Skip to main content
Menu
NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER VOLUNTEER DONATE
HomeTeam Directory

TEAM DIRECTORY

If you are interested learning more about volunteering with an Ashby Village Team or Committee, please email the staff person noted or the team lead where a name and email is provided.

Member Services

  • Connections Team – Connections Volunteers provide regular friendly visits to members who, for various reasons have become more socially isolated. Enjoy tea and talk, take a walk, watch a movie or play a game. These are just a few of the ways our team members get to meet and interact with our dynamic and interesting village members. We hear from our volunteers that providing this support is so rewarding that they often feel that they receive more than they give. Volunteers connect for a few weeks, a few months or on an ongoing basis, and Connections visits are tailored to the individual needs of both the member and the volunteer. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)
  • Healthy Aging Initiative – The Healthy Aging Initiative aims to promote health and wellbeing by encouraging physical activity and social engagement. Join us for a stroll or ride through nearby parks and gardens, or meet up with us for a hike in one of the East Bay Regional Parks – with a range of options for distance, challenge and different preferences and abilities. Meet your Ashby Village buddies at anyone of our social gatherings and attend presentations on a variety of wellness topics. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)
  • Member Engagement Team – The Member Engagement Team (MET) ensures that Ashby Village members, especially newer members (less than one year), are connected to the village – for both services and activities/programs, with staff, with other members, and with volunteers. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)
  • Neighborhood Groups – Neighborhood Groups seek to enhance the sense of community at Ashby Village by making it possible for members to get to know other members in small group settings. The Ashby Village Neighborhood Groups sponsor a wide variety of events, including happy hour get-togethers, pot luck lunches and dinners, lunches at neighborhood restaurants, walks, teas, puzzle groups, knitting groups, IT groups, theater readings, etc. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)
  • Social Care Team (SCT) – SCT mutually defines, with our member during a home visit, what the challenge is and offer consultation about possible solutions, services in and out of the Village. These visits are limited to three visits whenever possible. This team, comprised of retired or semi-retired volunteers, provides evaluation and short-term support for members facing health and wellness challenges, family and personal crises, and other age-related issues. Following consultation, if warranted, members are also helped with resource lists (e.g. food delivery and transportation services) as well as referrals to appropriate services outside the Village, including home-care providers and housing transition planning. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)
  • Welcome and Orientation Team – Volunteers who acquaint new members with the services, volunteer opportunities and activities we offer, and how to access them. Contact Member Services Manager Karen Dean (karen@ashbyvillage.org)


    Volunteer Services

    • Events Team – The events team plans and coordinates monthly (first Friday of every month) pre-social hour and social hour events, as well as supporting numerous additional Ashby Village events such as the annual picnic, holiday party, lectures, and parties. Contact Team Lead Sigrid Duesberg (sigrid@ashbyvillage.org)
    • Declutter Team – Specially trained Village “decluttering” volunteers can help members organize, sort and reduce larger projects in the member’s home or garage. The result is greater peace of mind, and a safer and more enjoyable environment.   Support from these volunteers may go beyond a one-time organizing service however they do not provide any moving assistance, emergency or time sensitive support, or projects that may require heavy lifting. Contact Team Lead Christina Crowley (ccrowley580@gmail.com)
    • Home Safety Assessment Team – The purpose of each home assessment is to review and note areas where accidents are likely to occur, check for physical hazards, review elements of fire safety, encourage safety awareness and practice, and offer suggestions for improving the safety and usability of  the such areas of the home, such as the entry, hallways/stairs, bath, kitchen and bedroom. Contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Jessica Sterling (jessica@ashbyvillage.org) 
    • Office Corps – Office Corps volunteers assist in the office with administrative tasks, including answering phones, answering requests for information and service from our members, interviewing or calling members and other volunteers, filing, envelope stuffing, collating, and data entry. Contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Jessica Sterling (jessica@ashbyvillage.org) 

    Technology & Outreach

    • Technology Team – We connect our members with each other and provide resources that may include researching platforms for smartphone applications, senior-friendly group communication systems or platforms, (online and phone), donor data management tools. Contact Operations Manager Su-Yin Bickner (sbickner@ashbyvillage.org) 
    • Outreach Ambassador Team – This team represents Ashby Village in the community and talks with people interested in learning more about membership and volunteering. Outreach Ambassadors participate in community events such as the Solano Stroll and local farmers markets, and as guest speakers for events produced by other organizations. Outreach Ambassadors assist with village Information Sessions, including phone calls with those interested in membership, organizing outreach, and participating in monthly team gatherings. Contact Team Lead Joan Straumanis (logicaljoan@gmail.com)


    Communications & Fundraising

    • Communications Committee – The Communications Committee provides strategy, leadership, planning and support for both internal and external communications efforts and oversees progress toward the Ashby Village communication goals and objectives. Committee Co-Chairs: Julie Freestone, Board Member; Rochelle Lefkowitz, Sustaining Advisor. Contact Development & Communications Manager Charis Hanshaw (charis@ashbyvillage.org)
    • Development Committee – The Development Committee works to garner financial resources that enable Ashby Village to fulfill its mission, with a particular emphasis on its DEI initiatives. The Development Committee is responsible for the cultivation, stewardship, and expansion of individual and legacy donors, as well as relationships with foundations and corporate funders. Committee Chair: Jan Corazza, Ex-Officio Board Member. Contact Development & Communications Manager Charis Hanshaw (charis@ashbyvillage.org)


    STAFF   •   COORDINATORS    •   FORUMS