Carnegie Hill Village - President's Letter, 2025

Dear Fellow Carnegie Hill Village Members:

How do we build a community that sustains us as we grow older in our homes in the neighborhood we love?  By creating a “Village” of older residents within the broader Carnegie Hill neighborhood that provides engaging ways for us to spend time with each other while helping us learn how to stay safe and healthy.  Everything we read these days about aging emphasizes the importance of social interaction as well as exercise of the body and mind. Now in our eighth year, Carnegie Hill Village focuses on just these vital activities for our 165 members.

Speaking of this wonderful neighborhood…. We are blessed that our fellow member and Board member, Maria Cox, provides us an extraordinary photo each Wednesday.  Many of these feature images from our own area. In addition, our amazing Board Member, Alden Prouty, always comes up with a poem which seems as if it was written especially to accompany Maria’s photo.  I know I speak for all of us when I say that we eagerly anticipate this Wednesday AM email. 

2025 in Review

Learning while socializing – 

Art Tours

During the past year Carnegie Hill Village continued to offer tours of various exhibits throughout the city, led mostly by Village members who are docents at the various institutions. In groups of about 12 we visited the Whitney, the Met, the Jewish Museum, the NY Historical, the Brooklyn Museum and lovely gardens and neighborhood galleries. We need to thank the Art Committee, composed of Village members, who plan and often lead these very popular tours.

Member Groups

Members continue to engage with one another to discuss Ted Talks, History books, poetry, short stories, and current affairs.  Others gather monthly to meditate with a skilled professional leader. There is also an active knitting group that welcomes needlepoint aficionados as well.  Some of these groups meet in person in one or another member’s apartment, and some, such as the Men’s Discussion Group meet mostly by Zoom.  All groups are open to any of us to join and generally meet once a month.

Bulletin Board

We encourage you to use the website Bulletin Board to provide useful information to other members; find companions to visit a museum, see a movie or take a walk, or learn about what else is going on in our community. Share your thoughts with other members by using the Bulletin Board.  https:www.carnegievillage.org/forum.

Not only can we learn from each other, but also from postings from our State Senator, Liz Krueger, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, HAFOP, and Search and Care. We do not aim to duplicate what others provide but to help all of us know what resources are available to us as we age.

Keep Walking

We continue to meet at the Engineer’s Gate each Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 am to walk in Central Park. We walk at all speeds. There is no need to sign up-Just Show Up!  We have made good friends and learned from each other as we have enjoyed the changing seasons in Central Park.

Testing Our Brains

Carnegie Hill Village is indeed fortunate to have a member, Judy Conant – a former Math teacher – who presents a Monthly Puzzle for us to solve.  What fun it is! How do you think it compares with Wordle or the Times Crossword? 

Tackling Issues of Concern to Seniors

As in past years, Carnegie Hill Village has presented experts to inform us about issues we face daily. This year it was “How to Prevent Falls” and “How to deal with the ever-present Computer Fraud and Scams.” These bigger gatherings are held either in our neighboring churches or by Zoom. Sometimes we can spend time afterwards with some refreshments to discuss what we have just learned.  We plan more of these in 2026. Please send us your suggestions for other informational sessions.  Just contact us by email. i[email protected]
 
Dine Around with Friends

Almost every week Carnegie Hill Village members gather for Dutch treat dinners or lunches in the neighborhood. These meals have become so popular that we are trying to expand the numbers attending by adding a second table at the restaurants.  We are always open to your suggestions of places to go. Would you like to act as a host for a dinner or lunch.? We can help by giving you the names of the attendees and making the reservation. 

Gather for Music and for Just Plain Fun

I know we all look forward to the concerts offered to our members and their guests during the year. On December 2nd, we again happily welcome the Crickets (the University Glee Club alumni small singing group) for our annual Holiday Concert. Sign up – bring a friend – and enjoy the conviviality and nibbles and beverages following the singing.

Twice this past year, Vocal Ease serenaded us with old and new favorite Broadway songs. Afterwards we were able to enjoy nibbles and beverages at the Brick Church or at the home of one of our Board members who lives nearby.  Many thanks to Tom O’Connor, board member, who reached out to Vocal Ease and Pete Palmer, also a Board member, who hosted a reception in his apartment across the street.

 Finally, at least once a year, the Village hosts a purely social get together for all of us in the neighborhood so we can have even more opportunities to get to know each other and to bring friends who might enjoy becoming members of Carnegie Hill Village. We have been fortunate to be able to enjoy each other in nice spring weather in the garden at the Brick Church. 

Operations, Finances and Outlook

We continue to operate with no paid staff. Our eleven-person Board of Directors contributes their time and professional skills to fulfill virtually all legal, accounting, computer, communications and administrative tasks, in addition to their policy oversight, in managing our 165-member Village. Our email and website communications to all members are crucial and require regular attention by several dedicated board members.

Our annual expenditures are running at about $23 thousand. As an organization whose youngest members are 65 or older, it behooves us to attract new members as some of us age out over the years. We have learned that, in addition to word of mouth, the most effective way to reach a broad range of new members is to advertise in the community magazine Carnegie Neighbors News. Two full page ads this year have cost about $6K. That has been by far our largest annual expense. Our other major annual expenses are website and software fees ($4K), payments for use of space, mainly churches (4K), catering all member educational or entertainment meetings and Spring Party (3K), and insurance (3K). The remaining miscellaneous expenses of about $3K include credit card processing fees, tour fees, and online services. 

We have two sources of income, membership dues of $100 per person (165 X 100 = $16,500) and unsolicited member gifts which have more than covered any annual deficits. Over the eight years since our inception, our net assets, all in cash equivalent bank deposits, have grown to $27K. 

We look forward to seeing many of you on December 2 at 6 pm at the Church of the Heavenly Rest for the Crickets annual Holiday Concert and reception.  It has been such fun getting to know so many of you.

Gilda Wray 

President