Volunteers on the Coast Helping Neighbors

 

“For every person who has a need, there is another person to fill that need.”-April Venes

 

 

There will be 82,000,000 elderly people (aged 65 and over) in the United States in the year 2040. One in three elderly people live at home, alone. Coastline Neighbors wants to help these people stay at home, and live there safely, confidently and independently.

How it All Got Started

Coastline Neighbors began with Lindy McLean in April of 2016. Lindy identified a need in the community for additional support for the elderly, especially the sort of support that could be provided by a neighbor: a ride to an appointment, help changing a light bulb, carrying in the groceries. Lindy was very methodical about determining the need for residents in Curry County, specifically. She widely distributed surveys and people were pleased to participate. “The response from the survey confirmed her impression,” said Board Member and Outreach Director April Venes, “There was a great need for elder support to maintain independent living.” Other team members jumped on board quickly with the project including Patty Slagle and Diane Moffit. April met Lindy while walking her dog and immediately recognized the importance of the project.

April agreed to meet with me to tell me all about Coastline Neighbors.

The Village Movement

Coastline Neighbors is part of a larger Village Movement, a concept where a community of people volunteer their skills and time to support one another and where paying members can get extra support. The Village Movement provided a template for Coastline Neighbors to follow when designing their organization. Each of the villages in the movement follows a similar framework, but caters to the unique needs of the location and clientele. The first Village to Village Network began in Boston in 2001. Since then, 200 “villages” have sprung up around the country and 150 are in development. Many of these villages are nonprofit and all-volunteer organizations, just like Coastline Neighbors.

Learn more about the Village Movement in this video:

 

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Coastline Neighbors works to reduce isolation and support the Curry County elderly population in a number of ways. They can provide check-in calls to members on either a daily, monthly or weekly basis. Volunteers help transport members to medical appointments, including out of the area appointments, and also to other errands, like a visit to the hairdresser. Members can receive help with technology- how to use the internet, check social media, or even how to get the remote to work. Other services include trips to the grocery store, carrying items, rearranging furniture, clearing a closet- the sort of things that become more difficult as we age.

Coastline Neighbors began services in September of 2017 and since then have fulfilled 150 service requests. As of January 1st, 2018, they have 18 vetted members and 48 vetted volunteers. Volunteers and members go through a vetting process that includes a background check and checking for a valid Driver’s License and insurance. The background process is in place to ensure the safety of all participants. Coastline Neighbors currently has members in Brookings, but also has volunteers in Gold Beach and plans to ultimately serve the entire county.

Coastline Neighbors charges a fee for membership that covers the nonprofit’s expenses such as liability insurance, background checks, technology to maintain their virtual office, and filing fees to register required State and Federal documents. They also state clearly: “It is our goal to be excellent stewards for our members. We are committed to keeping our membership fees as low as possible.” If a prospective member is unable to pay the fee, they are encouraged to call and speak to Coastline Neighbors.

See membership fees here.

 

Volunteers are the Heart

The Coastline Neighbors Board meets monthly and is currently working to create a vision for 2020. April shared a piece of this vision: “We hope that one day Coastline Neighbors will not only be for the elderly, but will be able to help single parents, people with disabilities, and other members of the community who need an extra hand.”

When asked where they attribute their success, April (who works in the medical field when she is not volunteering with Coastline Neighbors) said, “ volunteers are the heart of the organization; it is so important you have enough.” She continued: “Imagine your heart being full of blood. Blood that is busy going in and out servicing major organs. These organs are living members of our community.  The largest vessels coming out of the heart are the Board of Directors. They direct the well organized blood and energy from the organization to accomplish the vital task in keeping the community nourished and happy.” April then added, “Members of Curry County will not feel alone with all the needed services provided by the heart and vessels of Coastline Neighbors nonprofit organization.”

To find volunteers, Coastline Neighbor hosted community chats. They found that people wanted to get involved with their project. These community chats were held at libraries in Curry County, the Chetco Activity Center, local Rotary Clubs, Soroptimist, Churches etc. Coastline Neighbors was creative with their outreach. April describes the chats: “The community chats consisted of a successful, clever skit that gave a scenario about real people getting older and wanting to stay in the home of choice as long as possible.” April strongly recommends community chats to other nonprofit organizations.

Coastline Neighbors has been successful in finding volunteers. They have even found that many of their paying members also want to volunteer. April attributes this to the importance of the mission. It also became clear in our conversation that Coastline Neighbors really takes the time to support and celebrate their volunteers and their members. When I spoke with April in February, she was working to plan a member and volunteer Valentine’s Day get together to show that “at Coastline Neighbors we care.” Each member also has an assigned advisor who checks in with them regularly, in-person. April explained: “we treat our neighbors how we want to be treated. Give them the time they need to feel comfortable.”

 

Reflections:

The evolution of Coastline Neighbors is a beautiful example of an organization that identified a need and thoughtfully went about filling it, with input from the community. Everything from their community outreach, to their website, to talking to one of their board members- instills confidence. I came away feeling encouraged that we really can help each other out; Coastline Neighbors has provided us with a framework to do just that.

To become a member of Coastline Neighbors, click here.

To become a volunteer with Coastline Neighbors, click here.

A Note About Wild Rivers Connect:

Wild Rivers Connect provides networking opportunities and resources for nonprofits in Curry and Del Norte Counties. Coastline Neighbors has a listing on the Wild Rivers Connect (WRC) website. They regularly attend the monthly WRC Nonprofit Leaders Luncheons to network with other nonprofits and get the word out about their projects. If you have questions about how WRC can help your nonprofit organization, please contact us.

Story based on interview with April Venes, 2/12/2018