Vision: (what success looks like for Valley Village) Aging in Community with Mutual Support

Mission: (our strategy to get to our vision) Valley Village enhances the capacity of members to age in their homes and promotes the well-being of members by offering social connection, wellness activities, educational opportunities, mutual support, and guidance for navigating the transitions of late life.

Values: (beliefs that guide our choices in how Valley Village operates and deals with people)

• Collaboration: working together to make things happen

• Community: valuing fellowship

• Compassion: caring for and supporting each other

• Diversity: welcoming and appreciating each person’s individuality

• Excellence: striving to do our best and evaluating results

• Independence: cultivating resilience and self-reliance

• Sustainability: building an organization that will serve generations

• Volunteerism: giving of ourselves to help others and community

• Wellness: promoting physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, occupational health.

Valley Village is a member of the Village to Village Network, our national organization that supports local Villages across the US and beyond.



Villages are membership-driven, grass-roots organizations that coordinate access to affordable services including transportation, health and wellness programs, home repairs, social and educational activities, and other day-to-day needs, enabling individuals to remain connected to their community throughout the aging process.

“Preparing for the future,” “Having an anxiety attack” or simply “Thinking ahead” are the thoughts that motivated two residents of Harrisonburg to begin conversation in 2007 about life after retirement. Keith Gnagey and Paul Yoder soon discovered they were not alone as they met with others in search of a model that supported persons aging in their own homes.

Keith and Paul discovered the Village Model (first developed by Beacon Hill Village in 2001) where services are defined by members and a fee structure. About 130 other Villages were in operation or development in the US at the time. Interest in a local Village grew quickly during exploratory meetings with groups of mostly seniors during 2008-09.

In May 2009, the group began operating as Park View Village, under the umbrella of Valley Associates for Independent Living (VAIL). Late in 2010, membership guidelines were drafted. Within the first three months of 2011, 30 households joined Park View Village.

In January 2012, an application under the name of PVI Villages was submitted to the IRS to obtain 501(c)3 charitable status, even as the organization did business as Park View Village. PVI Villages dba Park View Village was granted 501c3 status on March 7, 2013.

In 2018, as part of an effort to expand membership and services beyond the Park View neighborhood, the group rebranded as Valley Village, thus becoming PVI Villages dba Valley Village. Overall, Valley Village membership has grown steadily, and activities and services to help members live independently in their homes have expanded.

The Village Model: A Neighborly Way to Age in Place, Senior Planet, October 30, 2020

Can the Village Movement Scale to Support Aging in Place?, February 11, 2019

'Village Movement' Allows Elderly To Age In Their Homes, NPR', December 12, 2017

Aging In Place—The Village Model and Its Impact on Older Adults’ Quality of Life, Innovation in Aging, Volume 1, Issue suppl_1, 1 July 2017

Why More Seniors Are Forming Their Own 'Villages', Bloomberg CityLab, September 17, 2015

The Village Movement: Redefining Aging in Place, Next Avenue, June 4, 2012

Villages: The Real Social Network, AARP Magazine (May/June 2011)

Aging in Place Preserves Seniors’ Independence, Reduces Care Costs, Senior Journal (March 11, 2011)

Senior Villages Take Root as Movement Matures, US News & World Report (January 28, 2011)

Villages Help Neighbors Age at Home, NPR (August 23, 2010)

Lorie Merrow - President

Ann Bender - Vice President

Larry Miller - Vice President

Daryl Peifer - Treasurer

Richard Sider - Secretary

Pearl Lantz

Elaine Barge

Katherine Cottam

Gerald Kauffman

Annette Frantz

Joyce Nussbaum - Advisory