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Blog archive

December 2024

November 2024

Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024

Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024

Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024

Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024

Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024

Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024

Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024

President's Message
11/21/2024

The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024

Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024

Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024

Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024

Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024

Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

A LOOK AT 2022 FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

By Susan Kujawa
Posted: 11/30/2022
Tags:

2022 in Review

 

Here we are at the end of another year, a year filled with gains and losses. At Pasadena Village, 2022 saw the rebirth of in-person gatherings as Covid protocols lessened and fears of contagion receded (somewhat). Zoom was a gain, but also a loss. It did allow members with limited mobility to participate in engaging presentations and supportive discussions. And yet, many of us admit that we are “sick of Zoom.”

 

A major gain this past year was the influx of new members. Our membership has grown  from a low point of 135 during the pandemic to today's total of 146. Several factors contributed to this growth. Our Outreach Team set up information tables at health fairs and other community events. Katie Brandon, our Executive Director, made it a priority to visit local Chambers of Commerce, health care coalitions, and other community organizations. At these gatherings, Katie, accompanied by a Village member, extolled the benefits of aging in a supportive community.

 

A familiar story I heard from a new member exemplifies another element behind our growth. This newcomer recently moved to Pasadena from Brooklyn to live closer to her children and grandchildren. She loved being with her son and his wife and becoming a part of her grandchildren’s lives. But after a few months she began to wonder what to do with her spare time. 

 

One day she attended a South Pasadena health fair where she met and talked to a member of Pasadena Village. As a result she attended a “Meet Me at the Village” event, where she heard several Villagers share their experiences as part of the Village. She recalls, “As members took turns around the table, it hit me - These are my people!”  

 

But with the gains come the losses. When you are part of a community of older adults, it doesn’t take much to remind you of the passage of time. I especially carry in my heart the memory of our Pasadena Village co-founder Mike Babcock. I believe that without Mike, there would be no Pasadena Village. His enthusiasm, optimism, and persuasiveness created the momentum we needed to launch this great experiment. He valued authentic relationships. He had friends from years ago, and friends he met at the Village more recently. Mike would be thrilled to hear of our growth, and he would completely understand what our new member meant when she said, “These are my people.” That’s what he wanted to build: an inclusive, inquisitive, inquiring, inspiring, and enduring community.

 

As this year comes to a close and makes way for the New Year, I hope that you, too, can be with your people. And if not, you are always welcome at Pasadena Village.

 

Warmest regards,

Sue Kujawa

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