CONNECTION
We each, as resident, employee, board, and family member offer our own colorful thread to EastView’s wonderfully woven web of connection…
Passions
Our residents bring unique experiences, passions, expertise, and inspiration with them to EastView…joining together with others gives each the opportunity to shine a brighter light. Art lovers, painters, woodworkers, and photographers created the Resident Art Committee. Physicians, nurses, and wellness practitioners created the Health & Wellness Committee. Musicians gathered to form the Music Committee, working together to secure the donation of the first of our two beautiful Steinway pianos. Lovers of the landscape, from Master Gardeners through backyard hobbyists, formed the Landscape Committee and Garden Committee. The individual contributions to the community are meaningful and each lends richness to life here.
Participation
Organizationally, residents are encouraged to engage as vital contributors. One resident serves as a voting Board member, while others participate on the Board’s Finance Committee, Endowment Committee, Annual Giving Fund Committee, and Values & Growth strategic planning group. Residents and staff connect regularly through Residents’Council committees, to continue to lead EastView forward through thoughtful dialogue and actionable endeavors on EastView’s behalf. The Landscape Committee partnered with Leadership to commission a Master Landscape plan and guide the design of an efficiently lit walkway between the Cottages and the Inn. In gratitude for our dedicated workforce, residents unite annually offering financial gifts that enhance the lives of our employees.
Collaboration
Further flung, we connect within our broader community in response to need and to offer hope, resources, and connection. We regularly partner with the local food shelf to repackage food staples in family-sized quantities, prepare gleaned fruits & vegetables for their freezers, and deliver hundreds of pounds of donated food annually to help stock their pantry shelves. We partner with Middlebury College on a regular basis, hosting summer and winter interns, student volunteers, faculty talks and seminars, and student musical groups. We work with the local school district to connect elders and high school students through our Bridging Voices program. We host monthly “Circle of Life” story hours, connecting preschoolers and their families with EastView residents.
Dialogue
When faced with the challenges brought on by the unparalleled Covid-19 pandemic, we quickly stepped up to safeguard our entire community. Each staff member and resident immediately honored the need to maintain physical distance, wear a mask, and minimize exposure risks by altering his or her lifestyle. Within the first couple of weeks, we changed how we gathered, while creatively inventing new ways to connect, have fun, and support each other. Staff not working directly on the front line shifted to remote offices. We provided free grocery shopping services, guided residents with TeleHealth appointments, trained residents on the use of Zoom, and Zoomed weekly update meetings with residents and staff. All regular staff received extra appreciation pay and we began providing a nutritious meal each shift – a practice that continues to this day. Staff even crafted a video of inspiration to keep spirits high.
Connection
Looking back at the pandemic, one of the most enduring outcomes is a deepened appreciation for one another, a renewed sense of gratitude, and an even stronger sense of community. Throughout the pandemic, while respecting the realities of a rapidly changing world, we were successful in maintaining the deep connections that have always made EastView so special. And we did this without having a single case of Covid-19 in our neighborhoods prior to the rollout of the vaccine in 2021. In many ways, the pandemic became a catalyst for rediscovery: of gratitude, of connection, and of the peace found in the beauty surrounding us. While the pandemic certainly was a time of challenge, it also served as a powerful reminder of what truly matters—and it left us not only more connected to one another, but more committed to supporting and inspiring one another in lasting, meaningful ways.
Consider Connecting your Threads to EastView’s Tapestry…
100 EastView Terrace
Middlebury, VT 05753
