 Hi, this is Jan Reardon, and I'm here representing the Jennifer Reardon Foundation, which was put in place to honor my sister-in-law, Jennifer Reardon, and her acts of kindness, and that's what the foundation is all about. There's four pillars. One is for women's empowerment. One is for community vibrancy. One is for financial literacy, and the other is for early childhood education. So we tend to do things that can get those types of organizations a helping hand and hopefully get to the next level and spread a lot of kindness along the way. So I have my little guest here speaking of kind. She is, sorry, she doesn't like it when I block her face, but her name is Aspen. She is my brother and their children's little puppy, and well, not a little puppy now. She's about seven. Jen rescued her right now long before the incident, and she has been just quite in addition to the family with Adventures of Aspen. So she's coming on the tour with me next week. I'm heading down the East Coast to spread acts of kindness, and Aspen will be coming with me. So she's here just listening in to kind of get the scoop. But I have to turn things over now to my very, very special guest. I'm just thrilled to be here with Sarah Wool, who is here representing Agewell. But I just wanted to just share a couple of things because back when I was in the non-profit world, everybody in Burlington and beyond, everybody wanted Sarah Wool to be doing their development. So that made me think in addition to my first question after I introduce Sarah is, you know, how was Agewell really fortunate enough to have her land there? But we'll get back to that. I just want to say thank you so much, Sarah. I'm so glad that you're here. I am honored to be here with you, whom I've known I can't even remember. Through many ups and downs. Many life monumental moments and changes. Exactly. And we are grateful to be next to Aspen as well. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Oh, my pleasure. I wanted to get you on here for a few months, so I finally got you cut you off on the path outside. So anyway, a couple of things. One is kind of as I was saying, everybody in that non-profit world really wanted to have Sarah Wool. You had great success at the Boys and Girls Club and you were just very well sought after. You were with Bull Rock. I mean, you just did a lot of great things in the community. So what was inside of you that kind of called you to consider Agewell as a good place? Because I know you would never work someplace unless if that was your heart and soul, that's who you are. So what brought you to Agewell? And tell us about that and the mission of Agewell. Sure. Well, I don't think anyone plans a career in fundraising. You know, you go through high school and college, hopefully. And you try to figure out what you want to do. And I was always drawn to mission-based organizations. And when I came back to my roots in Vermont, I was gone for a number of years in Boston. I luckily fell right into a position as the director of development at the Boys and Girls Club, right down the street. Oh, so I didn't realize that was your first big on your way back. That was my first real foray into fundraising and running a fundraising program. Beautiful. What a way to kick it off. Absolutely. Just perfect timing in my life. I'm really an organization that I still support. And your dad is still on the board? He's an honorary board member. And it just, you know, I grew up going to the YMCA as I know. And it just felt right at the time. And then, you know, life changes come about. I had children. I ended up going back into the for-profit sector. And while I raised or had my two kids. And then this opportunity, I was working in the senior living industry on the for-profit side. And I just missed. Interesting. That connection, right? I really missed the non-profit mission. Right. And what is it about the non-profit and age well specifically's mission that has drawn you in for all of these years? This is an easy one. You know, I definitely believe in the circle of life and, you know, making the transition from, I would never fundraise for something I didn't truly believe in. Exactly. It's so obvious. I mean, it's really, if you don't support the mission or those receiving services. And I was so fortunate to grow up. I was, my two grandmothers helped to raise me while my mother was in nursing school at UVM. Oh, beautiful. I had all of my grandparents until I was age 40. Oh, that's unheard of. I guess I'm not going to age myself. But so I just completely resonated and really, you know, giving back to children, giving back to our aging population, it just is at the core of what I believe in. Definitely. I love it. And what would you say, obviously, you've been there through ups and downs and I'm thinking the downs being just the adjustment of the pandemic. So how did the pandemic and how does it continue to affect age well? So let me just start with our mission. So age well is, we're now almost in our 50th year of service. We support older Vermonters and those