Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
Perhaps the delay in posting photos from April 12th's Grand Opening of STL Village worked out advantageously since it now follows two recent posts on the large number of families with many children living in the Central West End. This fact illustrates just one of the many reasons STL Village, an organization for residents over 50 who want to stay in their own homes as they age, has such appeal. The mix of generations in older neighborhoods such as the CWE is what developers of new towns around the country hope to capture. It's that small town feeling where old and young and those in between live and work together and benefit from the interaction, whether it's a conversation or simply seeing people of all ages on the street that makes it desirable to "age in place."
The national Village movement was founded in Boston's Beacon Hill in 2001 and has since spread to other cities – Chicago, San Francisco, etc., and now to St. Louis. STL Village is the first not-for-profit membership organization of its kind in St. Louis. Its boundaries cover a large area, from Page south to Clayton Avenue and from Vandeventer west to Big Bend Blvd.
Memberships, limited to 75 for the first year, are $600 a year for an individual and $840 for a couple. Here is what memberships provide (as found on the website): "With a phone call to the STL VIllage office or click on the website, members will be able to schedule support services as needed, such as a ride to the store, help with household tasks or a referral to qualified home maintenance professionals. Non-medical home support will be provided by trained volunteers, including members who sign up to help other members. STL Village will maintain a list of vetted, approved businesses that members can access for professional home repairs and other needs; some of these services will be provided at a discount to members."
Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
Sally Nikolajevich, Board Co-Chair of STL Village, is shown with Interim Director Arthur Culbert.
Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
A student volunteer, who helped pass out information at the reception table, is photographed with STL volunteers Harvey Baker, middle, and Diana Gualdoni, standing right.
Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
Photo courtesy of Philip Deitch
Over 300 people turned out for the Grand Opening held at the Missouri History Museum. When asked "What if more than 75 people (the limit for year 1) want to sign up for STL Village," Interim Director Arthur Culbert said that the organization wants to get it right and so wants to start slowly. Since the opening event, Arthur said that membership applications are coming in at a nice clip, at least one or two a day.
Many thanks to Philip Deitch, Diversity Advisor to STL Village, for providing the wonderful photographs. If you would like more info on Philip's photography services, email him: [email protected]. And thanks to Arthur Culbert for help with identifying all the wonderful volunteers who have contributed so much to getting this project off the ground. For more information about STL Village, 6633 Delmar, visit the website, or call (314) 802-0275.