Herrick Jackson, became enamored of the Village movement after reading about the first village, Beacon Hill Village in a NY Times article almost 15 years ago. They joined Ashby Village even before moving to Berkeley 9 years ago. This year the Jacksons made their largest charitable gift ever because they wanted to make a difference to a local organization that matters to so many.
Volunteer and “10 for 10” member Pat Kirkpatrick then announced an additional gift, in memory of Margie Pezzaglia a 99-year-old village member, saying, “I can’t think of a worthier organization,”. Pat asked everyone to join her and her husband Sid Wolinsky in supporting Ashby Village in the future.
Even in these challenging times, or perhaps because of these them, the village movement has become more relevant each day. That relevance will only grow in the years to come. As was said earlier by Bryan Ricks, we will “re-look at how cities support health, wellbeing and opportunity for all our citizens”, and use that as our guide post into the future.
From left to right: Andra Lichtenstein (Board President) and her husband Bill Glover, Andy Gaines (Executive Director) and Helen Hansel (co-chair of 10th Anniversary planning team)