Volunteer Services

VILLAGE GREETERS

Written by Juanita Fox, Storyteller Moving to a new community can feel overwhelming. New people, new neighbors, new experiences, new everything! In the midst of it all, a new friend who can show you around and offer you tips is invaluable! Recognizing the value of relationships, the Marketing Department and Volunteer Services partner to provide Village Greeters for every new resident who moves to Garden Spot Village. Residents volunteer to welcome their new neighbors with a phone call, a personal tour and an invitation to share a meal. While the initial connections between Village Greeters and new residents may be planned, the friendships that develop are not. In December 2019, when Dee and Cal Homan moved into their apartment in VSA, Fred and Lois Brownlee were assigned to be their Village Greeters. On moving day, Fred and Lois stopped in with freshly baked cookies, and a new friendship developed. “We didn’t know anyone when we moved in,” remembers Dee. Fred and Lois quickly stepped up to the plate. Fred had previously worked as a Garden Spot Village At Home Driver, so he knew a lot of people, and began to introduce Dee and Cal as new neighbors. “Shortly after we moved in, Lois and Fred hosted a Holiday Open House, which gave us a great opportunity to meet all of our neighbors in one evening,” recalls Dee. Fred and Lois also invited Dee and Cal to join them for drives through Lancaster County, which often included lunch and an ice cream stop. When Fred experienced a stroke and could no longer drive, Dee and Cal began to take Fred and Lois for drives.

“On Memorial Day, Fred and Lois’s daughter invited us to join their family for a picnic, so we drove Fred and Lois to their daughter’s home and enjoyed a visit with their family.” “On Saturday we went for a drive. We stopped for soft pretzels and then for ice cream,” Dee says with a smile. “We are very good friends. We pass food back and forth and I always knock on the door to see if Fred and Lois want to join us for dinner.”

A simple knock on a new neighbor’s door turned into a lasting, life-giving friendship. To learn more about becoming a Village Greeter, contact Volunteer Services at 717-355-6204.