Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Volunteer Jan Van Vlack, left, of the Village of Linden, and her dog, Linnéa, with the Dynamic Dog Club Therapy group, visit with Penny Hollosy, of the Village of Charlotte, during a Day-Break Club meeting.
Volunteer Jan Van Vlack, left, of the Village of Linden, and her dog, Linnéa, with the Dynamic Dog Club Therapy group, visit with Penny Hollosy, of the Village of Charlotte, during a Day-Break Club meeting.
When Gwen Reinchart steps into The Day-Break Club of The Villages on Tuesdays, she is filled with excitement. Being around others who have memory problems makes her feel a little more like herself. The Day-Break Club is among local health-related charities that lack the volunteers they need as participation increases. Not long ago, just a handful of residents attended the club’s first meetings after its COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Now the club has a waiting list until more volunteers return. They’re not alone. Candid, a data-tracking service that specializes in nonprofits, says volunteerism fell from 58% in 2020 to 56% in 2021. “Having friends next to you going through the same situations can be a comfort,” Reinchart said. “We’ve been with our caregivers throughout the entire pandemic, so being able to see others we have a bond with is rewarding.”
With it being the first time Reinchart has come back to the club since the pandemic began, she has looked forward to seeing her friends again.
“We want residents to know we are still here for them,” said Day-Break Club president Sandra Ricciardi in a former interview. “But we also need more volunteers to help fill these roles because as The Villages continues to grow, so does the amount of people interested in what we do.”
The Day-Break Club plans activities for those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia so that their caregivers can have some time to run errands or do something for themselves.
“The caregivers haven’t really had a break all this time because of the pandemic,” said Ricciardi, of the Village De La Vista. “So we are glad we are able to host club meetings again and that we have volunteers who are willing to help with a variety of activities.”
The club, which meets from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays at Odell Recreation Center, holds a variety of activities for its members including exercise and arts and crafts, as well as providing snacks.
Volunteer Dixie Kulik, of the Village of Lake Deaton, said she enjoys working with the group because it feels like a family.
“When we don’t see them, we miss them,” she said. “It’s just like extended family you haven’t seen for a long time. We love getting together and catching up with them about events that have happened in their lives.”
When the club tried to come back toward the end of last year before omicron led to a rise in COVID-19 cases, it had an abundance of residents ready to return, but not as many volunteers.
“A lot of the volunteers we used to have decided not to come back because of the pandemic or because of personal matters,” said Ricciardi. “We are making do, but we can always use an extra hand.”
Volunteers help welcome members, keep them engaged in activities and help with snacks.
For more information about how to become a volunteer, visit day-break-club.com.
Other health-related groups like Our Moment Cafe also need more volunteers to help accommodate growth.
“We filed to become a nonprofit last year and we are so excited to be approved,” said Joan Bender, program director of Our Moment Cafe, which just gained 501(c)(3) status. “Now, we are able to hold fundraisers and bring in additional volunteers and board members.”
The group is a safe and supportive place for caregivers and their loved ones with early-stage memory loss to socialize with others by doing activities together. Activities include snacks, watching other Villages lifestyle groups perform or hearing guest speakers.
“We can easily say that we are a family,” said Bender, of the Village of Osceola Hills.
The group meets from 2 to 4 p.m. the third Tuesday at Chula Vista Recreation Center and from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays at Bacall Recreation Center.
Carol Wolf, volunteer coordinator for the group, said she looks forward to additional volunteers and seeing the impact it has on the residents.
“Our team of volunteers are such kind, compassionate and caring individuals,” said Wolf, of the Village of Hemingway. “It is beyond satisfying to be part of a team that makes such a positive impact on individuals within our beautiful community. I can only think of two words that describe the blessing of being a part of this amazing volunteer team, joyful and heartwarming.”
For more information about the group or how to get involved, contact Bender at 352-775-9715.
Caring Neighbors, which started out as an initiative to help neighbors throughout its Village, also is growing.
The group started in 2017,when founder Anne Bosler wanted a group of individuals to provide help to those needing transportation and running simple errands.
She also wanted them to be able to pass a background check.
“The idea started in 2015,” said Bosler, of the Village of Hadley. “After conducting some research, including speaking to members of other nonprofits, I was referred to the CEO of United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties. Through guidance, I learned what all I needed to accomplish before the group could start and Caring Neighbors was born.”
One need: about $2,000 in seed money.
“That’s the cost of starting one of these groups,” she said. “First, we have to find out if there is interest and then we have to start pulling together volunteers. Those volunteers undergo background checks which is where some of that money comes into play.”
The Hadley Caring Neighbors group was the first of six chapters throughout The Villages.
Bosler hopes as word of mouth and interest grows, to eventually add three more chapters before the end of the year.
“The goal is to eventually have a chapter in each village,” said Bosler.
Each of the six chapters contain between 20 and 50 volunteers to help 20 or more residents needing its services.
“We do simple tasks like taking people to and from the doctor, getting their mail, helping walk their dogs and helping with groceries,” said Bosler.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Bosler at 352-674-9022.
Senior writer Andrea Davis can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5374, or andrea.davis@thevillagesmedia.com.
Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 81F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
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