Village Impact
In 2024 SLO Village Movement reached over 1,600 older adults in our community providing insight and information on living abundantly and independently.: We hosted 33 community events, providing over 2,500 hours of social engagement: Hosted 18 community speaker presentations; 13 open communication sessions and monthly luncheons. For our SVM members needing a little extra support, our amazing cadre of vetted volunteers spent over 1,609 hours and managed 1,045 service requests: including 919 transportation Requests; 57 in-home services; 10 handyman Repairs; 8 technology assistance; 8 pet care; 15 walking companions; and 15 light gardening duties.
SVM hosted and participated in the first Town Hall Listening Session for older adults and caregivers in San Luis Obispo County. Gathering crucial insight, concerns and issues facing our community, this data served as primary input for California's Master Plan on Aging.
While our SLO Village Movement numbers are impressive and demonstrate a substantial community value, it’s the personal stories of our members that fuel our impact.
Paul Wolff, 93, is a retired Cal Poly professor of architecture. He lost his sight precipitously in 2023. His doctor told him it was the most rapid decline he had ever seen. In Paul’s case, the causes were glaucoma and macular degeneration. Kate Williams, 81, a human relations manager in her earlier career, lost her sight to a rare recessive gene disease. Her loss was more gradual -- but inevitable. Paul, the professor, is the student; Kate, the more experienced in the sightless world, is the teacher. Both are enthusiastic in their respective roles. Click Here to Read Paul & Kate's Story
Life is good! After swimming laps for 25 years, Rita Mertens, at 91, knew she wasn’t done with water workouts. But having given up the long pool and – about the same time – most of her driving privileges, she was confronted with a dilemma: How was she going to get from her home overlooking the rolling hills and vineyard-covered valleys of rural San Luis Obispo to therapeutic aquatics downtown? Click Here to Read Rita & Doug's full story...
Life Born into an Army family, Lee grew up moving from post to post. After her father retired, the family settled in New Jersey. Lee's culinary journey began with a part-time job at a local restaurant. Her skills quickly developed, and she became a respected chef in various establishments, including D.W. Grover's and Nothing But the Best Deli. Lee faced challenges in male-dominated kitchens but persevered, eventually becoming a manager at Cal Poly's Campus Market. Despite her success, skiing injuries forced her retirement in 2004. Today, she enjoys a quieter life in San Luis Obispo, continuing to cook and appreciate the culinary world. ... Click Here to Read Lee's full story.
She signed on as a member of SLO Village in 2020 just as the pandemic forced participants to scatter and shelter at home. So, when attendees of the Wednesday morning coffee group relocated to Zoom from their regular table in the backroom of Coastal Peaks in San Luis Obispo, Linnaea Phillips was right there, relishing the many ways she could engage the gathered members and volunteers in much the same way she had done for years in the cafe that she founded on Garden Street in San Luis Obispo that still bears her name today. She confesses to loving to learn new ideas, and she exhibits a joyful curiosity in asking questions, in sharing information from her bountiful life experience, and in suggesting topics for discussion. Click Here to Read Linnaea's full story...
On her 75th birthday, SLO Village member Peggy Fabricius sky-dived over Lompoc and then raced home the same day to claim her free piece of cake at the Madonna Inn. A dozen years later, after adding hot-air ballooning and sailing over San Francisco in an airship to her resume, her life is a bit more down to earth. But the free spirit still spills forth from this lady at her home of 48 years on Stanford Drive in San Luis Obispo. Slowed by the pain of arthritis and having lost her husband, Gene, two years ago on the day after their 55th wedding anniversary, Peggy stands determined to stay in that home filled with life's precious memories.Click Here to Read Peggy's full story...
Lives Well Lived is a feature documentary film by Sky Bergman that celebrates the incredible wit and wisdom of adults 75 to 100 years old who are living their lives to the fullest. Encompassing over 3000 years of experience, forty people share their secrets and insights to living a meaningful life. Their intimate memories and inspiring personal histories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, but mostly inspire you. Sky Bergman is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker. and former chair of Cal Poly's Art & Design department... Video