SWAMPSCOTT — Seaglass Village is continuing its efforts to expand the organization into the City of Salem. Currently, it’s in the process of recruiting new members and volunteers to assist them.
The organization is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to help seniors live independently throughout Marblehead, Nahant, and Swampscott.
Founding member Heidi Whear explained why Salem was chosen as its next community.
“When we initially conceived of Seaglass Village, the desire was to grow into Salem, and hopefully into Lynn at some point. We started with a smaller group of communities until we felt comfortable expanding… The other piece about Salem is that, to become a completely sustainable organization, we really need to have more members. Expanding into Salem will, hopefully, bring us more members of the community,” Whear said.
Whear said she thinks every town should have an organization similar to Seaglass. She added that it can be used as a tool to ensure that seniors are both living and thriving in their community.
“I think what we would really love to do is find enough members and volunteers in Salem, and volunteers can come from other communities outside of Salem,” she said.
She continued that even if a volunteer comes from Swampscott or a surrounding area, they can still travel to Salem to offer a member a ride or assistance around the house. Whear said the reason why the organization looks to form a core group of dedicated volunteers is that it makes life easier for seniors.
“It would be a haul for someone from Nahant to go all the way to Salem to take someone to a doctor’s appointment or somewhere else. If we have people that live close by, it’s just more helpful… Another example would be one member who lives independently, though she needs someone to take the trash out every week,” she said. “Ideally, you’d find someone who lives down the street to put it out on the sidewalk.
“And that’s why creating friendships and communities in smaller areas can be helpful. It might take a while for that to happen in Salem. Our goal is that when we have 15 people who are interested in becoming members, we’ll then look for 30 volunteers who can provide service to those folks. That’s when we’ll launch into Salem,” she said.
Whear reiterated that one of the organization’s most important goals is to make sure that it continues its outreach efforts and connects with new individuals. She said Board members are actively looking to recruit more volunteers.
“We have our Board of Directors and volunteers who are working with community organizations in Salem, and we gave a presentation to the Salem Rotary Club. We’re also trying to connect with Salem For All Ages to help promote our expansion,” she said. “We also have a number of people on our outreach team who are from Salem, and they’re trying to work with others to spread word.”
She added that last summer the organization received a $30,000 grant from the Women’s Fund of Essex County, which she said will help Seaglass Village continue its outreach efforts. It will also fund memberships for those who can’t afford them.
“What we do is, if someone in Salem says they want to be a member, then we take their information and put them on our list. Then, as soon as we reach that essential number of people, we will say, ‘Okay, on July 1, we’re going to launch Salem,’” she said. “And that will give us the feeling that we have enough volunteers to provide services for those who need it.”
