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Blog archive

March 2025

About Senior Solutions
03/28/2025

Building a Bridge With Journey House, A Home Base for Former Foster Youth
03/28/2025

Come for the Knitting, Stay for the Conversation... and the Cookies
03/28/2025

Creating Safe and Smart Spaces with Home Technology
03/28/2025

Finding Joy in My Role on The Pasadena Village Board
03/28/2025

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
03/28/2025

Managing Anxiety
03/28/2025

Message from Our President: Keeping Pasadena Village Strong Together
03/28/2025

My Favorite Easter Gift
03/28/2025

The Hidden History of Black Women in WWII
03/28/2025

Urinary Tract Infection – Watch Out!
03/28/2025

Volunteer Coordinator and Blade-Runner
03/28/2025

Continuing Commitment to Combating Racism
03/26/2025

Status - March 20, 2025
03/20/2025

Goodbye and Keep Cold by Robert Frost
03/13/2025

What The Living Do by Marie Howe
03/13/2025

Racism is Not Genetic
03/11/2025

Bill Gould, The First
03/07/2025

THIS IS A CHAPTER, NOT MY WHOLE STORY
03/07/2025

Dramatic Flair: Villagers Share their Digital Art
03/03/2025

Empowering Senior LGBTQ+ Caregivers
03/03/2025

A Life Never Anticipated
03/02/2025

Eaton Fire Changes Life
03/02/2025

February 2025

Commemorating Black History Month 2025
02/28/2025

Transportation at the Pasadena Village
02/28/2025

A Look at Proposition 19
02/27/2025

Behind the Scenes: Understanding the Pasadena Village Board and Its Role
02/27/2025

Beyond and Within the Village: The Power of One
02/27/2025

Celebrating Black Voices
02/27/2025

Creatively Supporting Our Village Community
02/27/2025

Decluttering: More Than The Name Implies
02/27/2025

Hidden Gems of Forest Lawn Museum
02/27/2025

LA River Walk
02/27/2025

Message from the President
02/27/2025

Phoenix Rising
02/27/2025

1619 Conversations with West African Art
02/25/2025

The Party Line
02/24/2025

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski
02/17/2025

Dreams by Langston Hughes
02/17/2025

Haiku - Four by Fritzie
02/17/2025

Haikus - Nine by Virginia
02/17/2025

Wind and Fire
02/17/2025

Partnerships Amplify Relief Efforts
02/07/2025

Another Community Giving Back
02/05/2025

Diary of Disaster Response
02/05/2025

Eaton Fire: A Community United in Loss and Recovery
02/05/2025

Healing Powers of Creative Energy
02/05/2025

Living the Mission
02/05/2025

Message from the President: Honoring Black History Month
02/05/2025

Surviving and Thriving: Elder Health Considerations After the Fires
02/05/2025

Treasure Hunting in The Ashes
02/05/2025

Villager's Stories
02/05/2025

A Beginning of Healing
02/03/2025

Hectic Evacuation From Eaton Canyon Fire
02/02/2025

Hurricanes and Fires are Different Monsters
02/02/2025

January 2025

As Our Organization Grows, Villagers Recall Personal Highlights

By Sue Addelson
Posted: 06/17/2024
Tags: sue addleson

Whether you are one of the original founders or just became an official member a few months ago, Pasadena Villagers take pleasure in hearing that our numbers are increasing almost every day. On a personal level, everyone can recall some special times, some new connections that, looking back, make each one glad they joined. Here are a few from this year:

Since joining Pasadena Village earlier this year, Ann Smith and her husband Gary quickly met five fellow Villagers, all of whom live within a couple of blocks of their house. “By this time, we weren’t surprised at how quickly we shared the most hilarious stories of life in Pasadena while growing old. We always are grateful at the level of mutual vulnerability and trust that grows without much effort, based on so many shared hopes and fears. Thank God for the Pasadena Village.”

Over the past year, Dave Folz slowed down his involvement in committees and events. He says he volunteered enough over the past 11 years and now he’s ready to relax and have fun. For him, Thursday ping-pong always delivers on fun. “There is something very irresponsible and childlike in our games. It's very satisfying to play again, and enjoy all the screaming associated with a good shot, and the momentary disappointment of losing a game. All the fun I remember as a kid, but without the arguments. We’ve all grown up. And I've made a lot of new friends that I look forward to seeing each week.” 

The real connection came for Suzi Hoge when she joined the Urban Walking group. At first she was nervous about the three miles. “I tried it once, and I made it. I felt accomplished,” she says. Now, she seldom misses a Friday walk. “Over time you get to chat with many members who are also in many different other groups you can learn about. An added bonus is walking through different neighborhoods in our larger community — Altadena, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre; learning history, landmarks, architecture, and plants in addition to learning about my fellow walkers.” 

At first, Peter Lamendola couldn’t choose just one highlight. He mentioned ping- pong, the Men’s Brunch and the hiking group, and especially, the annual activities the Village staff organizes, like the Volunteer Recognition Lunch at Farnsworth Park and the Older Americans Fair at Victory Park. But when push came to shove, he agreed that Ready or Not, a three-day workshop about planning for the inevitable, was his number-one highlight. “It’s not fun but much needed, and something I’ve worried about,” he says. 

Terry Chamorro is absolutely WOWed by the Cultural Explorations Group. She finds the reading material or movies they read and watch in advance of the next meeting interesting. But, it’s the discussions at the small dinner in one Villager’s home that really stand out, “I’ve never been around a group of such bright people. The discussions are wonderfully deep,” she says.

For John Jackson, it’s all about the Urban Walks. " I can't think of a better way to start my Fridays. I go for the camaraderie and can’t imagine what I would do without the stimulating conversations.” John is leading the Kern River trip, which may just top Urban Walks’ next year as a highlight, even if not so “urban.”

After 13 years in the Village, the Village Engagement Team, formerly Membership Committee, continues to hold Rosie Hooper’s attention. She wants every new member to find the Village as much fun and as meaningful as it has been for her. Her message to new members? “Don’t let anything hold you back from jumping into all the things that come to your mind; to determine where you will ‘settle in’ and find an area of the Village to help out. There is much in which to get involved, as well as much to enjoy.”

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