The Village Lifestyle Committees and Interest Groups

Our residents drive life at the Village.

Art for Fun
The Art for Fun Gallery provides a place to showcase the artwork of our many talented residents, or to exhibit group collections owned by residents. The Committee meets monthly to discuss submission ideas and coordinate exhibits which are displayed for two or three months at a time.

Book Group
This monthly group selects titles and gathers suggestions from each member to enjoy and discuss. Listeners are always welcome to the group which usually meets on the fourth Monday of each month. Copies of the books are delivered by the Bedford Library.

Bumper Pool

Happy the bumper pool table has a new home in the Village Centre, the group is planning instruction for beginners, a tournament or a ladder. New players are always welcome to drop in anytime for single or double play. The more the merrier!

Civic Issues

The Civic Issues group was born in the aftermath of the 2016 election, when many residents wanted to share their concerns about issues raised in the election campaigns, both national and statewide. The group is non-partisan in nature and dedicated to open exploration of issues including: immigration and refugees, climate change, affordable health care, education, gender and women’s issues, freedom of the press and voter rights. The group seeks avenues for individual action including calling key representatives, making donations writing letters to editors and joining forces with other communities. Monthly meetings open to the entire community.

Computer
The purpose of the Computer Committee is to increase awareness of the benefits of using personal computers and computer-related equipment, and to encourage and assist in their use. The Committee also assists the CWV administration in determining what equipment is appropriate for our Computer Center.

CWV Bridge Club
This group includes residents who have played bridge recently and are of average or above-average ability. This group meets two Wednesdays a month and partners are drawn at each meeting. New players are always welcome and may find themselves one of four winners for the highest score of the day!

CWV Singers    Stay tuned for description….

Employee Appreciation
The Committee raises money for the Employee Appreciation Fund to thank the employees for all that they have done throughout the year.

Excess Baggage Sale
Held every other year in the spring, the Excess Baggage Sale of residents’ donated furnishings is open to staff and the public. Proceeds go to the Residents’ Association which reimburses Carleton-Willard Homes Inc. for expenses of the Sale by purchasing something that benefits the entire Village, e.g. a computer for the Library, an exercise bicycle for the Fitness Center, or a flat-screen TV for the Nursing Center. The remainder is donated to charity.

Exploring Nature
The discussions of this monthly group cover themes ranging from discussion of bird species, to four-legged creatures, climate change, salt water fish, wind power, weather, butterfly migration, and a variety of other topics. The session includes identifying an object brought in, a lecture prepared by the coordinator or a member, sharing of any nature related events or knowledge, and a question and answer period.

Garden Club
The mission of the club is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, horticulture, and allied, creative activities; to promote civic beauty; and to conserve natural resources.

General Store
The purpose of the General Store is to provide a service to residents. Proceeds benefit the Residents’ Association and support various resident governing committees in addition to funding the purchase of library books. The General Store is operated by resident volunteers and offers a wide range of items from kitchen gadgets to greeting cards to ice cream and penny candy!

The Green Team
The Green Team Committee works with CWV Facilities Management and residents to help conserve energy by promoting energy saving tips and encouraging members to research energy topics.

Hospitality
The Hospitality Committee acts as a liaison between the Residents’ Association, Carleton-Willard Village Administration and residents, and welcomes new residents and helps them feel at home in the Village.

Knit Wits
In the past this long-standing group has produced eight to ten afghans a year for the Bedford Veteran’s Hospital. In 2007, the Knit Wits branched out and now not only make baby blankets and hats for Emerson Hospital newborns, but also knit warm hats, scarves and mittens for Rosie’s Place, a shelter for homeless and abused women. A small group of the more experienced knitters make a wide variety of items for adults and children for the annual CWV Fall Craft Fair.

Landscape
The Landscape Committee keeps the head of Buildings and Grounds, the gardener and the landscaping company informed about areas on CWV property which need their attention, such as broken tree limbs, sink holes, or crumbling asphalt. The Committee provides suggestions on ways to improve the approach to CWV landscaping.

Library
The Library Committee runs CWV’s library — a quiet place where residents may come to relax, browse and read at their leisure. The Committee aims to maintain a constant supply of books of all kinds–new books and classics, fiction and non-fiction, hardback and paperback, in regular print and large print, for both circulation and reference–along with daily newspapers.

Men’s Breakfast
This monthly gathering provides the men at the Village a congenial time for interesting conversation over breakfast. Typically a talk is given by a resident on a subject that is of interest to the group, followed by a question and answer period.

