By Southwester Staff
Waterfront Village celebrated its fifth anniversary of helping older adults in Southwest DC and the Navy Yard with a virtual ceremony recognizing the contributions of leaders, volunteers and supporters on October 3.
Waterfront Village is a nonprofit organization that supports older adults who want to age in place in the Southwest and Navy Yard communities by providing social opportunities and home and health support services through a network of volunteers. Currently, 183 local residents are members.
The award ceremony recognized those who supported the Village during its early years of operations.
“We are so glad to have an opportunity to recognize the people who have given so much back to the Village, to the community really, with their time, effort and donations to the Village,” said Village President Carroll Quinn.
Among the award recipients are Barbara Erhlich, the Village’s first board president, and Robert Craycraft, the Village’s first executive director.
The Village also honored volunteers who stand out for their lasting contributions to the Village, including Victoria Peckham, Dick Lang and David Ehrlich. The work includes contributions such as establishing a weekly grocery store shuttle, providing technology assistance and organizing events such as book readings and musical performances.
The Village awards also recognize the importance of supporters who have provided financial and advisory assistance during the past five years. This includes Vania Georgieva and Bruce Moody, who provided videography and production support to allow the Village’s annual fundraising event, a home tour of the Southwest Waterfront, to go virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. Nelson Crouch, who has supported the Village’s home tours, and the Friends of Southwest DC, which provided critical funding, were honored as some of the earliest and most important supporters of the Village.
“At the end of the day, the Village depends on the generosity and advice of supporters to move the organization forward and expand our reach to older adults in our neighborhood,” Quinn said.