The Conejo Valley Village mirrors the national grassroots Village to Village movement (www.vtvnetwork.org), which offers a community-based solution to address the evolving needs of older Americans. Originating from the desire of community members to age in place while accessing supportive services, this "neighbor helping neighbor" initiative originated in Boston in 2002 and has since burgeoned to encompass nearly 400 villages nationwide.
Locally, the genesis of Conejo Valley Village stemmed from a feasibility study commissioned by the City of Thousand Oaks' Council on Aging (COA). Conducted by COA members Nick Fotheringham and Nancy Healey, alongside Dinah Frishling, the leader of the Thousand Oaks Senior Adult Master Plan team, this study spanned from January to August 2015. It entailed extensive research, public focus groups in March and April 2015, and a public meeting in June 2015 to gauge and incorporate community feedback on the Village concept.
The response from local citizens was overwhelmingly positive, underscoring the perceived necessity for such support systems. Drawing from their findings, the researchers recommended to the Thousand Oaks COA and City Council that the implementation of Village services would indeed be both viable and advantageous for our aging population. Nick, Nancy, and Dinah have since remained integral to the initiative, serving as directors and/or officers of Conejo Valley Village.
Established as a nonprofit corporation with a volunteer board in April 2017, Conejo Valley Village champions a mission to provide supportive services aimed at enabling older adult members to stay safely in their homes while actively engaging with our community.