"Many times it turns out someone in the community can provide the service for free, including such things as helping with taxes or financial planning, paying bills or keeping papers and medical records in order," Baldwin said.
"A Village can involve any service the local community or local government is not providing and Villages often work with established service providers to extend or expand services," she adds.
A Village usually has one and a half to two employees and the rest are volunteers. A membership to the Village to Village Network is $350, and members receive assistance in setting up the Village and on-going support for providing services and for ways to raise or apply for grants.
Additional information on establishing a Village can be obtained at www.vtvnetwork.org or by calling 617-299-9NET.
-Karen DeMasters