CANOPY OF
NEIGHBORS
By Carol S. Wolf

I find it amazing how I find out about programs I never heard of before. Last October, my husband and I went to an insurance informational program. We sat and talked to the BC/BS representative, Liz Schreier. During our conversation I mentioned I wrote for the After 50 Newspaper and she mentioned this new organization for seniors and gave me a flyer. I put the flyer away to check it out later. As I was working on ideas for 2012, I checked out the website and it looked fascinating. I called and met with Judy Fales, Interim, Executive Director, Toby Laping, PhD, President and Theresa Privitera, Subscriber.

Canopy of Neighbors is part of the Village to Village Network which is a national non-profit corporation dedicated to enabling people age 62 years and older to remain in their own homes confidently and independently. It was great to hear about this outstanding group.

Villages are membership-driven, grass-roots organizations that are based on the needs of your community. Villages do everything and anything that their members want and need. The Village model complements other community approaches to aging and area agencies. Currently, fifty Villages are operating across the country and approx 100 more will be opening soon.

Toby, a geriatric care manager explained to me how Canopy began several years ago as a concept. She said, "Three of us, Gayle Eagan, who is an elder law attorney, Liz Schreier, who worked for many years with the Episcopal Home volunteers and now BC/BS, and I were talking one day. We all live in the city, and we all work with seniors in various capacities and many of our clients have to move into assisted living but they would prefer to stay in their homes. So we looked around for a model that would make life easier for seniors living in the city. We came across a place called Beacon Hill Village in Boston which was begun in 2002 as a way to use volunteers that would respond to the requests of subscribers. We took that model, modified it and incorporated as a non-profit, Canopy of Neighbors, designed to make life easier for seniors who wish to remain in their own homes focused on two zip codes, 14209 and 14222. We hired Judy Fales to get us up and running."

I asked how they chose those two zip codes and Toby laughed and said we live in 14209 and it is in the city and 14222 also has a wide variety of cultural residents both high and low income. They both have neighborhoods and high rise apartments.

"Our Mission Statement is: Our mission is to give our subscribers the practical means and the confidence to remain in their own homes as they grow older, and to facilitate their empowerment by linking them with whatever resources are necessary to help them age in place."

Judy began by telling me she came out of retirement after 16 years, when several friends independently mentioned Canopy of Neighbors. She said, "I have loved being a part of this new venture. I was a college teacher for years then in the human resources services in health care and then the hospitality business, so this was a perfect fit."

I asked where they got their funding to begin and Judy explained, "We opened with a grant from Community Health Foundation and subsequently received grants from the Devereux Foundation, the Oishei Foundation and from Univera along with individual donations. There is also a subscription fee of $400. per year for single membership and $600. for a couple to receive all these services." She also said, "We are absolutely committed to having 20% of our membership be free because their incomes are no more than twice the federal poverty level or their incomes for a one person household are no more than about $1815/month. Anyone with that income, who is at least 62 years old, living in one of our two zip codes, may receive a free subscription. We will use the grant from Univera to pay for membership for those whose incomes are somewhat higher. .Research has shown programs like this keep people healthier and out of the hospital."

"In the beginning we did some advertising, held public forums and then small group meetings in people's homes. When we opened our doors on February 28, 2011, we had 29 subscribers and 30 volunteers and 30 approved vendors. One year later, we have 67 subscribers, 54 volunteers and 57 vendors."

It was a delight to meet to Theresa Privitera, an enthusiastic subscriber. The first thing she told me was, "the Canopy staff is very modest about what they say they are and what they do. What they supply is an incredible presence. My daughter wanted me to join and I kept saying no. My son was living with me and we did fine. Then he died unexpectedly last year and at 80 years old I was devastated. He donated his organs and was cremated the next day. I wanted his name remembered so after I picked up his ashes; I went to South Park High School, where he went, to set up a scholarship. I was told it was Transplant Day and would I be willing to talk to students. I said yes and it really helped me through everything.

Theresa shared with me after working in libraries for years, when her kids were finished with school; she went back to school in 1986 and graduated in 1990 in Art History and English. She said, "I worked in an art gallery and spent time in England where my other son lives. Now, living alone, I realized I needed help. So I joined Canopy and am constantly amazed at the quality of the volunteers and their willingness to be involved with whatever you are interested in. One of the magnificent things with their volunteers is you never feel like that are doing something 'for you', it feels like they are doing it 'with you'. The volunteers have opened many windows and doors for me. Frank and Jan, who do my marketing, invited me to go to the BPO rehearsal with them since they know I love concert music. Delight, is another one of my favorite people who walks with me, loves nature and knows so much about the history of the architecture in the neighborhood. I can't say enough, how wonderful they are. Canopy is part of my life now."

Services available to CANOPY subscribers:

• Transportation - paid and unpaid-day and evening

• Companion for hospital and medical appointments

• Friendly visitors/telephone assurance calls

• Home maintenance-indoor and outdoor

• Canopy group dining, home cooked meals and delivery services

• Technology assistance-computers, remote controls, etc.

• Pet services-walking, feeding, vet and grooming appointments

• Educational, cultural, social and exercise events

• Grooming and personal care services

• Volunteer opportunities

• Errands, shopping assistance

• Organizing paperwork, photos, family tree, closets, drawers, etc.

• Programs, Events and Activities

On May 10, Candace Baldwin Co-Director of the Village to Village Network is coming to Buffalo. Watch for more information.

If you would like to join, volunteer or to get more information contact:

Canopy of Neighbors, Inc.
1207 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14209
canopyofneighbors@gmail.com
716-332-6143
www.canopyofneighbors.org

If you know of a successful program in your community or would like more information please let me know at caroldickwolf@cs.com.