with disabilities that need services in their home. So the goal is to, our mission is to provide sort of the support and guidance that really empower people to embrace aging. Love it. And so our goal is just to provide wraparound services to, you know, most people want to remain at home until they can no longer. Exactly. And we make that a little bit easier. So everything from our, probably our most well-known service is Meals on Wheels. Right. We're part of five area agencies on aging in Vermont. We're a nonprofit. We cover all of Northwestern Vermont. So everything, Franklin County, Grand Isle, Chittenden, all the way down to Addison, almost Rutland area. And so it's just a complete array of sort of enveloping services like care coordination. So if somebody, if they're a high need client and they need somebody to come in and really help them connect with doctors. That's what I heard, even those services. And I don't think a lot of people know that. So that's awesome for you to bring up because what a great resource. Yeah. I mean, it's just a wide array of services that really help people remain at home. And so our sort of our point of entry is our helpline. And you can call the helpline. It's 800. I think. Perfect. Can you see this? 800. 642. 5119. And that really is where you can have any question answered. You can seek any resource and then they will basically sign you up for Meals on Wheels. Sign you up if you need a care coordinator in your home. Find you transportation to medical services. So it's pretty seamless. You don't have to be dealing with the computer if you don't want to. Just a phone call, which that's hard to find in this day and age. Anyway, it's where you can actually speak with someone. So it's nice that age well still has and always will have that personal touch at every level. Yeah. And if you don't, you know, there's a lot of, unfortunately, there's a lot of older Vermonters that live alone. You know, family migration has really taken a hit on people because people have left Vermont to seek jobs. And so there's a lot of older Vermonters living by themselves. So we're really trying to get the word out to medical providers, hospitals, all their social service entities that could call on behalf of constituents that they're working with. Right. Because it's, you know, not everybody has a family member that can be a point person. Right. Just to get on the radar. Exactly. Exactly. I have this client that needs this support. And so we're really doing our best. And I think we're becoming a much better known entity in the community. Yes, absolutely. I've been here for 50 years, but the reputation really over the last 10 has been transforming. Absolutely. Well, the name even changed at one point. So obviously it speaks to the organization as far as, I love how you say, to really be able to enhance aging. And I have to say, I'm at that point, I thought, oh, at first when it was happening where you don't know who you're looking at every day in the mirror, to the point where it's like, you know, we are in a great place here in Vermont. There's so much for us to do. So many like wonderful organizations such as Agewell. So there's resources to really live your best life. Yeah. And I should mention, I think this is important and you bring up a good point that this isn't just for homebound seniors. This is an organization that provides volunteer opportunities for retirees. I would say 70% of our almost 1200 volunteers are 60 plus. Love it. We have Tai Chi programs throughout our four county service area. Wonderful. Mind and balance wellness activities that we provide. So there's an array. They're affordable, right? They're free. Free. Free of charge. All of our services are free of charge. Completely free. Meals on wheels, you qualify, but in our care and service coordination, you have to be a qualified candidate, but everything is free. That is fabulous. I'm glad you mentioned that. Hence we rely on donations like so many other nonprofits. And you speak to us about that, whether it's about what you dealt with through the pandemic from your point of view as far as donations or now if things have started to come back around a bit in your world. So I will talk as everyone has been affected by the pandemic. We were truly an organization that was boots on the ground from the second the pandemic began until now. We were deemed an essential service. So nobody missed a meal. Nobody missed... Remarkable is that. We really had to pivot within a 24-hour time span to figure out how thousands of Vermonters were going to get meals on wheels, how thousands of Vermonters were going to get telehealth instead of our in-home visits. You're talking life and death situations. Totally. Yeah. Overnight. We have a very large population that we deal with that have multiple chronic illnesses. And so, yeah, we... Daily attention. We are a conduit to their medical providers. We're a conduit to their nutrition. We're a conduit to them getting that safety check. And psychologically, right? Absolutely. Biggest conduit of