Growth, Change and Communications
Ashby Village: The Next 10 Years
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Story by Andra Lichtenstein, President, Board of Directors
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As we grow from a small organization where we all knew everybody, there will be stronger and weaker connections within our community. Trust becomes all-important. We want to grow in a way that ensures members feel a strong sense of community and are clear about how best to influence decisions that affect them.
As a volunteer-based organization, our members and volunteers are the fuel that keeps us running. Our membership is talented, accomplished and well connected; meaningful contributions and joyful experiences are our incentives.
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We need to continue to engage and encourage those who are seeking a greater sense of involvement and ownership who want to know:
- “How do we raise issues? Where do we direct questions and concerns?”
- “What are the pathways into leadership roles?”
- “Who makes what decisions- the Board, the Executive Director, the staff, the Program Leadership Team?”
Click
HERE
to read more about:
- Recent Steps Taken to Enhance Communication
- More Transparency with the Board of Directors
- How to Add Your Voice and Give Feedback
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In honor of this Tenth Anniversary, we cordially invite you to join us for our special “10 for 10” programming series: ten events that celebrate who we are as an organization, a community, and a Village.
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Ashby Village Forum - Strengthening Community
Saturday, October 5th, 1-4 PM
Where: Ashby Village Office
This gathering of our dynamic community will celebrate our first 10 years and strengthen our connections and communication for the next 10. There will be a mix of information sharing and lively dialogue. You will have the opportunity to share your unique perspective and to learn about one another and Ashby Village.
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Come meet our new full staff, learn more about how the Village is organized, and influence the decisions that matter most to you!
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Narsai David: My Life in Food
When
: Saturday, October 26th, 2-4 PM
Where
: Unitarian Universalist
Church of Berkeley
1 Lawson Road
Kensington, CA 94707
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Restaurateur, chef, wine maker, and author, Narsai David discusses his journey through the culinary world. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Narsai first worked with Henry Rubin and Ed Brown at Berkeley’s Potluck Restaurant and then launched a gastronome’s delight, Narsai's Restaurant, in Kensington. From 1972 until 1986, Narsai’s Restaurant, Market and Catering businesses were a culinary mecca for gourmet diners world-wide.
Narsai David is currently Food and Wine Editor for KCBS Radio in San Francisco. He hosts and makes celebrity appearances at gatherings around the world. He has catered for many large-scale and prestigious events. Wherever he goes, his objective remains the same: to share the simple pleasures of cooking, good food, and wine.
To Celebrate Ashby Village 10 Years, this presentation will be followed by
WINE & CHEESE RECEPTION
SILENT AUCTION
including dinners for two in many of the East Bay's finest restaurants, hotel and bed and breakfast stays, and more!
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Space is limited. Register early
.
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Members...
No Plans for Thanksgiving?
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Ashby Village has discovered that some of our Members may not have family that live nearby. This year Ashby Village is organizing a Thanksgiving Day potluck “get-together” for those who may want
to be with other members to celebrate & give thanks.
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October 4,
3:00-4:00 pm
Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Avenue, Berkeley
We are pleased to have Docent Rebecca Woolis from the Berkeley Repertory Theater come to Ashby Village and give a presentation on their first production of the 2019/2020 season "The Great Wave" by Francis Turnly. The Berkeley Rep calls it "an epic new thriller".
If we get enough interest for this docent presentation from the Berkeley Rep, it could become a monthly or bi-monthly series about their new productions!
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Living Room Chats
Invite a friend to join our Living Room Chat. They'll have the opportunity to hear what Ashby Village offers to our members and volunteers, how it enhances their quality of life, and why it helps them develop peace of mind about the future.
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Sunday, October 13, 2:00-4:00 pm
BERKELEY - RSVP for location
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10 Mile Urban Hike
to Sausalito!
Let's
PLAY-it-FORWARD
volunteers!
Celebrate our 10 years
with 10 miles!
Join us and make the most of San Francisco's unique geography by going on a 10 mile urban hike with other AV volunteers.
WHEN:
Saturday, October 12, 2019
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Upcoming
Hearts N' Hands
Window Washing Event
Thursday October 17th,
Come and join us!
Light lunch will be provided
The
Hearts N' Hands
program provides volunteer assistance to Ashby Village Members when they need a hand. Volunteers gather for a half day to complete multiple jobs at once.
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Hearts N' Hands
Thank you!
Thank you and your team. Not only for all the work that was accomplished but also for the great sense of friendliness and teamwork that everyone including me enjoyed! ~ AV Member Shirley Jowell 🧚🏾♀️🦋
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Hearts N' Hands
Another thank you!
