Holiday Party Attended by Almost 50 Members

Our Annual Holiday Party was held on December 6th at Old First Church. Everyone brought a favorite dish to share -- what a spread we had! The program was brief but lively and we were entertained by the mellow piano music of Don Pender. Door prizes were given and general merriment was had by members, volunteers and board members alike. We coordinated carpools and rides so more members could attend. Thank you to everyone who picked up fellow members.

From the Acting Executive Director

2011 was an action packed year for the Village. Some the highlights include wonderful attendance at our events: the Bone Health Fair, an Advanced Directives Two-Evening Workshop, the May Member's Meeting, the Balance Program, Book Group, Play Reading Group, Lunch Bunch, just to name a few; the hiring of our new Executive Direct Kate Hoepke; development of our strategic plan; hiring our first Volunteer Manager Keyatta Shade; hours and hours of volunteer help in the office and in your homes; fulfillment of over 200 service requests from you (everything from changing a light-bulb to driving you home from the hospital); receiving a grant that will help us grow our all-important volunteer program; holding our first successful Discovered Treasures event; and much, much more.

Discovered Treasures: Fun, Informative and Successful

On November 4th, SF Village held its first ever Discovered Treasures© fundraising event. By all accounts it was a great success. The St. Francis Yacht Club was a beautiful venue and we had a sparkling clear evening to better enjoy the view of our lovely Bay. The Yacht Club did a fine job serving drinks and delicious food and the service was wonderful. Our volunteers were outstanding. We all learned about some very beautiful antiques, and a number of us even came away with delightful treasures from both the silent and live auctions. And we raised over $20,000 that will help fund our educational, social and cultural programs throughout 2012.

Ralph Beren Reviews Movie "50/50"

Adam Lerner is a sort of regular guy with a job at PBS, an off beat pal, and a girl friend.  Nothing unusual here although he appears to be emotionally flat.   Early in the film his doctor informs him that he has a rare form of cancer with a 50/50 chance of recovery.  This news provides fodder for the film and for Alan as he slowly begins to wake up and take on life.  The film's focus on his treatment and his subsequent development as a fuller adult is the primary theme.  Once again Joseph Gordon Levitt (earlier seen in "500 days of summer" and "inception") chooses a role which not many young actors could make believable.  He underplays the part beautifully taking us through his through his initial diagnosis , treatments with chemo and his unhelpful sessions with a female student therapist who clearly does not know how to help him come to grips with his disease. 

Member's Meeting Coming Up in February

We're planning our Member's Annual Meeting in February. Stay tuned for the date and place to be announced soon.

The Member's Annual Meeting is the time to hear where the Village is heading and to give your ideas about our direction and the types of events, services and programs you'd like to see. We will present our finances and look at accomplishments from 2011 as well as preview programs we have planned for 2012.

More importantly, this is YOUR Village and we need your voice to make it the best it can be in supporting you as you age in community and the homes you love. Please be sure to come to this meeting with your comments and suggestions on how we're doing in meeting your needs. It's a great time to help plan the future of SF Village and meet your fellow members. We hope you'll join us!  We will let you know the place, date and time for the meeting as soon is it is finalized.  We know for sure that the event will take place during the day based on your input.

Interested in Volunteering to Help Fellow Village Members?

We will train you! It's easy and fun with our instructor Keyatta Shade. As you know, volunteers are what make our services to you really work. If you or someone you know wants to volunteer to help fellow members, please read the training information below. We'd love to see you there! Bring your friends and guests.

Cleaning Your Closet Can Benefit You and the Village

San Francisco Village has recently become a beneficiary of the Community Thrift Store. A percentage of sales of items donated by Village members, friends and neighbors will be allocated to the Village.

All you need to do is indicate that you want the proceeds to benefit SF Village using the Code Number 122.

Welcome New Village Members!

From October through December our Village grew by 12 new members. We're so glad you joined and we look forward to seeing you soon at an upcoming event or meeting.

Please welcome the following fellow members:

Dora Ferraris

Lucy Howard Cohen

Lillian Markinson

Ellen Sandler

Barbara and Michael Wenger

Elizabeth Garnar

Colleen Gleason

Jane Hopkins

Jean Wright

Reginold Milton

Conway Savageau

Need Help? Call the SFV Office

Thank you members for requesting services from the SFV office. We spend as much time as needed on each request to make sure you, our members, get what you need accomplished with the least hassle. Call us for anything! If we don't have an answer we'll find you one.

Lights, Camera, Action - Members Get Together For Movie-going

SF Village member Phyllis Lund loves to go to the movies, but she really wanted other movie-lovers to go with her. She called the Village office with her request and the Village hooked her up with other members living in her zip code. Now she's got a couple of movie-buddies to share the big screen scene. These buddies all live in the 94131 zip code but members from all over the City are welcome. They especially like matinees at the Century Empire (in West Portal) and at the Stonestown Theater. Anyone in the Village can join this movie-going group. Just call the office and we'll connect you with them.

Call the SF Village office at 415-387-1375 Ext. 0.

Village Classifieds - New Newsletter Feature

Have a need that you'd like to share with other Village members? We can help. Submit your Classified Ad to the office no later than the 15th of every month and we'll post it in the next published newsletter:

January Village Classifieds

♦ Perhaps you have or know someone who has a potential rental for one of your fellow members. Here's a little bit about them and what they are looking for: Family seeks home to rent or care for in San Francisco. We are a family of three adults who have lived at the San Francisco Zen Center for over 38 years. As a Buddhist priest, and an environmental education non-profit director, and a recent college graduate, our work includes teaching, painting, community development and communications. Its time for us to have our own place in San Francisco, where we can have a small group of students over to our house for classes, brush work, workdays and meditation. We are looking for a long-term space with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a studio and a meditation room, good parking, and close to transportation. We have a solid financial situation, and can commit long-term. If you have an empty San Francisco home that you are not using, please consider allowing us to rent and care for this space. We also have two indoor well-behaved middle-aged cats. Thank you very much!

Book Group Reading: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

The SF Village Book Group meets on Monday January 23rd at 1:00pm at Kathryn McNeil's' home -- 1150 Lombard Street, #38.

The group is reading John Le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  About the book (from the publisher):

John Le Carré's internationally famous hero, British Secret Service Agent George Smiley, has a world-class problem. He has discovered a mole--a Soviet double agent who has managed to burrow his way up to the highest level of British Intelligence. Under the direction of Karla, Smiley's equivalent in the Soviet Union, the agent has already blown some of the most vital secret operations and most productive networks. Now, how can Smiley use a lifetime's worth of espionage skills to ferret out a spy who possesses them as well?

Are you intrigued? Please RSVP to Susie Zacharias -- 913-7138.

Play Reading Group Meets January 11

Come and join the Play Reading Group as they explore "Marco Polo Sings a Solo," by John Guare.

WHEN: Wednesday January 11, 2012 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM

WHERE: At Vera Fields' home -- 2841 Baker Street (Between Greenwich and Filbert). Please call Vera to RSVP 415-567-8991.

Village Member Publishes Book

Village member Agatha Hoff has written a book about her experiences as a San Francisco Court Commissioner. You can find more about her book at

http://www.amazon.com/Agatha-Hoff/e/B006FOIM3M

Congratulations Agatha!