all. Absolutely. You know, everybody's coming over and you see those pictures and I know they're real. That big smile from the volunteer bringing that in and it's like... And I'm glad you brought that up about, you know, volunteers being seniors because what a wonderful thing for, you know, and now I just never thought I'd be having this conversation, but it's like, you know, you get to the point of being a senior and those are the things that fill your heart. Absolutely. You know, you just feel so glad to be able and healthy enough to be involved and up and active and making the difference in somebody's day. When you think about, you know, I think about my own grandparents and all their connections they had. They lived in the old North End of Burlington. One big family. And then the new North End of Burlington and they were connected. They were connected to their religious place of worship. They were connected to their layers of family and friends. Everything was community gathering. Absolutely. And that's changed pretty significantly with... Even before the pandemic. Your way before the pandemic. Your way before the media. You just, you know, really, you know, solidified it going in a different direction. And it's nice now to be as hands-on as we can. And as you say, your organization boots to the ground. Hit it. I mean, you can't... We're in the door. I mean, we're in their homes, which their medical providers are not in their homes. No. You know what's going on. Startling statistic even before the pandemic was, and I always have to look at my notes for this. There are 40,000 Vermont seniors living alone in Vermont and many in rural areas. And 20,000 that are threatened by hunger. And those numbers, that was before the pandemic. And those numbers have skyrocketed. And nobody associates hunger or living alone with social isolation, which can be a huge instigator of illness. Mental illness. Mental illness and even physical. Exactly. Hand in hand. And so we are really... The deterioration rate has to... Oh, it's remarkable. Absolutely. The comparison between social isolation and smoking cigarettes and having the same sort of negative health impact that I just read. Interesting. And it's startling because you think you need the base... People really boil it down to basic needs, and nobody considers community as a real need, basic need. Oh, huge. And it really truly is. So we're doing our best to get back to that. Right. Shifting gears with donations for your piece of age. Well, like how are you able to make that adjustment? So our costs have gone through the roof, obviously. We had to... Those numbers. We had to provide emergency meals to people because people were needing meals over the weekends. Typically, we're a five-day-a-week delivery service. So you get your meal Monday through Friday for meals on wheels. We saw a 25% increase in those needing meals, and that hasn't decreased. We saw a 40% increase in total population needing to be served. And so we... So that's over the course of two years? That's over the course of two years, and nothing has flatlined. So we really... We shifted gears in how our service was delivered, but we also internally had to shift gears in how we were going to raise funds to... Exactly. And luckily, we're a federal... So our meals on wheels programs are part of the Older Americans Act, which is federal legislation. So we do receive, and as many who are in the fundraising world know, federal and state and local funding has either gone down significantly or remain flatlined. So we knew we needed to be creative. We knew we needed to be nimble in both fundraising and in our services delivery model. So we really just went straight for grant funding. We reached out to local businesses. We live... We're so fortunate to live in a community. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know this better than anyone. Yes. Where people really... Well, you know each other. Exactly. And I always say, sometimes when I walk up church street, I feel like people are running the other way because I think I'm going to pickpocket them or beg them for money. But I think people truly see the value in the work we do. Exactly. And I think our case statement is so compelling that businesses have stepped up to volunteer. They've allowed employees. And our volunteer force is one of the largest in Vermont. And it's... 1,200. 