Dear Hearts N' Hands Volunteers, I am absolutely thrilled with the window washing service you performed today. I didn't know what to expect but the job was fantastic, my windows have never been this clean. It makes such a difference! I also enjoyed having you all in my home and the camaraderie we shared. A big thank you for a job well done from beginning to end! ~AV Member Joan Alexander
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Join Our
New
Tai Chi Class!
When
: 10/22 – 12/17
Tuesdays, 10:30 - 11:30 AM
Where
: Ashby Village Office
Instructor
: Lydia Shiozaki
Fee
: $30.00 for the semester
RSVP
or call (510) 204-9200
Tai Chi helps improve balance as it targets all the physical components needed to stay upright, leg strength, flexibility, range of motion, and reflexes. By making you firmer on your feet, it can also help to take away the “fear of falling”. Tai Chi has “zero” impact so it doesn’t put too much strain on aging bones and joints.
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Our Embracing Change Series is back for Autumn
Fostering a Healthy Life Style:
Current Research on Nutrition & Aging
- Are you confused by conflicting dietary recommendations?
- Are you experiencing minor or major symptoms of disease and want to slow this process?
- To what extent can we control our health and independence as we age through nutrition and lifestyle?
When: November 6, 2-3PM
Where: Ashby Village Office
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Healthier Aging Recommended Reading
Want to avoid an early death? Get moving, a study says
by Allen Kim
The medical journal BMJ published a report today that links a lower risk of early death to higher levels of physical activity at any intensity in middle-aged and older people.
Read here
A User Manual For Your Knees
by Dr. Jordan Metzl
A knee is designed to withstand millions of steps during a lifetime, but sometimes all that stress can have ill effects. Here’s how to care for and use your knees for many years to come.
Read here
Vaccines You'll Need Over 50
by Barbara Stepko
There are vaccines every person needs, but they wear off over time, and now there are new ones that are aimed specifically for older adults.
Read here
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For more info and to register email Roberta Pressman, Healthier Aging Coordinator,
[email protected]
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Plan Ahead to Submit Articles to This Newsletter
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Would you like your event or notice to appear in the Village Voices Newsletter? Use
this simple form
to submit your material.
It takes us time to prepare each issue! Remember that the DEADLINE for each newsletter is the 15th of the previous month. Late submissions are not guaranteed placement in the next newsletter.
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October Technology Workshops
Two exciting technology workshops are scheduled for October! Co-sponsored by Ashby Village and the UC Berkeley Retirement Centers, these workshops are
open to UC retirees/emeriti and Ashby Village members.
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iPhone Photography Workshop (Part One)
There are only a few spots remaining!
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Time: 10 am-12pm
OR
1-3pm
Where: Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina, Berkeley
Ashby Village Tech volunteers will facilitate a hands-on iPhone photography workshop. Come learn how to use the native camera, and organize and share your photos.
R
equired: iPhone (models 6-10) with 10 recent photos
To register for ONE of the two time slots
contact
Celie here
.
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Summoning Help in an Emergency: Devices and Emerging Trends
Presenter: Richard Caro, PhD
Tuesday October 29, 2019 10 am-12 noon
UC Berkeley, University Hall Room 150 (corner of Oxford St. & University Ave.)
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Are you considering purchasing an emergency alert device? Richard Caro, Ph.D., and his Tech-enhanced Life team have investigated many alternatives, and Dr. Caro will share his findings. Click
here
for more information.
To prepare for Dr. Caro’s presentation, you may wish to click
here
to explore his guide for selecting medical alert devices.
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If you need assistance with registration, call the Ashby Village office at (510) 204-9200.
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A Note of Appreciation from a Member
Dear Ashby Village,
Thanks so much for the tech services our volunteers provide. They work so hard to teach me (my brain) to become wired for digital thinking! Ninety plus years of analog thinking is not easy to change.
I don't like to be a pest and drive anyone nuts, but I do. Thanks for hanging in with me, anyway. Of course I love all the events, classes, especially staff, and members and many volunteers. It is wonderful to be a member of Ashby Village!
Love to all,
Roz Gordon (AV Member)
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Would you like personal assistance from Technology & Electronics Volunteers?
Volunteers can help you with a
wide range
of devices!
- Want to learn more about your smart phone or tablet?
- Not sure how to get your TV hooked up?
- Interested in finally getting your printer to work?
- Ready to learn how to use Skype or FaceTime to have video calls with friends and family?
- Have you had enough of that weird thing that keeps happening with your computer?
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Neighborhood Groups &
Ongoing Activities
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Check out our
online calendar for the
full view of our upcoming meetings, activities and other
events.
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Reflections on Past Events
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Emergency Preparedness Talk
Story by Sigrid Duesberg, Photo by Nancy Rubin
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On August 2, Amber Davis and Rachel Rodriguez, Health Services Program Specialists from the Public Health Division-Emergency Preparedness of the City of Berkeley, came to Ashby Village and talked to us about basic preparedness with a focus on earthquakes.
