Today we’re basking in the glow of our community. The 32nd Annual Meeting took place last night not as its traditional public gathering with hugs, handshakes, and a shared meal; but safely and remotely from the comfort of our homes via zoom.
Denny Frehsee opened the meeting remarking on how much we are missing the in-person gatherings and the feeling of physically being with our community but that he hoped that feeling would break through our socially distant barriers as close to 60 of us gathered last night to share the accomplishments of our year. And that’s just what happened.
With reflection and pride, Elizabeth Bridgewater shared insight on change we’ve accomplished and weathered over the past year and a half. From targeting and acting on innovation and equity and diversity in our three year strategic plan to successfully and expeditiously transitioning to COVID-19 response and keeping our community safe.
We heard from our three newly elected new board members, their impressive accomplishments and welcomed their new and valued perspectives to leadership. We said goodbye with no shortage of thanks to Alex Beck, our retiring board member.
The second half of the meeting focused entirely on honoring and celebrating the resilience we’ve experienced in our community. From residents and staff, to partners and funders. We heard about Peggie sewing masks for our maintenance team when it seemed impossible to find PPE, celebrated the valued partnership with Groundworks Collaborative in relocation of residents, from Billie we learned about the Westgate food shelf and measures taken to support the community’s wellbeing, we applauded and honored the dedication and incredible work of our maintenance team, we heard about how the SASH program in Windsor continues to support the vulnerable community with support from Mt. Ascutney Hospital, we saw the exciting updates for the Bellows Falls Garage project as it continues to move forward, we listened to the successful story of roof repair under strict social distancing orders, and ended with a resounding and heartfelt thanks to our donors.
Although our only connection this year was via zoom, our community shone through and brightly. Denny closed the meeting noting that he was beaming, happy to have so many of us together regardless of our remote capacity.
The meeting was recorded and will be available on our event page here. If you have stories of our community’s resilience, please email Marion Major mmajor@homemattershere.org. We’ll take every opportunity to celebrate and honor these stories.
