A Village comes to Warwick

After more than a year of planning by residents, alongside the Village Common of Rhode Island, Warwick’s Village for older adults is becoming a reality.

There will be an opportunity to celebrate this milestone and to learn more about how the Village supports older adults in the community on Feb 26 at 10 a.m. at the Elk Lodge on West Shore Road.

The village concept is neighbors helping neighbors in a formal, sustainable organization. Older adults can get trusted help when they need it and stay social, preventing the negative effects of isolation.

According to a press release, the Warwick Village is always looking for volunteers to fill a variety of roles, from serving on the steering committee to helping older residents who are just feeling lonely and need someone to talk to.

“We can provide rides to doctor’s offices, to the market, pharmacy or other errands, and do shopping for the member,” Caroline Dillon, executive director of the Village Common told the Warwick Beacon in November when the Warwick Village was still in its early organizing phase.

“We offer home help, which includes basic maintenance, such as replacing a battery in a smoke detector, changing a light bulb or removing seasonal items…We all need some technology help, setting up new devices. We have volunteers ready,” she said.

According to Dillon, volunteers must complete a required background check. Villagers can also be volunteers, which Dillon says has happened often across Rhode Island’s other villages. Interested potential villagers, she continued, can meet with the organization’s membership ambassadors at their homes or at another location.

“We want to be sure that a village is a good fit for the perspective member and expectations are understood,” she said.

The Village Common of RI is a volunteer-driven, membership based, nonprofit organization with villages in Aquidneck Island, Barrington, Burrillville, Edgewood, Gloucester, Providence and Westerly. Each village has members and the volunteers who assist them, supported by the small administrative staff of The Village Common of RI. People can be both members and volunteers.

Formed in Providence in 2015, The Village Common of RI was inspired by the first village created by neighbors in the Beacon Hill section of Boston in 2002. These friends developed a formal network of volunteers available to help members with some of the challenges people experience as they age. 

Each village reflects the needs of older adults in the community in which it operates. Villages are increasingly serving older adults in under-resourced communities with diverse populations. Members of Rhode Island villages pay dues based on what is financially manageable for them.

According to organizers, the Villages also rely on collaborations and partnerships to leverage their resources and better serve older adults. They partner with health care agencies and providers, senior centers, educational institutions, service clubs, for-profit businesses, faith-based groups, and organizations in the aging services network. They strive not to duplicate services but rather enhance connections to resources.

If you’re interested in learning more about joining the Warwick Village as a volunteer or member, please contact us at warwick@villagecommonri.org or at 401-515-5118.

Visit our website to learn more about The Village Common of RI (www.villagecommonri.org).

With reports from Joy Fox and Adam Zangari.