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It began with a New York Times article titled "Aging at Home: For a Lucky Few, a Wish Come True," about Boston's Beacon Hill Village, a model community organization designed to make "aging in place" a viable alternative to institutional living and nursing homes. In February, 2006, Al Poppen read that article and brought the concept to the Board of Directors of the Penn National Homeowners' Association (PNHA) for discussion. This led to an article in the PNHA newsletter, and by May a planning group of twelve volunteers was assembled. By July they had a mission: "Develop a plan to establish Aging-at-Home services/resources at Penn National;" a regular meeting place, free of charge, at the Norlo Park farmhouse; and a PNHA grant of $305 to purchase Beacon Hill Village's "how-to" manual.
The rest of 2006 was a busy time. Dick Kiel and Don Wissner drafted a Mission Statement, while Al Poppen drew up by-laws for the organization. After much discussion, the planning group settled on the name "Support Network at Penn National" and the acronym "SNaP." Incorporation papers were filed and work was begun on an application for IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Meanwhile some of the planners began doing research on other support organizations and services providers, and others were preparing for focus group meetings to assess needs and interest. These meetings were held in December and January, and included both current residents and former residents now in assisted living situations. The focus groups highlighted an immediate need that resulted in SNaP's first service program, a social group for widows and widowers.
The first months of 2007 saw the development of a survey that was delivered to all Penn National homes in April. Some 89% of the survey responses encouraged continued implementation of SNaP. Meetings and encouraging conversations were held with state, county and township officials, and the planners began identifying possible strategic partners. With incorporation, the planning group became the Board of Trustees. Approximately half of the original twelve have left the group at various times and for various reasons, and others have been added. The current Board has fourteen members. 2007 also saw the development of the organizational structure of committees responsible for services in six support areas: Transportation, Home Maintenance, Health Support, Information, Lifelong Learning, and Social Support.
During the first few months of 2008, each Committee developed policies and procedures and created a network necessary to deliver the required services. An Executive Director was hired and began work on March 1, 2008. Preparations began for the Kick Off Reception, which was held on April 7th, 2008. SNaP became operational on May 1, 2008, with 54 Charter Member households.
Stay tuned ...