Newcomers
The purpose of this monthly group is to help integrate new residents into the Village. New residents are introduced to the many opportunities for getting involved and they have an opportunity to meet key staff members. Some meetings include tours of the Village kitchen, the David Fitch Guest House, the Nursing and Rehab Center, library and woodworking shop.

Off-Site Programs
The Committee plans and coordinates trips to off-site destinations, designed to provide Independent Living residents with a varied program of educational, sightseeing, entertainment, and dining experiences.

Pastoral Services
Pastoral Services serves as a sounding board for the Village Chaplain in regard to any concerns she may bring to the Committee’s attention; to serve as a conduit to the Chaplain for residents’ suggestions pertaining to the spiritual life of the Village; to apprise the Chaplain of special needs on the part of residents which might call for a personal visit; to assist the Chaplain in Sunday worship services, the annual Clergy Appreciation Tea, memorial flowers, monthly memorial services, and other programs. It also encourages residents to volunteer in the Health Center.

Ping Pong

The purpose group is to have fun and get some exercise at the same time, with opportunities to play twice a week. No need to sign up, just show up!

Poetry Reading
Lovers of poetry are invited to read their favorites to each other and to interested listeners. The purpose is to be an exercise in the flexibility of appreciation, and not a how-to on poetry or an exercise in literary criticism. Where else on such neutral and respectful ground is A.A. Milne apt to precede Shakespeare, Billy Collins to meet Emily Dickinson, E.B. White to brighten up Yeats, or an ultra-modern young New Yorker protégé allowed to crash the party to tease our brains?

Putting
The putting season runs May through September and six match times are set-up for each day scheduled. The coordinator determines if matches to be played will be single or partner matches. Each match consists of nine holes with the lowest number of puts in each match determining the winner. Club championships are held in September.

The Puzzlers

The group makes available a puzzle for the entertainment of anyone who passes by the puzzle station that is located near the Winthrop Terrace elevator. When a puzzle is complete, it is repackaged and made available for borrowing, and a new puzzle is presented by the group.

Residents’ Sponsored Lecture Series

The committee seeks excellent speakers who can make presentations on subjects that will interest the residents of Carleton-Willard.  Highlights from 2017:   Blandine Antoine of iRobot, Robots for the Home; Jeffrey Williams, Reflections on China; Stefan Schatzki, Medicine in American Art; Matthew Wittmann, History of Traveling Entertainments; Jeanne Douliiard, The French in the Americas and New England; Pierce Brown, Cathedrals of the Country Side; Andrew Bacevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East; Paul Carr, What are We Doing to our Climate; Kerry Shrives of Skinner Auctioneers; What’s it Worth.

Resident Health
The purpose of this Committee is to serve as a bridge between residents and staff on matters relating to health issues and heath care at the Village. For this reason the Committee is composed of CWV residents and staff. The Committee serves as forum for suggestions and concerns about health care at the Village, and to help focus ideas for consideration by the Administration and Trustees.

Tuesday Bridge Group
This informal group was started for residents who want to learn and/or improve their game. They are always looking for more residents to join them in their fun and in the pursuit of the gold coin winnings.

Village Chamber Music Players

Group of instrumentalists (strings, winds, brass, keyboard) who are interested in playing, for fun, chamber music in various combinations and interested in reviving old skills or continuing current skills.  All welcome — don’t be shy! This group plays slowly or a tempo depending on abilities.

The Village Voices

The Village Voices group is a small group of singers, open to men and women, interested in singing and performing multipart music such as barbershop, classic, madrigal, gospel and show-type music, generally a capella. The group plans a concert at least once a year. The group welcomes all abilities and also those who would like to read through for their own enjoyment, and not necessarily for performance.

Village Thespians
This group is self-described as a work in progress, an opportunity for all sorts of theater for those interested in performing or simply enjoying.  Semi-staged plays are presented in the Auditorium every two months or so, script in hand. Every Friday evening, there is an informal dinnertime gathering of thespians in the Red Room, where all are welcome.

Villager
This quarterly publication written by residents provides entertainment and information for residents, and it gives prospective residents an idea of the community they are about to join. The Villager includes residents’ original essays, poetry, and artwork; latest happenings in the Village; profiles introducing new residents; and facts from the stacks (Village library news).

Woodworking Shop
All Residential Living residents are welcome here after passing a yearly physical at the Village Clinic, and after receiving safety instructions from a Woodworking Shop member. The members not only work on their own projects, but also fix broken items (i.e., tables, chairs, loose hinges, sticky drawers, frayed lamp cords) for fellow residents.