Over the next several weeks, our Membership Committee and office volunteers will be making welcoming phone calls to our members.  Our intention for these calls is to answer any questions you might have about the community you are a part of, are aware of how to make use of our services, and know about upcoming events.  Committee Members very much look forward to speaking with you.   (Photo: June Cheit, Rachel Kahn-Hut, Betty Webster [Chair]; missing from photo: Gloria Bayne, Marj Wolf)

In coming weeks all Ashby Village members will receive a survey intended for us to get a clear sense of who you are, what you want, and how we can best serve you.  This survey is anonymous and will take no more than 15 minutes to complete.  In order for it to be most effective, we're aiming for 100% response rate!  We ask you, in advance, to please complete your survey; it will help us to help you better.

One month ago I was a Recreation Supervisor for the City of Orinda.  Today I am retired, and a new volunteer for Ashby Village.  I can't tell you how happy that makes me, especially in view of the fact that when my wife first told me about Ashby Village, I thought it sounded like just another politically correct Berkeley non-profit, designed to serve the social needs of its members, and little else.  I could not have been more wrong!  For what I consider a nominal yearly fee, you can call us up, and one of our volunteers will come to your house as a handy man, a computer whiz, a friend, or a driver if you need a way to the doctor or grocery store.  Never in my life have I felt so useful to other people, even though as a volunteer there is no pay. 

-- Tom Boydon

Please don't hesitate to call Ashby Village (510-240-9200) for help at your home.  Our volunteers are ready and waiting to help out any way they can.  If we can meet your request directly, we have a list of recommended, interviewed and approved vendors and service providers that can.

Daniel Sabsay has volunteered a generous amount of time to assist Ashby Village in its efforts to become technologically savvy.  Working closely with Shirley Haberfeld, Village founder and Vice Chair, Daniel has laid the foundations of a transitional website and operational database. When not helping Ashby Village, Daniel is a Macintosh computer consultant helping clients with planning, installation, support, personal projects and general computer literacy.  He is also a Web developer specializing in dynamic database applications, access control, payment gateways and complete Web applications.  For all his generous, essential support, we express our gratitude.

We're pleased to recognize Charlotte Herzfeld, an Ashby Village member who has been supporting Ashby Village in several important ways.  Since early Spring, Charlotte has volunteered in the office one day each week performing a wide range of administrative and support activities.  She is also part of our newly formed Social Work/Case Management Committee.   When asked what she appreciates about her work with the Village, Charlotte said that she has enjoyed making good use of her skills as a social worker, and building new connections.  Having a close-up view of all that is required to operate our program, Charlotte is grateful for the energy, vision and determination that made Ashby Village possible.