Their presentation was specifically tailored to older adults. Many questions came up in the discussion, including sheltering in place, reunification, making a disaster kit and finding out emergency information. All participants received a small emergency kit as a gift.
"I picked up a few new tips and I'm inspired to get things organized", Ashby Village member Nancy Rubin said after the event.
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Pre-Social Hour Event: Living the Shakespearean Life
Story by Sigrid Duesberg, Photo by Su-Yin Bickner
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On September 6, about 30 members and volunteers attended our pre-social hour event where everything revolved around Shakespeare.
Our speaker was John Boe, a long time member of Ashby Village.
He read from and discussed his new book,
Living the Shakespearean Life
, a collection of oral histories from eminent Shakespearean directors, actors, and scholars in England and America.
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45th Annual Solano Stroll
Story by Sigrid Duesberg, Photos by Laura Peck & Sigrid Duesberg
As in previous years Ashby Village participated in the Annual Solano Stroll that took place for the 45th time on Sunday, September 8. According to the organizers' report it drew 210,000 people!
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A lot of interested visitors came to our booth, more than in recent years, and we hope to welcome one or the other either as member or volunteer back at the Village.
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Our gratitude goes to all the volunteers, Helen Cameron, Carol Takaki, Laura Peck, Rochelle Lefkowitz, Emily Sexton, Sue Tomasello, Carletta Aston, Sandra Whisler and Julie Freestone who, despite the burning sun, went out and talked to strollers about Ashby Village.
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Interest Group of the Month
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Hearing Loss Support Group
Hearing Loss: the invisible disability
Come to our next monthly meeting,
Background
Hearing loss is the most prevalent serious disability in the US today, and is an invisible handicap. It’s likely that 25-40% of our members experience will contend with hearing loss. Significant hearing loss can result in frustration, stress, isolation and depression. At a minimum, it can prevent our members from fully accessing the benefits and activities of membership in our Village.
It is not commonly known that normal hearing people have the ability to filter out noise and hearing is effortless for them. People with hearing loss, however, do not have that ability. In addition they have great difficulty with multiple people talking at the same time, when conversation switches from one person to another, when people turn away from them or put their hands in front of their mouth, and when people change the subject.
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About Us
The purpose of the Hearing Loss Support Group is to provide practical help and mutual support and to help make our Village a welcoming and inclusive community.
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We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 3:30-5 pm to discuss challenges and exchange the resources and strategies we have found helpful.
We advocate for full access to Village events by raising awareness and by assuring all gatherings provide accommodations for those of us with hearing challenges.
We also host guest speakers who share their knowledge about topics like hearing assistance technology, communication tips, travel accommodations, and getting the most out of visits to the audiologist.
Our Next Meeting
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Our invited speaker is
Magda Peck.
Faced with a triple challenge - childhood measles, early onset familial hearing loss, and further declines with aging - Magda has learned to hear even better than most. Her Hearing Stories combine 30 years of changing technologies, practical strategies and lessons learned.
Come Join Us!
Our group is always looking for new members to participate, including those who do not have a hearing loss. To find out more please email Larry Fishman, our convener at
[email protected]
.
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Edited by Irene Rosenthal and Peter Sussman
Today we inaugurate a new feature. We will publish every other month in this newsletter a poem by a noted modern or contemporary poet. As the co-editors of this feature, we hope to select poems that will engage you, our fellow members, providing an island of reflection.
We begin with a poem by the late Chana Bloch, an internationally known poet, translator and teacher who was an enthusiastic member of Ashby village. (Before she died, Chana gave an exclusive reading for the Village of many of the poems she wrote during her long battle with an aggressive sarcoma. Those poems were collected in her posthumous book
The Moon is Almost Full
. A DVD of her reading produced for Ashby Village is available for purchase
here.
You can find Chana's poem
here
.
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Eleanor Dahl
March, 1931 - June, 2019
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Eleanor Carman Dahl, professional editor, library data coordinator, and professional weaver, died on June 12, 2019, in Emeryville, California.
She was born in Quogue, New York, on March 31, 1931, and grew up in on eastern Long Island. Eleanor met her husband Per F. Dahl, who died in 2011, at Brookhaven National Lab in 1963 where she was the executive secretary in the Reactor Systems Division, Department of Nuclear Energy. In this position she learned inputting and editing scientific documents for BNL. Later she edited all her husband’s books for publishing.
While volunteers who had worked with Eleanor had been contacted separately, it was not included in our September issue. We offer our most sincere apologies to the community.
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Thank you to the Ashby Village volunteers who contributed to this issue of the Village Voices newsletter.
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