“We want to be the gap-filler. We really hope to ultimately have our elders in our community not feel alone,” says Reverend Cindy LaJoy, the Executive Director of Athol Kindness Connection, a new Village organization in Athol, Massachusetts, and the Associate Pastor at Athol Congregational Church.
Villages are grassroots, volunteer-driven nonprofit organizations that help older adults remain active, connected, and independent in their homes and communities. Following successful legislative advocacy by State Senator Jo Comerford and State Senator John Velis, an earmark in Governor Maura Healey’s 2026 Fiscal Year state budget enabled LifePath to award $100,000 to 10 local Village organizations, including Athol Kindness Connection, for the purpose of strengthening community-based, neighbor-to-neighbor support for older adults across the region.
With this funding, each Village will be able to provide neighbor-to-neighbor supports such as transportation for medical appointments and other essential needs, social activities, technology assistance, and help at home.
Cindy explains, “Within our church, we offer this help, but we want to offer it beyond the church, in an entirely secular way.” Cindy has experience caring for her own mom, who was cognitively sharp but needed some help physically with small tasks such as grocery shopping; tasks that weren’t difficult, but that her mother couldn’t do on her own. Getting her the help she needed was made harder by distance, with Cindy living in Colorado while her mother resided in California. The Athol Kindness Connection can be there for Athol residents in a similar position to Cindy’s mom—older adults needing a gap to be filled.
One Athol Kindness Connection member has already been helped with transportation to medical appointments, just as the organization is getting up and running. So far, the Athol Kindness Connection has ten board members, one volunteer, and a volunteer administrator. They are meeting with local civic organizations to explain what the organization will be doing and are looking for more volunteers.
Volunteers need at least an hour a month of availability and can log in to see available tasks to choose from. They’ll need to pass a background check and have a reliable motor vehicle. Training will be provided. Volunteers are welcome from Athol and surrounding towns. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Athol Kindness Connection, please visit their website or call 978-285-7550.
Board member Bonnie Hodgdon says, “The Athol Kindness Connection is important to me because, being a senior myself, I know how important it is to be able to remain in our own homes where we feel most comfortable. Help with small things, like changing a lightbulb that we can’t reach, can make all the difference. I wanted to volunteer to help someone like me. Also, what better way to show kindness than help someone in need?”
Board member Lisa Pollock adds, “With firsthand experience caring for an elderly parent needing assistance with shopping, errands, and appointments, I realized how stressful that can be for all involved. Family is not always available and Athol Kindness Connection can fill the gaps for you.”
The Village model originated in Massachusetts more than 20 years ago and has since grown into a national network of nearly 300 organizations, including over 25 statewide. Villages are led by their members—older adults who both give and receive support—creating flexible, locally responsive systems of care grounded in mutual aid and volunteerism.
The communities served by the 10 funded Villages are among the oldest in Massachusetts. While this area is a great place to age, older adults often face challenges that Villages can help to overcome in partnership with senior centers, Councils on Aging, and Aging Services Access Points such as LifePath. The funded organizations reflect a range of Village development stages, from newer initiatives building foundational capacity to more established Villages expanding programs and volunteer engagement.
Investment in Villages also advances regional Age & Dementia Friendly goals by strengthening social connection, reducing isolation, and expanding access to practical supports that help people of all ages live well in their communities.
“This is a game changer for older people in Athol,” says Lynne Feldman, LifePath’s Associate Executive Director. “Athol Kindness Connection volunteers can do what a nephew or daughter-in-law might do in a time when families are busier and more spread out than ever. This is a great opportunity for every Athol resident with a little bit of time and a reliable car to help our neighbors age well at home.”
“We are really looking forward to helping as many people as possible in our area,” says Cindy.
