Residents reaching out. (Not-For-Profit Report).

After retirement, many older adults no longer want to address yard-work, manage house repairs or pay property taxes on a home that they no longer use to its fullest capacity. They want to live where they still can maintain their lifestyles but have their needs addressed as they age. After selling the house, distributing the family heirlooms to their children and, in general, downsizing their duties, many active adults make the move to a retirement community. Now they find the time, desire and opportunity to act upon their social awareness--not by writing a check, but by giving of themselves through volunteerism.

White Horse Village in Edgmont, Pennsylvania, has exemplified volunteerism since it opened its doors in 1989. "Since most of our residents have moved here from within a 10-mile radius, they remain very active in civic organizations, schools, clubs and churches," says Dottie Mallon, vice-president of marketing. "Because our independent living volunteers are still so active, they can easily translate their interests into ways to serve the community and derive some personal satisfaction."

Barbara Ferguson, chairperson of the facility's Committee on Social Responsibility, indicates that the committee was not formed to recruit volunteers but to assess, measure and monitor their outreach and keep it going. "Our social outreach is very diverse--there's always something going on that will pique a resident's interest," she says. From volunteering at schools, to woodworking, to hosting political events, White Horse Village residents are involved in a kaleidoscopic array of community outreach programs and services.

One of the first resident volunteer programs established was "Bridging the Ages." Partnering with Rose Tree Elementary School, White Horse Village residents tutor students, assist in classrooms, provide instruction in computer labs and help out wherever they are needed throughout the school year. "Our residents even joined the children in a delightful afternoon of square dancing," says Mallon. As a thank-you for the residents sharing their time, the children from Rose Tree hold concerts for them and, on occasion, their artwork decorates the walls of the White Horse Village Clubhouse.

"In the fall semester," says Ferguson, "we are introducing a new program with Open Connections, a school that is located just down the road from White Horse Village. Open Connections provides expanded afternoon programs for home-schooled children, which gives them the opportunity to take additional courses all the way through the high-school level. Because of its reputation, many children travel up to two hours to take advantage of the school's educational and social opportunities." Ferguson is enthusiastic about their first collaboration: Students from the English class will interview residents in the nursing facility about their lives. "They will pose questions, such as 'What was it like to live in the Depression era?' Then, each student will assemble his or her interview notes into a biographic profile and present it in book form to the resident," she says.

Besides giving to the young, the 44-member White Horse Village Chorus loves to board the facility bus and travel to area hospitals to deliver their gift of song to the young at heart. Each spring and during the holiday season, the chorus sings of peace, hope and love to the patients at the Philadelphia and Coatsville Veterans Hospitals. These accomplished vocalists also entertain at local AARP chapters and at other lifecare communities. Twice a year, the chorus teams up with the children's chorus of Rose Tree Elementary to perform to a full house of residents and parents in the White Horse Village auditorium.

In addition to filling auditoriums, White Horse Village residents have also filled the Edgmont Township Building--with artwork. Originally dedicated as an elementary school, this historic building was renovated, and the town relocated its offices there. Even after the building was occupied, it still seemed rather bare, according to Mallon. "That's when the artists of White Horse Village began to photograph and paint scenes of the nearby area and, at the grand opening, presented their artworks to the town." But the gift didn't stop there. Another resident quilted a beautiful map that hangs in one of the building's meeting rooms. Moreover, "all the archive cabinets that hold the county's historic documents were built by the resident craftsmen who work out of our Woodshop," says Ferguson.

Besides the gift to the Edgmont Township Building, White Horse Village Woodshop woodworkers build and repair furniture for residents; have created replicas of historic water jugs, benches and bluebird boxes for Colonial Plantation at Ridley Greek State Park; and have built "bone boxes" for medical students at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "In the interest of safety, everyone who works in the Woodshop has to take an exam on the machinery," says Mallon, "and woodworkers conduct weekly refresher courses."

While many outreach programs are geared to White Horse Village's active adult population, residents in assisted living also do their share. "Every week, these residents make and sell cookies to the Village's residents. With the profits, they assemble Welcome Bags for private-pay people who enter the nursing center," Ferguson explains. She adds that the assisted living residents also do their part by making craft items to sell at White Horse Village's weekly flea market, The Stall, and other sales and fairs held throughout the year.

Not only are residents committed to volunteerism, so are White Horse Village's more than 225 employees. The ETC (Employees That Care) program promotes employee bonds of friendship with residents. "Their activities take place primarily during holiday seasons," says Mallon. At Christmas, The Giving Tree is organized by ETC and decorated with resident-donated items, such as hats, scarves, mittens, socks, etc.; the "decorations" are then distributed to local children in need. Meanwhile, throughout the year ETC organizes food drives that benefit city ministries and, through the PhilAbundance program, extra food from the dining rooms is distributed to area hunger centers to feed the needy.

White Horse Village's enthusiasm and outreach continue to grow. Ferguson claims, "You just need to have people interested. When we first organized, we didn't know how it would go, but the enthusiasm is contagious. We've found that people prefer to give to people rather than giving to 'things.' If another facility is interested in beginning a similar program, I would suggest that they start small but keep it moving; encourage residents to get their friends involved. A school program is a wise first venture on the journey to volunteerism, because schools are very willing and grateful for any help they receive."

From donating of books, household items and eyeglasses, to editing newsletters, to donating to the employee scholarship fund, the residents of White Horse Village continue to find ways to enrich each other and the community at large.

For more information, contact Dottie Mallon, vice-president of marketing, at [phone], fax [phone], e-mail [e-mail] or visit www.whitehorsevillage.org.