Brookland Village fundraiser surpasses goal to support senior resident aid

The Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village kicked off its fall season with a neighborhood fundraiser to support the group’s goal of better social and educational opportunities accessible for the neighborhood’s senior community.

The group exceeded its $10,000 fundraising goal, raising more than $16,000 to continue its work with older residents throughout the year. All funds will support programming, transportation, basic needs, and volunteer services throughout the Brookland neighborhood.

GBIV is Brookland’s village organization, which focuses on community engagement and connections for all ages. However, as a village group, the organization helps its senior neighbors to be comfortable in their own space.

The organization hosts seasonal events each month, including the fundraiser, which was held Sept. 28 at Right Proper Brewing Co. on Monroe Street NE.

The event attracted 120 people, including Councilmember Zachary Parker.

Wendy Brehm, executive director of GBIV, said the group is important to the Brookland community and its older adults.

“One of the things that makes GBIV special is that we’re a community where people of different ages can learn from and support one another,” Brehm said.

Brehm said GBIV is expanding its partnership with outside organizations, such as the American Sign Language community.

“As a community organization, we want deaf residents to be able to participate fully in Village life and not simply be invited into programs that weren’t designed with their access needs in mind,” she said.

Laura Worby, chair of the GBIV program committee, said that with the money raised, the organization hopes to bring in more volunteers and create other programming for people to participate in.

Drew Minor, the vice president of the group, said the organization mainly wants to help older folks who feel “siloed in” have socialization, especially as they age.

Isolation has been GBIV’s larger challenge to overcome, and the group said that older residents should be able to thrive in their own community. Brehm wrote in an email that older adults don’t feel as connected to their peers or community after going through a difficult time, which can feel isolating in their own space.

Brehm said older adults should have “more choices, more connections, and more opportunities to keep them active in a place where they call home.”

The group arranges small wellness and social groups for people of any age group to attend to connect more in the Brookland area. Worby said GBIV has a goal to have 10 programs a month, but now the group is up to 20 programs a month.

Worby said GBIV’s weekly Mahjong class has been a major success among Brookland residents since they started last July. The weekly classes have grown from four people to 20 people every week.

The group also organizes knitting classes, yoga, and beginner American Sign Language courses.

Brehm said that over the years, Front Porch Fest and their Spring Social bring over 100 people together for a welcoming and relaxing setting.

On Oct. 3, the group held its community Fall Fest on the Brookland Green, across from the Brookland-CUA Metro.

“Our Fall Fest is one of the ways we bring the broader community together, but the fundraising helps sustain the year-round work that makes those connections possible,” Brehm said in an email.

Rachel Williams, a candidate for Advisory Neighborhood Commission Ward 5, came to show her support at the GBIV’s Fall Fest.

Williams said she has lived in the Brookland area since 2021 but is a fourth-generation Washingtonian. She is running for the Ward 5B05 ANC council this coming election.

“I think it’s incredible and should be replicated throughout the city to kind of bring the seniors closer to a younger generation,” said Williams.

Williams said that senior residents often tend to be overlooked, and more programs should be accessible to them. She said, “Taking care of the young ones, babies, and seniors shows everyone is taken care of in the Brookland community.”

The funds raised at the fall fundraiser will cover additional programming, volunteer-supported services, and transportation assistance to make sure older adults and adults with disabilities can remain connected and engaged in the Brookland community.

The Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village is one of 13 villages across D.C. Neighborhood villages are nonprofit and support their senior citizens with community activities that prioritize their needs and help from neighbors.

“For us, accessibility isn’t an add-on. It’s part of the infrastructure of an inclusive community, and we want the Village to be a place where all residents feel that they genuinely belong,” said Brehm. She added that GBIV wants to expand its outreach beyond Brookland into nearby neighborhoods to identify needs directly from residents rather than assuming what a community needs.

For more information and events with the Greater Intergenerational Brookland Village, visit  https://www.brooklandvillage.org/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=940536