1,200 strong. And I'll just give you... Last year we had 1,071 volunteers that donated over 49,000 hours. And if you can equate that to dollars, we would not be doing... There would be hundreds upon hundreds of aging Vermonters not receiving meals. People not receiving their meals. How about you could not afford it? We couldn't afford it. No. We know... We've done a three-year projection because we know we need to. Because we know COVID funding is sunsetting. It's no longer out there. That's the thing. Like you said, initially it was nice. You could go in that direction for sort of another avenue. But now that's gone. But now we still have this 25% increase in those needing meals. And we don't see that the aging demographic of Vermont were the third oldest state in the nation. We have a huge population that's about to turn 79 plus. Right. We know that that... It's only going to increase. Exactly. We have done a three-year profit and loss projection. And we know that our team, our very small team of fundraisers and our board of directors and our staff in general are going to have to keep pounding the pavement to tell our story. It's differently, right? It has to be obviously the group effort in that sense. But what do you think as far as the events, for instance, that you used to host? I mean, amazing events that hopefully raised a fair amount of money to get to your goal. Do you see those coming back in the future where you can be at Burlington Country Club and have a silent auction? So I will tell you this. And again, I go back to this amazing community. There's... I think we have more nonprofits per capita than anywhere in the nation. Yes. That has been the case for a long time. And we're all buying for a small sliver. Yes. And what I found in the last two and a half, almost three years now, we've gone two years without that event that you've been a part of. Exactly. And while it was a gathering that brought people together and gave us the platform to tell our story to a small group, you know, we're talking 150 people that came to that event, we will probably bring it back because it's fun and because it brings funders together. Yes. And it... And that work and things like that. And that's where it's fun. It's a... The atmosphere, you can't go wrong. There's so much nostalgia there. Yeah. It's just... Yeah. So I'm talking about our March for Meals campaign. We're a member organization of Meals on Wheels of America. And so organizations all over the country band together in the month of March to really promote awareness and fundraise for Meals on Wheels. So if that event comes back, that's one piece. But what are other ways? How can... I mean, obviously, people go to the website. And what is the website? So the website is www.AgewellVT.org. Perfect. That's on there as well. Okay. Turn it around so you can see. Thank you. You know, that event is, in part, to have businesses and individuals take on and sponsor meal routes. We have 60 plus meal routes in those four counties I mentioned. And that stays pretty consistent year-round? It stays very consistent. And so we have actually exceeded our fundraising goal without the event for the last two years. Sarah, that is... That gives me chills. I am so happy for you and your organization. That... How the heck... I am so happy to live in a place where people say, you know what? That's a true need. I am going to our business, $1,500, which covers a month of meals. And that's what I love about your approach. It's always been real tangible. It's like, okay, if I have this much, this is what's really going to happen. It's like you know the outcome instantly. It's really... It's $8. It costs us $8 from start to finish to provide one meal. One meal. Right. And the transparency of Agewell is another thing that is fabulous. And just to now know, okay, it's $8 there and what can be done and how much can we really donate? And I think that's a... You know, nonprofits, you've worked in them in almost a lot of your career. I think what people really appreciate, and I have been so fortunate in the two that I've worked for, is we've had... We have the privilege of aligning with an umbrella organization, so Boys and Girls Club. Exactly. It's a USA entity. Yes, exactly. It's on Wheels of America. It's a tried and true nonprofit and we benefit from... That national stamp of approval. Yes, absolutely. And you can't deny the work we're doing. We are literally keeping... Saving lives. Yeah. Saving lives and keeping aging Vermonters, our neighbors, our grandparents, and you know, we're taking care of those people that once took care of us. Absolutely. Right. And those people that worked and tried so hard to make this community better for this generation. And so if anybody deserves kindness and special attention, it certainly is that group. I couldn't agree with you more. But let's see if I can at least get to one of my questions. Sorry. No, I don't do a very good job making sure I cover everything here. So let me just... Well, along those same lines, how would somebody, if they wanted to volunteer, how would they... Do they again go through the website or call the 800 number or how do they get in touch to say, sign me up for... And I put up another... Oh, absolutely. Lots of material. I love it. Love it. So we, again, we have a whole host of opportunities for people to volunteer. Meals on Wheels is our largest population. We have a program called Senior Companions where there's actually a stipend for 60-plus, I believe, to basically become a companion of someone in need. We have a friendly visitor program, so people that come into the home take people to their medical appointments, help them grocery shop. We have a Veterans to Veterans program. We have a Respite Caregiver program where... And I don't think the average person knows all of these different things. So I think you can see on here to contact our Volunteer Department. Oh, good. 802-662-5249 and or email VolunteerServices at agewellbt.org. And there is a whole host, as you can see, of opportunities. Wonderful. I need to do that. And we would not do this work without volunteers. No, as you say, 1,200 and 1,200. 