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HISTORY 

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On January 22, 2013, a meeting was held at Trinity Ecumenical Parish with a small group of concerned citizens who listened to a presentation by Graham and Phyllis Hollenbeck from Lynchburg, VA.  Their presentation was on the concept of “Villages” and how they developed a program in Lynchburg, VA.  Their overall goal was to help seniors stay in their own home by providing assistance and support with upkeep, safety concerns and socialization. 

The TEP group explored alternative models and decided to pursue a Village concept that originated in Beacon Hill, MA.  This model is better known as Village to Village Network. This network has established villages across the United States, with a high concentration in the northern Virginia area.  

This group continued to meet routinely, evolved its structure and set out to perform research as how best to formulate and develop a program model in the Smith Mountain Lake area.  A needs assessment was performed, a geographic pilot area was designated based on census data, performed a market survey and as a result of all this feedback, a program was established.  

The needs assessment revealed that 77% of respondents stated a need for an organization of this type and felt it could be successful.  The survey pool was Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Rotary and Lions Clubs.  Further, 66% stated they would volunteer and would be willing to pay for the program, dependent on cost.

The initial “pilot” area designed as from Blue Water Drive down on Scruggs Road.  This area was determined to be ripe for a pilot program due to the demographics and census data. In 2014, the Board of Directors extended the pilot area to all of the Scruggs Road area.

NHN became incorporated in 2014 with its 501(c)3 status in place.  A Board of Directors was seated at that time.  A Leadership Committee is in place to perform the operational tasks associated with preparation, launch and sustainability of the program.  

In summary, a great deal of work has been done over the last two years to successfully position the NHN program to launch and be successful for the long term.  Success of the program will be dependent upon having enough members to satisfy the revenue requirements of running the program, a sustainable base of volunteers and strong management and leadership on the Board and Leadership Committee.  With program success, the Board has an expectation of expanding services and opportunities for membership.