Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day?
Are you sad because you’re on your own?
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
As if in response to The Beatles’ hit, “With a Little Help From My Friends,” Paul Sobel established Village in the Heights in 2018 as a grassroots membership group — a village community — where volunteer “neighbors helping neighbors” are coordinated through a central office to help one another “live better longer at home.”
Their service area is the network of neighborhoods surrounding the office at 1611 South Green Road in South Euclid, encompassing Beachwood, University Heights, South Euclid, Mayfield, Lyndhurst, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights. Annual membership dues are $200 per person/ $350 for households with more than one person.
Sobel says, “If you are living by yourself and you could use a little help with day-to-day activities or are lonely, we are here for you. There’s no reason for you to suffer loneliness and isolation. Loneliness can be more harmful to you than smoking or other bad health habits.”
Village in the Heights is a diversity-driven organization that offers social engagement and programming (ranging from lunch out with friends, to public speakers, volunteer opportunities and support for aging while LGBTQ or facing institutional racism in health care), along with practical help: a handyman for minor home repairs, tech support, a ride to an appointment or store, or help with daily chores.
Sobel says that membership in Village in the Heights will help you live interdependently in your home and neighborhood where your neighbors look out for you.
Both Village in the Heights membership and its volunteer corps have been growing in recent months. To get involved in either capacity, call 216-297-3179, email [email protected]. or visit the website: villageintheheights.org.
