December 17, 2025
2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
What a remarkable year 2025 has been for us and the movement we are building together!
Across California’s diverse geography—from rural Kern County to urban Los Angeles, from coastal Encinitas to the Redwoods in the north—our network of 50 villages is proving that aging does not have to result in isolation or loss of independence. We are building something remarkable: networks of care, connection, and dignity that transform what it means to grow older.
This year, we received national recognition when the American Public Health Association honored our Village Incubator with the prestigious Archstone Award for Excellence in Program Innovation. This award validates what we have known all along—that the village model is a replicable, scalable solution to one of our society’s greatest challenges: how we support people to age better in the communities they love.
The achievements you will read about in this Year in Review reflect the power of community, the dedication of village leaders and volunteers across California, and your steadfast support. Your donation today helps us expand this proven model to more communities, strengthen existing villages, and ensure every older adult has the opportunity to age with dignity and connection. Please make your tax-deductible gift by donating online at https://villagemovementcalifornia.org/donate or by mailing a check to Village Movement California, 9812 Hamilton Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA 92646.
Together, we are building communities where aging is an opportunity, not a challenge—where no one has to age alone.
Thank you for being part of this important movement.
Warm regards,
Carolyn Ross
Executive Director
NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR VILLAGE INNOVATION
Village Movement California received the prestigious Archstone Award for Excellence in Program Innovation from the American Public Health Association (APHA) for our Village Incubator program. The award recognizes the Incubator as a replicable best practice model that launched three new villages in 2024 and is currently supporting four communities launching throughout 2025. VMC accepted the honor at the APHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
VILLAGE ACCELERATOR STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES
Our new Village Accelerator program launched in February to help member villages grow their capacity and ensure long-term sustainability. The inaugural year featured two intensive modules.
- Fundraising & Fund Development: Three workshops led by our development consultants on grants, major donors, legacy giving, corporate sponsorships
- Infrastructure Development: Consultants and village leaders led four workshops covering building a board, leadership development and transitions, and creating equitable villages.
Video recordings and resource guides are available in the Members Portal, with exciting new modules that cover topics such as evolving village services for aging members and communities planned for 2026.
GROWING THE MOVEMENT: VILLAGE INCUBATOR
Our Village Incubator continues to expand the village network across California’s diverse geography, from rural areas to urban neighborhoods.
- In 2024, we successfully launched villages in Encinitas, Sebastopol, and Sonoma Valley through our comprehensive six-phase curriculum.
- Four communities are currently launching in 2025: Kern River Valley Senior Citizens, Inc. (serving rural Kern County), 626 Village (Los Angeles), Mt. Diablo Village, and San Ramon Valley Village (Northern California’s Contra Costa and Alameda Counties).
- Multiple communities across the state are exploring village development through the Incubator, with potential launches in 2026.
7TH ANNUAL STATEWIDE VILLAGE CONFERENCE
7TH ANNUAL STATEWIDE VILLAGE CONFERENCE Our Sacramento conference brought together over 130 village leaders, policymakers, healthcare partners, and advocates from across California for our biggest and most impactful conference yet. The gathering brought together members from California’s 50 village network alongside national village leaders, all committed to ensuring older adults can age with health, dignity, and connection in their communities.
- Addressing Key Challenges: Promoting interdependence in an incredibly independent society while ensuring no one ages alone, with particular focus on serving the “forgotten middle” population of moderate- to middle-income older adults
- Dynamic Programming: Policy advocacy and healthcare partnership panels, collaborative sessions on social isolation, and discussions on disaster response and fund development
- Renewed Commitment: Participants left energized with fresh ideas, valuable insights, and strengthened dedication to supporting aging-in-place initiatives, preventing loneliness, and advancing innovative approaches to social care and community resilience
Visit our conference webpage to view all speaker presentations and session recordings.
BUILDING INCLUSIVE & RESPONSIVE VILLAGES
Villages are intentional communities built on reciprocity and shared interests. In 2025, VMC expanded our commitment to serving California’s diverse aging population through culturally responsive and inclusive programming. In 2026, we will be expanding the village model into underserved or more ethnically diverse communities.
VMC En Español
California’s aging population is rapidly diversifying, with Latino older adults projected to reach nearly 24% of the state’s population by 2040, according to the California Department of Aging.
- Launched: VMC En Español for culturally and linguistically responsive outreach materials in Spanish. Visit our resource page.
LGBTQ Community Caregiving
LGBTQ older adults often rely on chosen family for support, with friends, ex-partners, or younger relatives frequently serving as primary caregivers.
- Workshop: Co-hosted with AARP California, exploring LGBTQ caregiving, building inclusive village environments, and navigating community caregiving—featuring case studies from Pasadena Village and The Village Common of Rhode Island. See AARP’S LGBT Community Caregiving Guide.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
VMC brought the village model to national stages in 2025. At the American Society on Aging’s “On Aging 2025” conference in Orlando, we presented on how villages impact California’s Master Plan for Aging across all five bold goals—from housing and healthcare to inclusion, caregiving, and affordability.
At the Village-to-Village Network mini-conference during LeadingAge’s Annual Meeting in Boston, Executive Director Carolyn Ross showcased VMC’s work scaling the village model through the Incubator and Accelerator programs.
VMC also participated in two workshops at the National Village to Village Network conference. The first explored the benefits of partnerships between villages and healthcare presented in collaboration with Amy Stuck of West Health Institute and Caroline Dillon of The Village Common Rhode Island, and the second provided an update on the state of the village movement in California.
VMC welcomed four exceptional new members to our Board of Directors in 2025. Luke Barnesmoore, Peter Fitzgerald, Carol Haig, and Amy Stuck bring invaluable talent, experience, and shared passion for building equitable and inclusive communities of care across California. Their diverse perspectives and expertise position VMC to seize emerging opportunities and continue transforming the experience of aging throughout our pivotal chapter of growth and impact.
