ANVvoicesA r l i n g t o n N e i g h b o r h o o d V i l l a g e

Volume 2, Issue 1 Spring 2016

Springing Ahead…

Just some of the interesting, healthy, and fun things coming up:

April 9 – ANV Volunteer Appreciation Brunch

April 16 – Earth Day Lubber Run Clean Up

May 5 -Fall prevention weeklyworkshop second series begins

May 7 – ANV Appraisal Roadshow

May 23 – Tacqueria Dine Around

May 25 – Nationals Baseball Game

June 7 – Golden Members Tea

June 11 – BBQ and Picnic

June 18 - Seasonal Stroll Around Roosevelt Island

President’s MessageAnita Wallgren As we look forward to spring, I am pleased to let you know about our progress and focus for 2016. We had a very successful 2015, with a 50% increase in membership and a growing pool of trained volun-teers. ANV’s founders set up a strong, volunteer-driven organization. We began providing services to members in April 2014 -- it seems like yes-terday! But it takes years to establish a new robust organization, even with terrific volunteers who provide service directly to members, staff the office, and publicize and organize events and programs. Hiring an Executive Director is a priority to manage all of these activities, and to be able to plan and execute strategies to match our further growth. We could not have completed our successful year in 2015 and had a running start in 2016 without the help of Patty Sullivan. Patty began volunteering with ANV in 2014 and was one of our key office manager volunteers. When our Program Manager left ANV to provide support for her family members, Patty generously (maybe insanely) offered to fill the interim paid position while she, too, juggles family and her own academic program in gerontology in Boston -- and serves on the Arlington Commission on Aging. It is my pleasure to serve as your President for 2016. I welcome your phone calls, emails, questions and suggestions. See you around the Village!

Special guest and Washington National Opera baritone, James Shaffran, talked about his musical life with the Opera Buffs in January. Photo by Gary Eiserman, volunteer

Anita

Anita Wallgren – President Donna Pastore – Vice President/President ElectPeter Olivere – TreasurerElise Burns – SecretaryWilliam Gainer – DirectorCharlie King – DirectorMaureen Markham – DirectorPatty Sullivan, Interim Operations ManagerGail Benkert - Graphic Designer ANV voices

ANV Office 2666 Military RoadArlington, VA 22207(703) 509-8057 www.arlnvil.org

ANV is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

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Villagers and friends take a winter hike at the Seneca Quarry in February.Photo by Gary Eiserman, ANV Volunteer

Heartfelt Thanks I wish to express my heart felt appreciation to the many volunteers who have helped me since I returned home following my total knee replacement. Beverly has been outstanding with all the gracious help she has provided. Mimi gave generously of her time for a trip to the dr. and back home which took 3 hours during the middle of the day. I sure appreciated the company as well during this slow and painful recovery. Everyone else who provided a ride were so nice to be with. What a great job ANV is doing. Thanks for be-ing so kind and efficient. Warm regards. George Ruppert.

A r l i n g t o n N e i g h b o r h o o d V i l l a g e

Traveling with Coffee and Conversation One of the best ways to introduce friends and neighbors to Arlington Neighborhood Village is by having coffee with us. Each Wednesday morning, everyone is welcome to bring your coffee, meet ANV members, volunteers, and friends. Interesting speakers run the gamut from beekeepers to zoning experts. Popular topics include Arlington County resources and non-profit organizations. In January, we met in the Westover Beer Haus where the room was filled to capacity. We met in Fairlington in March, we’ll meet in Ballston Common in April, and we will spend May at the Langston-Brown Community Center. Join us in July at the Celtic House on Columbia Pike near Walter Reed Drive. We’re spreading the fun and spreading the word about ANV. If you know of a good spot in your neighborhood, contact Pax Baker through the ANV Office.

