The Village movement continues to be a bright spot demonstrating American Democracy at it’s finest. These new ‘Village People” are saying, “We know how we want it so we will do it ourselves. AARP has done some research about how villages work. Lots is happening, the Village to Village Network has a map on their site showing how villages are popping up like weeds.
And NOW a dear friend and significant mentor, Leslie Marks of the Marks Collaborative consulting practice has written A Village Blueprint, published by my County, Montgomery County, Maryland. This is a value packed research document with appendices. This thorough ‘how to guide’ for forming villages displays the thoughtfulness I expect from Leslie, relying on experience she gathered from some D.C. area village leadership.
Leslie Marks has lived in the Washington Metro area her whole life. Her career, over 30 years in the building industry, concentrated on senior housing. She was project manager for Maplewood Park Place, a retirement community in Bethesda, Md. She was then executive director of the National Association of Home Builders senior housing program for eight years. She currently consults with builders of senior housing throughout the country.
Leslie’s children and grandchildren live near her and her husband in Montgomery County where she is a member of the Commission on Aging and is vice-chair of the Vital Living Committee.
Louis Tenenbaum, one of the nation's leading authorities on aging in place, is the founder of HomesRenewed, a coalition of business, consumers and nonprofits, driving policy and investment to increase the number of age-friendly homes.