Hello everyone,

2015 has been a great year for villages. New villages opened their doors, new planning groups begun and some expanded their operations. The villages concept is gaining much interest and support in communities around the county and  providers have developed a keen interest in partnering with villages to better serve the aging  population of this county.

 Village leaders are trailblazers in their community and you deserve our highest respect. I would like to thank you for all your incredibly hard work, dedication, passion and innovation.

 Attached you will find the 2015 villages report in numbers and highlights. Thank you to those who contributed content. 

 Events:

1.   WAVE quarterly meeting January 11th, 9-12pm @ BCC Regional Service Center

The presentation this quarterly meeting: What is branding? How does it work? Why start with story? Presenter: Peter Davis helps leaders of start-up, small to medium-sized organizations tell better stories about what they want and why it matters. Leaders use the better brand story to attract their most natural audiences, and to improve personal, organizational and brand performance.

The next BCC Villages meeting will be help at the BCC Regional Service Center, room C, 10-12:30pm. We will have a discussion on effective strategies to recruit new board members.

 3.  Breakfast for villages and clergy, January 14th, 8-10am

Kensington Park Senior Living hosting a breakfast with local villages and clergy on Thursday 1.14.16 8-10. The goal is to inform local clergy about what villages are and discuss how villages and house of worship can work together.

Where:
3620 Littledale Rd.
Kensington MD 20895
To RSVP:   301-946-7700

4 .  Private screening: Broken Memories, January 25th:

 Announcements:

1. County Executive Budget Forums

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is holding the first of five budget forums the first week in January to seek input from residents about Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) Operating Budget priorities. The forum will begin at 7 p.m.  The County Executive will release his Recommended Operating Budget on March 15, 2016 for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2016. The forums begin with a budget briefing by the County Office of Management and Budget, followed by a Q&A with the County Executive.

The meetings, which all begin at 7pm are:
Jan 11: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
Jan 20: Silver Spring Civic Center, One Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring
Jan 21: Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring
Jan 25: BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown

Public forums are the residents opportunity to tell me what is important to them as I prepare next year’s operating budget for submission to the County Council on March 15,” said Leggett. “Input from residents for the FY17 budget is crucial in helping me determine the County’s budget priorities.”

2. Rockville Villages Advisory Committee releases its report on community form:

Rockville held a citywide community forum on October 17th. the attached report summarizes the committee's activities over the past year as well as a summary of the event. The city officials and staff are very interested in supporting villages' development in Rockville communities.

 3. Seniors Today January's program

Austin Heyman, Seniors Today's host kindly invited me to an interview on villages as a follow up to the previous interview in January 2015. You can find the show on the county cable website: montgomerycountymd.gov/ccm/seniorstoday.html

 4. Alzheimer's Association classes and Memory Cafes

Memory Café
Moti’s Grill
4860 Boiling Brook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852
Meets the third Wednesday of each month from 2:30 - 4:00pm
 

Memory Café
Olney Library
3500 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney, MD 20832
Meets the fourth Wednesday of each month from 3:30 - 4:30pm

 Grants and other resources:

1. County Council and County Executive grants - deadline next week

This is the last reminder for this grant cycle. County Council and County Executive grants are due January 13th. Please connect with me if you have any questions on this. The application is submitted online.

2. Volunteer Maryland info sessions

Volunteer Maryland is already working with Olney Home for Life. This program allows you to hire full time volunteer with a modest stipend paid for mostly by Volunteer MD. I highly recommend you learn about this resource. There is going to be an information session this month in Silver Spring:

If you can't attend a live session? Join Volunteer Maryland for a free 45-minute webinar on Tuesday, January 12, 11:00 am - 11:45 am. Register Now

3. County Launches Training Program for Board Members of Common Ownership Communities:

The Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC) has launched a new online training program for common ownership community board members. The CCOC developed this training to meet requirements of Bill 45-14, which was passed by the County Council on February 3, 2015. The measure was signed into law by the County Executive on February 11, 2015 and took effect January 1, 2016. The new law is designed to promote more knowledgeable and responsible management of common ownership communities. Such self-governing residential communities include condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners’ associations. The new training program addresses ethics, roles and responsibilities of board members and homeowners, community governing documents, financial management, meeting rules, and general administration. The training also is available to members of the public interested in learning about operating common ownership communities.