About Valley Neighbors

Valley Neighbors is a member-led community of active, creative, and independent adults who connect with and care for one another and provide an array of support services for residents aged 60 and older. We embrace our talents, share our experience and wisdom, nurture special interests, and foster deep relationships. We have one mutual goal: to grow older better in the homes and neighborhoods we love.

Valley Neighbors is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization funded through gifts from individuals and organizations in our communities, including grant awards from the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds, Cooley Dickinson Health Care, and the Massachusetts Service Alliance.

The "Village" concept began in 1999 after a group of friends in the Beacon Hill section of Boston  recognized that a better support system is needed as residents age.  This design is built on the idea that together we’re stronger, emphasizing peer-to-peer networking to promote an active lifestyle, improving residents health, and reducing isolation. From this beginning grew the Village to Village Network with over 300 local organizations in communities nationwide.

Mission

Valley Neighbors is a member-driven, non-profit organization serving residents age 60 and over who live in Whately, Deerfield, and Sunderland neighborhoods.  We provide activities, programs, services, and opportunities for community engagement as well as access to needed assistance so that we may lead active, independent, and healthy lives and successfully navigate the transitions of growing older.

Vision

As members we will engage with each other to enrich our own lives and serve the needs of each other and our communities.  We will: 

• Have opportunities to help others;
• Be able to teach what we know and learn when we are curious;
• Have opportunities to enjoy mutual interests and activities;
• Be comfortable asking for help to obtain the support needed to live our lives as we best see fit.

As a Village we will:

• Foresee and adapt to the changing needs of longer lives often lived without traditional support systems;
• Engage more volunteers to support and extend our activities, programs, and services;
• Increase our membership consistent with our resources to serve its needs;
• Assure our continuing financial support from individuals, corporations, and private foundations;
• Through innovation and responsiveness remain a national leader among grassroots-led neighborhood Villages.

Values

• Community – Strong relationships that support well-being.
• Individuality – Respecting, celebrating, and activating the uniqueness of each member.
• Compassion – Supporting and caring for each other.
• Volunteerism – Neighbors helping neighbors to support each other and strengthen their communities.
• Collaboration – Leveraging existing institutions, organizations, and services.
• Innovation – Redefining new ways of growing older and helping members design their own lives.
• Excellence – Continuously evaluating all that we do in serving our members to ensure quality, effectiveness, and member satisfaction.
• Sustainability – Managing our organization with fiscal discipline and responsibility.