1,200. 1,000 hours, so how do you equate that to money that, as you said... We equate it. We equate it. I get handed a fake check every year by our Director of Volunteer Services. Love it. Love it. And she is very quick to point out what... Kind of a humbling experience. Yes, absolutely. She said, you're the fundraiser, but guess what I do for this Whoa, yep. ...organization. And she's very true. And I just want to mention our area is right now with greatest need. Okay, please. We are Addison County, Middlebury and Virgin specifically, Chittenden County, Burlington and Winooski, and Franklin County, Enesburg, Sheldon, St. Albans, and Swanton. And those are specifically for Meals on Wheels in our friendly visitor program. So if you live in those areas, please, please, and you have time on your hands. So the friendly visitor volunteer, do they go like the same route that the Meals on Wheels person? How does that work? Completely separate. Meals volunteers, they pick a route and you typically do a route in your town or where you work. We have businesses that take on routes and they divide it amidst their employees. You can volunteer to deliver a Meals route once a week, once a month. A lot of flexibility there. Absolutely. And then the other friendly visitor is you really, based on your location, will match you. Oh, very nice. The whole interview process. So we'll match you with somebody that really fits your needs and their needs. And friendships must form left and right. Absolutely. It can be anything from going in and playing chess to going to the grocery. Oh, I love it. And I was going to ask you about that. So as far as being able to do that, is it something that, again, you could do once, twice, three times a week? It's really based on the volunteer. The volunteer drives the process because they're donating their time and commitment. So we let them leave that conversation and then we make it work. That's wonderful. And I think it's a great fact that you're matching people up right there in that community. Absolutely. Yeah. Good. Forgetting. Well, I did want to touch on the fact, obviously, along with age well, being such a kind and loving, caring, and sharing organization, I certainly felt very strongly about the match with Jennifer Reardon Foundation and your mission. But also, just talking about kindness, I just wanted to reflect on what an amazing person you are to have gone through the loss of your husband and remained so kind and loving. Because I think as we go through these experiences, you think you can be kind, but sometimes it's like talk about challenging and making it difficult. So I admire you so much. Thank you so much. And I will give, I did a lot of research prior to this. I knew, obviously, your story and that of Jennifer's. And I see so many quotes on the Kindness website that bring me back to Gabe's sort of mantra in life. Love and life, which resonates through you. Yeah. He was a fixture in this community and way beyond and a better person than I will ever be likely. But he just radiated personality and that sort of genuine commitment to helping others. Right. And you don't... If any of him rubbed off on me or my kids... Oh, it has, you can tell. There's no question about it. And it's so nice to recognize that because I think one of those quotes, and I love this one, it's just trying to take one of the things that you really admired about that person away to sort of embrace. And so I think that really helps. Now I have to be kind because now I'm living this, but it's those things that you try to do. You're just much more focused and mindful. And I think, yeah, you can become so much more cognizant of the person you want to be. That's it, exactly. Which is really an unfortunate way to learn that life lesson. That's exactly what I was going to say, Sarah. It's imparted in all of us in some way. I do want to share one quote that I just received from an age well family member of a volunteer that then became a client. I hope that's okay. Absolutely. She just wrote us yesterday with a donation and said, my dad was a volunteer for many years and a happy client for many more. As Vermont's oldest World War II veteran at the time of his passing, which was just recently, he was beloved by so many. He told me the reason he lived to be 106 was, I do these three things every day. One, exercise. Two, practice gratitude. And three, make someone else feel good about themselves. And I just, reading Jennifer's mantra, always be kind, loving, caring, and sharing. There you have it. And here it's a... Here we are. Yeah. World War II vet, oh, 106 years old. Talk about wisdom. And I think