Jaime helps Sarah spin the globe to find our next travel story at a Wednesday coffee in Ballston Common in December.Photo by Gary Eiserman, ANV Volunteer

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From the desk of… Patty Sullivan, Interim Operations Manager The Arlington Neighborhood Village office is the heart of our organization. We help members tap into the wide variety of services ANV offers as well as Arlington County resources. The Office Volunteers are problem solvers, friendly listeners, and a team of people very committed to getting services filled. We currently are able to provide 98 out of 100 requests made by members.

How can Members and Volun-teers help make the office work flow run smoothly?• Members can help by getting their service requests in early. A month in advance is fine if you have the appointment. Also, be ready to give us all of the infor-mation we need. Address? How long? Extra stops? Having this information at hand makes the submission easier for all.• Members should honor the three-day rule (except for last minute doctor appointments.)

• Members should let us know if something did not go as expected with a volunteer.• Volunteers can review and respond to our daily email requesting help, and report their mileage and time promptly.

• Volunteers should let us know if circumstances have changed with one of our members.

With lots of support, it is my job to make sure that the trains run on time at ANV. I am deeply grateful to all of the Office Corps, other vol-unteers, and ANV members who make my job easier by being so willing to help! I may be a temporary employee, but I am enjoying my work with Arlington Neighborhood Village.

Two ANV members spread their wings We are pleased to announce that two of our members are getting involved in the villages scene beyond ANV.

Gail Kutner has joined the Board of the Washington Area Villages Exchange (WAVE) for a two-year term. WAVE is a forum that enables the villages in the Washington DC metro area to share experi-ence and ideas. It encourages the development and growth of villages through networking and quarterly meetings on topics of interest.

Carol Paquette has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of the Village to Village Net-work (http://www.vtvnetwork.org/) VtV is a national peer-to-peer network that promotes the es-tablishment and management of villages. There are currently about 190 villages in operation and another 185 in development. Carol will serve on the Governance and Research Committees.

Congratulations to them both!

Patty Sullivan and Mike Murtha enjoy a laugh at a holiday potluck. Photo by Caity Enroth, volunteer.

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By Marie Kondo

Even readers skeptical about whether tidying up can magically transform their lives will find much sound practical advice in this short book. The author’s “KonMari” approach to dealing with clut-ter starts with a few simple principles: Instead of trying to tidy up gradually, sort everything in the same category at the same time. Eliminate first and store later. Focus on what you want to keep, not what you want to discard. And keep only those items that truly “spark joy” in your heart. About a third of the book is devoted to storage, including highly specific advice for folding, stack-ing, and color-coding clothing in drawers and closets. Some of her claims raise eyebrows. She evalu-ates books not by their contents but on whether they give her a thrill of pleasure when she touches

the cover. She claims that storage space is never really a problem, since if you “properly” choose the articles you want to keep, you’ll find that they fit perfectly into your available space. The require-ment that objects “spark joy” works a lot better for discretionary items like clothing than for purely utilitarian ones. Nonetheless, her argument offers significant in-sights about our relationship to our possessions. We acquire many things for psychological rather than utilitarian reasons. Confronting clothing no longer worn and books no longer read can help us understand who we were in the past when we ac-quired them and how we’re different now. This is the way in which decluttering can be “life-chang-ing”: recognizing what we really want to own can help us understand how we want to live our lives. --Rosemary Jann

Book Review: A New Way to See Your Things The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Fall Prevention Class - Back By Popular Demand ANV members, volunteers and guests are invited to a series of five free workshops on the topic of pre-venting falls sponsored by Marymount University and Arlington County Department of Parks and Recre-ation. Knowing your body and how to improve your balance, learning about the impact of your medica-tions and diet, and understanding how to set up your home interior can significantly reduce your risk of falling. You are encouraged to attend all five to get the most out of these workshops. Where: Langston Brown Community Center, 2121 N Culpeper St., Arlington, on the corner of Lee Highway. Plenty of free parking. When: Thursdays 10:30 am to noon, May 5, 12, 19, 26 and June 2. Registration with Marymount is required. Call or email Rachel Alberts (703) 284-7559, ralberts@marymount.edu and tell them you heard about it from ANV!

A r l i n g t o n N e i g h b o r h o o d V i l l a g e