Monthly Village Newsletter April, 2025

From Frank...

It’s nearly April and the cherry blossoms are at their peak today with almost 70% in bloom. It’s a magical and perhaps now iconic scene around the Tidal Basin. Long known to be a gift from Japan, as a symbol of international friendship, how the cherry trees came to Washington really rests with a woman, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, who saw the beauty of the trees while visiting Japan and envisioned them along the reclaimed land along the Potomac. You can read a fascinating article about the history of the trees here.And at the close of Women’s History Month, let me just add that I am not at all surprised that it was a woman who had the foresight and perseverance to make this happen. As often happens, however, her role has largely been lost to the general understanding that Japan gifted the trees to the US, so I’m happy here in our newsletter, at least, to honor her vision and accomplishment.

Within a few days, all members of the Village should look in their mailbox for a copy of our new paper calendar! It’s beautifully designed, but more importantly, we hope it will be a handy way remember all the great events that we’ve scheduled for the month. Of course, your feedback on the monthly, paper calendar is always welcome.

Claire and I worked hard to try to make it as eye-catching and useful as possible, but you may have other thoughts on what would be helpful. If so, please let me know via email, as our goal is to make it easier for all members to know all that’s available and ultimately join us for various activities and programs of interest. 

Note that the paper calendar is only mailed to members due to budgetary reasons. We have also uploaded the calendar on our blog if others would like to download and print it. You can also join the Village and receive it in your mailbox! If interested, just go to www.CWPV.org/join or call the Village office at 202-615-5853. We’re always interested in more members to join our great organization! We also have free memberships for those with limited incomes (generally defined as individuals with an adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less, or $65,000 for a couple.). So please don’t let finances be the reason why you don’t join the Village.

Happy Spring! It’s also known for allergies which often have the same symptoms as cold, flu, and unfortunately COVID. As a reminder, please follow the guidance in the following article on respiratory illnesses.

Read all the Village News here.

— Frank Finamore, Executive Director