how lucky are we to be doing what we do even under sometimes really hard circumstances. Yeah. But it is true. The alternative isn't what anybody wants. So here we are. And we make the most of it. And it shows so much respect and honor for the love that, obviously, you share too. And are there any, like, do you do certain events? I know you had talked, obviously, basketball is such a big, you know, sport for Gabe and your family. So are there any activities that we can do to contribute and to help any funding I know with colon cancer, which is what my mom passed away from... Oh, yeah. She did. I didn't know that. As a family, we try to engage my sister who lives in Richmond, Virginia. Her daughters who are in high school just started an offshoot of a foundation there to spread awareness amidst younger. Right now, they're telling you to go get screened at age 45. And so they just started a branch of just education and awareness. This is interesting and a little bit of an offshoot here, but we're driving through Richmond, Virginia for the tour. Oh, really? So we'll be there on Tuesday. Can you give me that? Yes, because I'd love to... Absolutely. See what we can do. Yep. Let me connect you with... Yes, and I have a lot of giveaways and everything. Okay. Let me connect you with their organization. Please do. I'm glad you mentioned that. And they do a boxer... It's called the Boxer Brief Run, which... A perfect team. A little play on words, but... Love it. And so, you know, we try every year to do something to commemorate. And your family is, like, the love. You can just feel it looking at a picture. Yeah, you're... You're pretty lucky with family and friends. Yes, yes. And boy, you know, I have to say, you can't do it without it. You can understand, again, the importance of going back to age well if somebody's by themselves. And as Joyce Cameron from the Humane Society had mentioned, you know, somebody turning in their cat who's 17, and that's their only family member. Absolutely. You know, so, again, these are things that, you know, we can work together as a community and be kind, and that is why people love to live in Vermont. I mean, you know, it is, you know, such a great feeling to just be able to just pick up the phone or, I guess you don't pick up the phone anymore, but, you know, email somebody or text them and just get a nice conversation going. I'm glad that we haven't lost all of that here. It still feels, whenever I come back home, I always feel like it's just such a special place. It is. And, you know, I wouldn't want to do this job anywhere else. I can hear you on that one. Absolutely. Definitely. So I'm grateful for this community. I'm grateful for people like you that are... Wonderful. We'll be able to do more and more there. I've been meaning to. Obviously, you know, as you say with the pandemic, everything sort of was derailed, but I think there's a lot of good things that we could do together and help promote, you know, obviously kindness in the community. And what does that really look like? And the senior community with the numbers that you gave us are, you know, off the charts. I know not too many years ago, we had a presentation at age well, and we had more people pass away than were born. So, you know, at least... Did you have to tell everyone that, James? No. No, but at least it's people... That's not our mission. It's all the kids going out of state after school, and they don't come back until a lot later, and then, you know, they weren't having families here, and so that was tracking the real Vermonus. So... But, yeah. That will... I mean, you know, it will... Our aging population will become our largest demographic. Well, that's the point. Exactly. That was to support the fact that... We've got to prepare ourselves as a state, as families, as individuals, and a nation to embrace aging, but also create the support. Yes, exactly. And, real quickly, I don't know if you had seen the first interview I had with Kimberly Pierce. She's in the Montpelier area. She's a PA, and she's creating a health center model that's all about everything, like, okay, you need a massage once a week, and she's getting Blue Cross blue. I do need that. She went after all these years exactly to cover it. Is she really? Yes. And so, she's made some real headway. So, I'll give you her information, because it's pretty interesting, and there might be some overlap there as well. But I have to wrap this up and say thank you so very much, and I know she did. Not snorting. I think Sarah was a little worried, because we had some reverse-sneezing right before, but she didn't do any entertaining. She just stayed right there, so I'm looking forward to my co-pilot here. And having you here today has been fabulous. Thank you so much, Sarah. I know you obviously are very busy, so to get here, I really appreciate that. I'm not ever busy enough for this. Well, thank you. I want to get the word out. Let me jot that down so you're coming back. I'll come back. I'll come back. You just tell me when. Okay. Thank you so much. Okay.