Pathfinder Series: We Are Believers | Community

Are you a new pickleball player who has taken a class? Then you’ve probably met Greg Nelson. Did you know that in addition to teaching the 1.0 level classes on the court, Greg is a volunteer for Senior Village on the Going My Way team? He has been a volunteer for both the Helping Hands team and Going My Way team since 2016.

Greg joined Senior Village at its inception with the believe that Senior Village is an “ideal organization for SaddleBrooke.” Learning more about Senior Village through his friendship with founder Gary Hammond, Greg elaborated, “SaddleBrooke is a contained population of people. Residents have a sense of community helping people in their neighborhood.”

Greg made a heartfelt connection to the book entitled Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, where the author addresses the needs of the elderly identifying the ultimate goal of living a good life all the way to the very end. The goal is achieved through the connections that community and a sense of belonging give to residents. Senior Village’s motto “neighbors helping neighbors”, creates that community bond.

Greg sees the impact that Senior Village makes on his community. Things can change for people instantly and the fact that Senior Village is here to help is crucial. One member Greg drove experienced a broken hip. “He went from being completely independent to needing help quickly.”

Greg completes ten to twelve jobs a month mostly through Helping Hands. “I can ‘cherry pick’ what I do, he explains. All the requests are posted, and it is easy to choose what fits into your schedule.” He goes on to say, “I have plenty of time and this fills my time.” His smile grew as he talked about the light changing pole his wife Wendie bought him. He enjoys changing those hard-to-reach lightbulbs for members. “It is a quick job to do.”

So why continue to volunteer for over ten years? “I enjoy it. I feel like it’s such a great program. I am doing something worthwhile. There are lots of residents who should not be alone and with Senior Village their quality of life is so much better. They are grateful when they say, ‘Thank you’.” He concludes his thoughts with “We are believers. It has been a real rewarding experience, and we will continue as long as we can.”

The flexibility offered by Senior Village allows volunteers to pick what they like to do. It is an opportunity to meet new people and build new relationships if that is what you are looking for. For Greg, it “Gives you such a good feeling. I need a few strokes on the back!”