April Is National Volunteer Appreciation Month
Laura Anderson
Thank you to all the Senior Village volunteers. Senior Village celebrated volunteers with a luncheon for 165 at the MountainView ballroom. Honored to give back to those who have given so much, Senior Village extends a heartfelt thank you to all 300 volunteers.
Volunteering offers more than just lending a helping hand. It’s a path to personal growth and community impact. Senior Village makes an impact right in our own backyards. Our volunteers have given a total of 18,485 hours of their time and driven 65,930 miles in 2024. A total of 3,710 calls were answered last year, giving support and a friendly smile to those who live in our neighborhood.
At Senior Village, we are most grateful for and impressed by the talented volunteers who share their time to serve the community and our members. Senior Village volunteers help members in SaddleBrooke with transportation, fix-it tasks, home automation, forms and documents, free social activities, and free musical concerts.
The Helping Hands team responded to 1,169 requests last year, providing 967 hours of service, driving 5,030 miles to fulfill the needs of their neighbors. The Going My Way team welcomed 1,286 requests, totaling 42,851 miles driven by a trained volunteer providing safe, comfortable rides to the members’ destinations.
Volunteering is good for both your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that volunteering may reduce stress and the risk of disease. By savoring time spent in service to others, you will feel a sense of giving and receiving appreciation and purpose! According to the Mayo Clinic, “Volunteers report better physical health than non-volunteers. Research also has shown that volunteering leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety, especially for people 65 and older.”
Volunteering is a great way to meet people and create new friendships. Are you new to SaddleBrooke and looking for a way to get involved? Consider joining the neighbors who have chosen to give their time to Senior Village at SaddleBrooke. You could learn new skills and see your life from a new perspective, learning more about the people and community around you. The volunteer experience could be the perfect way to discover what you are passionate about while empowering you. You will discover what lights your soul on fire.
Music Matinee Moves to DVPAC
Laura Anderson
The journey of Senior Village’s Music Matinee Program began with a volunteer’s love of music and the power of healing and joy it brings to people. JoAnn Wilbour started her volunteer career with Senior Village in July of 2022 on the Friendly Contact Team, visiting members in their homes. If they had a piano, she would play for them. That evolved into a performance at SaddleBrooke One in August of 2022 at the Vistas to a full house. As the program grew, she moved to MountainView Grill, the Sonoran Room, and then to the ballroom where up to 100 residents are transported to youthful memories through music. Senior Village proudly announces that April 14 marks the first performance at the DesertView Performing Arts Center (DVCPA) with the Sonoran Singers. The growth in attendance has graduated the Music Matinee to this new location for all future performances.
JoAnn is always on the lookout for performers. She has been networking throughout SaddleBrooke the past few years to establish a running list of talent. Word of mouth, other Senior Village volunteers, performers, and attendees contribute to JoAnn’s potential bookings. JoAnn met one of our recent performers, The Key of C, at the Farmers Market. The move to DVPAC will enable JoAnn to schedule talent from outside of SaddleBrooke.
JoAnn describes the importance of Music Matinees to SaddleBrooke’s residents as “stimulating, invigorating, and nostalgic. Music helps people open up. They smile and sing along while moving to the music.” She went on to share, “It is good for people who are alone. It is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy some entertainment.”
Matinee is a free show open to all residents, regardless of Senior Village membership.
If you are a musician, singer, or performer and would like to learn more about Music Matinee, please email JoAnn at music.matinee@seniorvillage.org.
There’s a New Guy in Town—Or Maybe Not
Sinclair Browning
Or maybe both of the above! Looking for new ideas to serve the Senior Village mission of serving as a resource to the Greater SaddleBrooke community, Gary Hammond came up with the idea of a Men’s Social Hour in 2019. Originally limited to only Senior Village members and volunteers, the group now includes any man living in SaddleBrooke.
Longtime residents and new neighbors meet for two hours on the fourth Monday of every month for genuine conversations, flowing freely in a laid-back atmosphere. “There’s no RSVP and no agenda. You can simply show up and enjoy good company,” says David Bull, a former club host. “It’s a place where men can talk and connect on a deeper level as they share experiences and just have a great time.”
It’s a casual, loose format where there are sometimes self-introductions, or on other days, the men may jump immediately into lively dialogues and conviviality.
“One time we were asked, ‘What’s something that no one would know about you?’” David says with a chuckle, remembering his answer. “I won a Greek dancing festival in Athens.”
Food and drinks are available for purchase, and members settle in around a long table in the Bistro East Room of the MountainView clubhouse. With this inclusive arrangement, it’s common for simultaneous conversations to occur at both ends and the middle of the table, making it easy for everyone to thoroughly enjoy themselves.
The next scheduled meetings are April 28 and May 27 (due to the holiday) from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, contact John O’Brien, club host, at 303-818-9275 or john.obrien@seniorvillage.org.
As for rules? There’s only one: What happens at Social Hour stays at Social Hour.
A Man of Many Talents
Barbara Barr Bengen
Tim Moransi heard about the plan to create Senior Village when it was just a dream. As a busy retiree, Tim was very involved in volunteer work and enjoyed working with his hands. This new organization seemed like a natural fit for him, as Tim was looking for other ways to flexibly spend his time. As one of Senior Village’s “Pathfinders,” he has volunteered at Senior Village since its conception. Ten years later, Tim Morsani has found so much more.
One of the many loves of Tim Morsani is the theater. He has been active in SaddleBrooke theater performances for many years. Back in 2015, Tim was working on a theater production with Gary Hammond who was talking about starting this thing called Senior Village to help the residents of SaddleBrooke. As Tim was already volunteering for Rotary service projects and working with the Golden Goose, it was only natural that Tim would be interested in volunteering his time with this new organization, Senior Village.
Volunteering with Senior Village has not only been a perfect fit for Morsani, but also lots of fun. He thoroughly enjoys the wide variety of projects he works on with the Helping Hands Team, Lock Boxes, and Home Technology Team. Tim is busy with the theater, Rotary, the Goose, and other organizations. His work with Senior Village is very flexible, and he has control over his time. When the theater takes centerstage, Senior Village goes on a temporary hold.
Growing up on a farm, Tim offers invaluable knowledge and expertise working with his hands. However, his work with Senior Village goes so much further. As Morsani puts it, “The object of Senior Village is helping other people, and every time I go out on a project, the person it’s really helping is me.”