This Fund is administered by a resident-led allocations committee (includes some staff and a VGV Board member). Residents and staff are encouraged to submit proposals for funding consideration at quarterly meetings. Proposals cannot represent projects that are in VGV’s annual budget. The Committee decides how this fund best supports VGV residents living their best lives. Recent projects include, handicap accessible bathroom doors outside the Grande Room, a new flagpole that supports a bigger American flag at the Springport Road entrance, an indoor shuffleboard table, safety aesthetic enhancements to the Carriage Homes’ pond pump station, and updated sound and lighting systems for the Grande Room. This fund engages the entire VGV community and, in reality, its impact is only limited by residents’ imaginations.

This Fund is innovative and addresses two of the biggest challenges facing senior communities throughout the USA, recruiting and retaining highly skilled, mission- driven staff. Senior living communities report staffing shortages of 48% (Senior Housing News). While VGV has been impacted by both challenges, we have taken measures to continue unsurpassed quality of care and to ensure we are operating at staff full capacity with respect to occupancy. This fund ensures VGV continues to enhance and employ innovative models that are proving to be successful for the few communities that, like us, are thinking outside the box. Our plan is to engage a resident-led committee in our professional development strategies and possibly a few other strategies.

This Fund is new. Our staff is dedicated to serving VGV residents. Sometimes life events happen that can overwhelm and distract them. We have a few things in place to help them navigate life challenges that. This Fund enhances that effort as we can help lower financial burdens that come along with them. While there are a number of scenarios we can share to illustrate the impact of this Fund, we want you to think of staff who come to work worried if their children will be warm tonight if their furnace needs repair. This Fund represents the compassion we share in the VGV community.

This Fund ensures all residents are able to access VGV activities that require a fee (most are offered at no additional expense to residents). Some residents are unable to afford fee-based activities. Often seniors in this position begin to isolate socially, not just avoiding fee-based activities, but most/all activities. VGV recognizes the negative health impact of social isolation…in some cases it is more damaging than smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. This Fund is discretely administered for those who demonstrate a real barrier to participation in activities we would expect be accessible for someone living their best life.