SWAMPSCOTT — Seaglass Village, a non-profit organization that helps older adults live independently, recently celebrated its third year of serving the communities of Swampscott, Marblehead and Nahant.
Currently, the organization continues to serve 100 adult members that span the three communities. According to Director of Aging Services Heidi Whear, the three main pillars of their service are providing rides and help with odd jobs around the house, connecting members with vetted volunteers, and fostering a strong sense of community with a trove of social events to help members get to know each other.
Whear said that while the organization is thriving in its stride to serve its three communities, Seaglass Village is in need of rallying more residents to volunteer and connect with members.
“We have at least 100 members that we serve every day, but we only have around 70 volunteers,” Whear said.
“We really want to spread the message that we need more people to come help and make new friends along the way. It’s really a great way for people to connect with others in their community.”
Whear stressed that the way community members can volunteer has never been easier.
“All anybody (who is) interested has to do is go to our website and select when they’d be available to volunteer their time,” Whear said. “If someone has Tuesday mornings open, they can select that window of time and go pick someone up or help out at their house — however they can be available is always a huge help for someone in need.”
Whear recalled one way a volunteer became friends with a senior member by helping out with rides to the doctor’s office.
“We had one volunteer who agreed to pick up a member and bring him to the doctor’s. The appointment was several hours long, and the volunteer patiently waited and then drove him home when he was done,” Whear said.
“It’s things like that which really connect our volunteers to our members,” Whear went on to say. “The volunteers spend a lot of time with our members by doing simple things to help out, and they get closer and become friends through volunteering.”
Whear took a moment to consider the huge impact volunteering has on people struggling to find ways to occupy their time. “What happens when you retire, your whole life is focused around work—it’s how you define yourself—then all of the sudden you retire and say, ‘what am I going to do with myself?’ And volunteering is just one of the best ways to meet new people and get out there. I highly recommend it.”
