Decades ago, before “aging in place” became a movement, a small group of residents in rural Leelanau County began a conversation.
That led to a plan: a grassroots network of volunteers and basic services for the elderly so they could remain in their homes as long as possible.
More than 20 years later, Pauline McClure, 91, is still in her home in Northport, a pretty beachfront town popular with retirees north of Traverse City. That’s in no small part due to ShareCare of Leelanau Inc., the nonprofit that grew from those discussions.
“It’s almost a lifesaver,” McClure said.
McClure was a ShareCare charter member in 1994. She’s served on its board, as board vice president and has given her time driving members to dental or medical appointments, visiting the lonely or taking meals to those in need.
Now she’s on the receiving end.
“When we were younger, we said, ‘We’ll never need that.’ Well, now I’m the one having to ask for help once in a while,” McClure said.
There’s another name for what ShareCare does ‒ what’s become known nationally as the “village movement” that now counts 230 like-minded programs across the United States, with another 130 in development. Officially the Village to Village Network, it traces its origins to a Boston nonprofit called Beacon Hill Village that opened in 2002 – eight years after network member ShareCare was founded on similar principles.