By Caprice Lawless | Contributing Writer
Maybe you are recently retired, new to Portland, and don’t know anyone your age. (That was my situation two years ago, when I moved here from Colorado.) Maybe you are a senior, suddenly widowed, and feeling lonesome. Maybe you realize, for various reasons, you need an easy, instant way to meet neighboring peers, to join them for a morning coffee, to play an afternoon game of Scrabble, to drop in on an afternoon Happy Hour, or, one night, to take in a show or a concert. Perhaps you aren’t quite ready yet to hire a home healthcare worker on a regular basis but do anticipate needing just a bit more help around the house than you ever did before, plus rides to medical appointments.
If so, consider joining one of the neighborhood-based “Villages” in Portland. Concordia’s local Village is Northeast Village PDX, part of the Northeast Community Center. An adjacent Village (where Concordia News readers may have retired relatives or friends) is the North Star Village. These hyperlocal, northeast Portland groups are part of the gigantic network of Villages Northwest comprising thousands of Portlanders. All are part of a nationwide system of neighborhood-based Villages that help seniors remain independent, and to stay in their homes as they grow older.
With Villagers, you have instant friends. Every Sunday you receive an email roster of events organized by other Villagers in your neighborhood. Program diversity includes groups such as the “Women at the Well” gathering offered by Northeast Village PDX. “It’s an example of our program variety that provides solo agers and others who are seeking community ways to connect,” explained Teri McKenzie, Northeast Village PDX manager.
“One of the nice things about the Villages is how each one decides how big it wants to be,” said Liz Kennedy, Nor t h Star Village member. Membership fees vary among the Villages. For further information, visit the Village website for Concordia residents at nevillagepdx.org .
Caprice Lawless has written extensively on higher education, homesharing, technology, construction, and engineering. She moved to Oregon from Colorado in 2023, shortly after retiring from teaching college English and Journalism.I