Membership with San Francisco Village helps our community navigate aging, enabling us stay active and connected with those around us. As we’ve written about previously, this has changed the lives of many.
Here are some of our members’ favorite aspects about membership — in their own words.
Intergenerational Connection
“It’s an enlivened community who are interested in learning, getting to know each other, being seen. It’s easy to become isolated when you age,” said member and board member Bill Haskell. “Every one of our activities is highlighted by connection.”
San Francisco Village members range in age from their early 60s to well into their 90s, creating an intergenerational approach to navigating aging as a community.
“We’re trying to figure out how to be more multi-generational, but from 60-90 is multigenerational already. Listening to people’s stories and experiences is something I love,” said member Olive Shaughnessy.
And as Haskell explains, this connection spans even more generations — members frequently connect with younger generations via San Francisco Village’s volunteer program as well as high school mentoring.
“We’re creating an intergenerational community by reaching out to adult children and high school students as a part of the mentorship program,” Haskell said.
Awareness Around Aging
Member Joanne Low said San Francisco Village’s staff energy is always positive, and also makes her feel confident about confronting aging on a societal level.
“Because of the work that they’ve done with Village Movement California, their knowledge of what’s going on nationwide, it makes me feel like we’re a part of a larger cause,” Low said. “There are 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day — are we as country ready? Probably not. What can we do to raise that awareness?”
Take the next step towards aging better together – inquire about San Francisco Village membership today by filling out an application here. And, share this blog with others.
Sara joined the team in 2018. She brings with her 20 years of experience in community development, philanthropy, and organizational management. She completed her bachelors at George Washington University and her masters at UC Berkeley. Her career focus has been on evaluating how community groups run from year-to-year and strengthening daily processes to increase institutional success. Sara loves travel and global development issues, particularly a non-profit she founded 10 years ago focusing on students’ access to school in Cambodia. Sara is raising her family here in San Francisco.
Maya is a public relations and communications professional with more than a decade of experience; her expertise includes consumer products and technology PR, as well as event management and content development. She has been a pro-bono consultant with the Taproot Foundation since 2012, and has participated in three service grants to date. Maya attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a BA in mass communications and a minor in political science.