Caroline Gangji | Executive director, The Village Common of Rhode Island
1. How did you end up becoming the executive director of The Village Common of Rhode Island and what has this been like for you? The Village Common of Rhode Island is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven membership organization whose mission is to fundamentally change the experience of growing older in Rhode Island by fostering the creation of communities of mutual support – villages – that assist members who wish to grow older in their own homes. I started in this role in September 2021 and was absolutely thrilled to be offered the position. It has been especially rewarding working with our volunteers and meeting our members.
2. The Village Common was established in 2019 as a centralized administrative hub, following the initial Providence Village that was launched four years earlier. How many of these villages are there now? Our launch of The Village Common of Rhode Island was in November 2019. Since that time, three additional villages have joined Providence: Barrington, Edgewood [in Cranston] and Westerly.
3. What has The Village Common been up to? April is Volunteer Month, and we [were] so excited to celebrate all of our almost 200 volunteers. We currently have 183 volunteers. They volunteer at a local level in their village, and many also volunteer centrally at our hub.
4.What do the volunteers do? Our volunteers are committed Rhode Islanders who want to give back to their community in an engaging and meaningful way. Our volunteers assist our members in a myriad of ways. But for our members, it’s not only the tasks themselves that are important but also the bond they develop with our volunteers. Our volunteers are trained and vetted and help older adults live independently in the home of their choice by providing needed support.
5. Why is it so important to combat social isolation that many served by The Village Common would otherwise be facing? Older adults are being disproportionately affected by social isolation during the ongoing ... pandemic. Communities of mutual support such as ours provide a wonderful antidote to social isolation for both members and volunteers. Our members, often older adults who live alone, could be your parent, your neighbor, your friend. They are invested in living and growing older in their homes while continuing to contribute to their communities.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com.
