Last year at this time Here to Stay in Wintergreen was a pilot program to see if this idea of organizing our neighbors who want to help their neighbors could really work here. Now, thanks to your interest and support, we know it can.

If you have been reading our email newsletters, you're aware of much of what we attempted in 2021. How did it go?

While everyone involved with Here to Stay in Wintergreen has certainly felt the constraints of the pandemic, Here to Stay in Wintergreen volunteers were plenty active in 2021–helping each other, learning a lot, and laughing with one another. They saw real help being provided to our neighbors and new friends being made.

Volunteers have given members car rides and delivered groceries and other goods. Volunteers have helped with several small home projects for members. Volunteers also lined up behind our "thoughtful foods" program so as to be ready with meals if unexpected issues overwhelm a member. Referrals for service providers, especially for home health assistance, have been provided to some members, with good results.

Our new monthly "social, educational, and wellness" programs–managed by volunteers–were very well received.

The technology workshops–put on by our volunteers–also went very well. The memoir writing workshop is so successful it will continue past its original end date. Our members and volunteers also went out to dinner together once and plans are being made to do it again soon.

All these 2021 programs and more will be coming again in 2022. For example, in the pipeline are plans for a caregiver support group. Are there challenges? Yes. Do we have all the details worked out? No. But, we are seeing everyone involved in Here to Stay in Wintergreen–members, volunteers, supporters, cooperators, and resource providers–working on solutions.

The energy, caring, and imagination of our volunteers are the prime force behind Here to Stay in Wintergreen. The donations we get fuel their efforts. The early donations to our new group paid for the professional services we needed to allow us to become an independent–legally and financially–501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The donations paid for the phone line, website, PO Box, bank account, and office expenses.

Following the guidance of our advisors, we purchased liability insurance for both the board members and volunteers, with extra coverage for drivers. And, like most groups such as ours, we now use a professional service to provide background checks for those dealing one-on-one with our members or working with personal data so as to ensure both volunteers and members feel comfortable with whom we’re working. Donations also sometimes pay for refreshments, speaker costs, and the little but useful things that keep programs safe and enjoyable.

Together, it's an exciting story. If you would like to help our effort thrive in 2022, send your donations to:
Here to Stay in Wintergreen
PO Box 138
Nellysford, VA 22958.
In addition to checks, as we are now a registered nonprofit we can accept Required Minimum Distribution donations from IRAs, as well as gifts of stock.

Finally, thank you for subscribing to our free newsletters. Please forward our newsletters to anyone you believe might be interested. There's a link at the top of the page where they can subscribe. Questions or suggestions? We would love to hear from you. –Kaye Pietrowicz for the Here to Stay in Wintergreen board