Weekly Village News for April 4, 2025

From Frank...

*Please note that the Line Dancing class on April 11 will take place at All Souls Episcopal Church on the lower level, and there will not be class on April 18, as Adas Israel will be closed during Passover.

There was a great article in the New York Times last weekend about how to stay healthy and engaged in retirement. Besides encouraging those considering retirement to have a plan for when they’re no longer working, the article pointed out a few surprising things, such as “retirement can also be an opportunity for improving cognitive and mental health, with newfound time to socialize and take on hobbies.” Furthermore, doing creative and novel things and socializing (beyond watching TV or listening to the radio which are passive) can boost one’s energy, promote health, and even build a sense of meaning.

Whenever I talk about the Village, I always say, “We work hard to make sure that there’s something for everyone.” I really hope that’s true, but I also challenge folks to perhaps go outside of their routine or comfort zone to try to engage in something. That might mean becoming a volunteer (and while it’s not a requirement for a member to also be a volunteer about a quarter of members do also serve as volunteers.). This might mean doing something as easy as calling someone that is homebound or running a quick errand. Doing something different might also mean attending a lunch bunch despite being an introvert.

Or it might mean joining our virtual stretching class (via Zoom) on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 10 or phoning into our “Dial-In Social” to discuss how we’ve experienced kindness in our lives.

I hope that you received and enjoyed the new printed calendar that was mailed recently. It’s meant to make it easier to remember what’s offered. In the next few months, we’re going to facilitate members logging into our Village online platform so that you can more easily register for events and renew your membership. We want to do whatever we can to make it easier for members to be engaged. 

Here's the key point that I really want to stress – the Village sponsors all these things to help you stay engaged and active because the research tells us that doing so promotes health. So, everything that we do is to that end! So, will you commit to doing one thing before the end of the month?

Read the entire newsletter here.

— Frank Finamore, Executive Director

P.S. Please save the date of May 1 (in the late afternoon) for a special event in celebration of Older Americans Month. Details will be forthcoming, but trust me, you’ll want to be there!