From changing bulb to weatherization,
neighbors are there
By Cathy Green
The volunteers may come from Iowa, or from around the corner in Roxborough, but to Journey’s Way, they’re all neighbors. And they are ready to perform neighborly acts.
Anna McKelvey can attest to that. At 80, she can still mow her lawn, but keeping the hedges trimmed is beyond her now. She told someone at Journey’s Way about the problem, and “some youngsters came and did my hedges. They did a beautiful job — and they were so nice,” she says.
Maureen Sweeney agrees. “I was surprised to see such a hard-working and polite group. They seeded, pruned, trimmed and planted.” It was a highlight of my summer to have help with work I can no longer do.”
Journey’s Way, Resources and Programs for People 55+, has been
providing a broad variety of services
to older residents of Northwest Philadelphia for years, but for the last two years, thanks to a grant from the Chestnut Hill Health Care Foundation, it has been able to expand its community network.
Requests increasing
The Neighbor to Neighbor program, designed to connect volunteers with older residents who need help, engaged coordinator James Remsen. As a result, the number of volunteers has increased, and so has the number of requests
for help, says Cynthia Wishkovsky, Journey’s Way director.
The help (all of it free) may be as basic as changing a hard-to-reach light bulb or turning a mattress, or extend to doing a home safety check and making needed repairs. Volunteers may run errands, establish friendly contact by phone or by visiting, give rides to stores or doctors’ appointments, or clear brush and debris from neglected yards. They may sign up for a one-time project, or schedule regular visits.
Other programs
Spring cleaning and fall weatherization projects bring out dozens for “work day” efforts. In preparation for winter, the volunteers will put up plastic window covers, install weatherstripping and seal openings that let in drafts.
Neighbor to Neighbor contacts may also result in beneficial side effects. Sweeney, for example, was pleased to learn that she can “give back” by volunteering as an art instructor.
Other programs at the center include health and wellness activities, fitness classes and creative activities.
Church and civic organizations, schools and individuals have all responded to the need for volunteers. And as word gets out about their services, more residents are inquiring about them.
One woman saw a work crew sprucing up the grounds at Journey’s Way headquarters at 6012 Ridge Ave., and asked whether there was any use for her gardening skills. She was signed up on the spot and was soon working on portable plants to brighten local residents’ homes.
But how do volunteers from Iowa wind up in Roxborough?
“They saw our website (www.
journeys-way.org),” says Wishkovsky, referring to the Faith Journey Program at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Their volunteer crews spend a month or more in a community, and came to help Journey’s Way in its mission to enable older residents to remain in their homes. Groups of different sizes spent a total of five weeks here.
Headquarters in a mansion
Journey’s Way, the aging services section of Intercommunity Action, Inc. (Interac), operates out of a grand Victorian building formerly known as the Langhurst mansion, its past glory reflected in the hand-carved woodwork and touches of alabaster. Interac is a private non-profit corporation that offers human services to residents of the Andorra, Roxborough, Manayunk, Wissahickon, East Falls and Nicetown neighborhoods.
For information on becoming a volunteer or to inquire about receiving services, you may call 215-487-1750.
