Monthly Village Newsletter for May 2025
- Village
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
From Frank...
May is Older Americans Month, and we have BIG plans to celebrate throughout the month. When I think back on how I became passionate about older adults, two things come to mind. The first is the experience of sitting at the kitchen table with my grandmother, who lived with us for 9 months a year when I was growing up. Those were formative years where I was fortunate to soak in wisdom and experience (along with the fumes from her Viceroys!) The second was calling Bingo at a “nursing home” (as we called it then) as part of my volunteer service with the Catholic Youth Organization. Somehow, even in my youth, I understood and truly valued the experiences of those in older generations. And I also saw how many young people overlooked or dismissed them.
The theme of this year’s Older Americans Month is “Flip the Script on Aging.” It challenges outdated views on aging, urging communities to break stereotypes and embrace aging as a time of opportunity and growth. It’s a time to recognize, appreciate, and learn from the experiences of older Americans who continue to shape our communities. We will begin our celebrations with a reception at the Cleveland Park Library at 4:30 on Thursday, May 1st. Mayor Bowser will open our exhibit, “We Are Your Neighbors.”
The project features the faces and stories of eight long-time members. Through dramatic portraits on the exterior of the building, engaging exhibits inside the library, and linked audio stories in our members’ own voices, visitors will be introduced to the rich histories, wisdom, and accomplishments of older adults in the community. The “We Are Your Neighbors” exhibit will run from May 1 to June 23rd at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library and was funded with support by HumanitiesDC.
Seating will be limited so I urge you to register today to help us kick-off our month-long celebration. We will also have a series of presentations at Cleveland Park Library throughout the month. These include:
(May 14, 5 pm)
(May 19, 6:30 pm)
Memories of DC Way Back When (May 21, 5 pm)
(May 28, 5 pm)
Meet Your Neighbors: The Power of the Village (May 29, 2 pm)
Additionally, we’ll co-sponsor a drumming circle at Adas Israel featuring Katy Gaughan on May 12th at 1pm, and a line dancing class with Donita Graham every Friday at 1pm, also at Adas Israel.
Then, on May 15th, our Village will be sponsoring Senior Cinema Day and yours truly will make brief remarks about our Village and the Village movement in general. Stay tuned to future newsletters to announce which movie will be showing. Whatever it is, we hope to have a group attend and go to lunch afterwards.
Finally, as I’ve said many times before, I feel so privileged to serve in this role, precisely because I get to interact with so many fascinating older adults that are also my neighbors. I may not have known so many without being in my job. Therefore, I couldn’t be more thrilled that our exhibit, “We Are Your Neighbors” will be an opportunity for the greater community to get a glimpse of the contributions of some of our members.
I hope to see many of you at Thursday’s opening reception. Please register as soon as possible by clicking here or calling the office at 202-615-5853.
Read all about the Village News & Events for Older Americans Month right here.
— Frank Finamore, Executive Director
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