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Blog archive

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

How to Create an Engaged and Productive Life

By Susan Kujawa
Posted: 10/28/2022
Tags:

Pasadena Village has been looking into the future and seeing a changing and challenging environment. In preparation to meet these new challenges, the Village prepared a Strategic Plan. The plan called for membership growth as one of the important activities needed to meet the challenges. This meant having a good understanding of what the Village provides to its membership and communicating why anyone should join. Members have been surveyed and asked to tell us why they joined and what they believed were the benefits of being members. Here are some of the things that they sent:

 

·      Joining the Village is one of the best decisions I have ever made

 

·      [The Village] will broaden your horizons and bring you joy no matter where you are on your "journey"

 

·      The Village provides a map with many options to dealing with retirement, staying connected, continuing to be involved in meaningful activity, and effectively dealing with aging. I recommend getting involved well before the "need" to be involved becomes a reality. Early involvement provides more support in identifying resources and effectively planning for a future as an older adult. Support of peers is the greatest asset of the Village. 

 

·      It's a caring community and provides motivation to keep going!

 

·      It is a good place to meet people and have community plus resources in your life.

 

·      ...there are many very nice people who have my back. 

 

·      A great way to stay healthy, happy, connected to others, intellectually stimulated, and have many opportunities for fun social activities

 

·      Join for the comradeship and for help with transportation

 

·      We are all getting older and we owe it to ourselves and our children to be prepared to cope with the inevitable changes. Also - you may think you have a lot of friends, but at the Village you will make very strong friendships that will stand you in good stead.

 

·      Join! You will be enriched by it.

 

How do we provide such a great experience?

For one thing, we have offerings. We have active groups who walk together or play ping pong. We have educational offerings and cultural offerings where people learn about how to deal with the multiple challenges they face or explore their interests in using literature, theater, or other arts. We have discussion groups that explore social issues, such as race, new developments in science, and deeper philosophical issues of spirituality or personal growth. In addition, and very importantly, we encourage and support members who initiate new groups to explore their own interests such as we all have but have not had time to explore in previous busy lives. The very diversity of our membership provides insights into different experiences of the world that we may not have encountered previously, expanding our understanding of the complex world that we occupy.

 

Encouraged by this positive feedback about what we have accomplished, we approached the future with confidence as we continue to improve our offerings and extend our reach into new arenas. It is our firm belief that we are offering good values and support in addressing the needs of a growing, aging population.

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