December 18, 2024
Villages Growing Stronger: 2024 Year in Review + New Accelerator
Thanks to your support, 2024 has been a transformative year for empowering older adults to age well in their chosen communities across California.
Our achievements highlighted below reflect significant growth and impact: We deepened our work in caregiving support and currently have seven new communities developing villages through our Incubator Program. We expanded our advocacy reach by advocating for the village model to be included in the National Plan for Aging, launched new villages in Encinitas, Sebastopol, and Sonoma Valley, and strengthened our digital presence.
In early 2025, we’ll launch our innovative Village Accelerator program to strengthen existing villages and ensure their long-term sustainability. Your donation today will directly support this vital initiative and help us expand our proven model to more communities across California. Together, we can ensure that every older adult has the opportunity to age with dignity, connection, and purpose in their chosen home.
Please make your tax-deductible gift today by donating online. Your generosity will help create strong, sustainable villages that transform how Californians age. If you would like to make your donation by check, please do so and mail to Village Movement California, 3220 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94118.
Thank you for being part of this important movement. Together, we’re building communities where aging is an opportunity, not a challenge.
Warm regards,
Carolyn Ross
Co-Executive Director, Programs and Member Management
Erick Larson
Co-Executive Director, Advocacy and Resource Develpment
SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA’S CAREGIVERS
6.7M Californians are caregivers. Our 50 villages across the state create a vital safety net of care and connection. We strengthened our commitment to addressing caregiving needs through focused initiatives:
- Connected with other villages through BRAVO’s meeting on Higher Needs Village Members, sharing practical ideas and program elements to better serve those requiring additional support.
- Collaborated with the California Coalition on Family Caregiving’s “Caregiver’s Journey: Roadmap to 2030.” This included co-hosting an informative webinar on forgotten middle research and representing caregivers’ interests at Sacramento’s advocacy day, where caregivers spoke directly with elected officials about long-term care support services.
GROWING THE MOVEMENT: INCUBATOR PROGRAM
Our Incubator Program continues to expand the village network throughout California:
- Successfully launched new villages in Encinitas, Sebastopol, and Sonoma Valley through our comprehensive six-phase curriculum.
- Currently supporting seven communities in their village development: Irvine, Kern River Valley, Lake Forest, Monterey, Palm Springs, South Pasadena, and Walnut Creek.
- Several other communities are preparing to join the program.
AMPLIFYING OUR VOICE: ADVOCACY HIGHLIGHTS
2024 marked important progress in advancing the village movement through advocacy. Here are our key accomplishments:
- National Village Day (February 15) brought significant recognition when California Senator Anthony Portantino honored our impact through a Senate resolution, with additional acknowledgment from the Pasadena Mayor highlighting the village model’s community benefits.
- Board members Leza Coleman and Erick Larson effectively represented villages at the federal level, working with 100 supporters at our conference to ensure villages are included in the Administration for Community Living’s National Plan on Aging.
EXPANDING THE POSSIBILITIES: ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Our 6th Annual Statewide Conference at West Health Institute in La Jolla drew over 100 participants, including attendees from California and Washington DC villages. The successful gathering strengthened inter-village connections, knowledge-sharing and advanced our mission of aging better.
STRENGTHENING OUR DIGITAL IMPACT
Our communications efforts expanded reach and engagement across key channels:
- We developed an interactive map for the Find My Village page, our most visited webpage, enabling users to easily locate and explore villages throughout California
- Social media presence grew substantially, led by LinkedIn‘s impressive 155% growth in followers and Facebook increase by 50%. Join us online!
THE VILLAGE ACCELERATOR
In early 2025, we’ll launch a new initiative to strengthen existing villages:
- The Village Accelerator will enhance organizational sustainability through a proven format of workshops, coaching, and peer learning communities.
- Program focus areas will include developing Communities of Care, strengthening fund development, and building robust village infrastructure.
For more information, please contact Carolyn Ross at carolyn@villagemovementcalifornia.org
Help support the Village Accelerator. Your donation will directly support this vital initiative and help us expand our proven model to more communities across California.
