TAVAH to Shut Down at Month's End

This press released was provided by the Andovers Village at Home

The Board of Directors of (TAVAH) voted last week, with deep regret, to cease operations as of February 29, 2012. This is a most difficult and painful decision. All of us who have been involved in TAVAH care about each of our members and have been committed to our purpose of responding to their needs and requests for services. Despite our best efforts and a great deal of hard work over many years, we have not achieved the growth in membership or in donations and foundation support to be a financially viable organization.

We are very proud of all that we have accomplished; recruiting a talented group of preferred providers, creating meaningful events and activities for our members, developing a pool of loyal volunteers, and establishing supportive relationships with respected organizations likeLawrence General Hospital, Home Health VNA, and the Andover/North Andover YMCA.

For various reasons, the village concept has not caught on in the Andovers as it has done successfully in other areas of Massachusetts, New England, and across the country. TAVAH was a perfect example of the kind of initiative that communities like ours must embrace as our population ages and requires greater support to remain safe, independent and connected to the community. It embodied the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors and volunteerism that is often lost these days.

While growth has been a challenge, TAVAH has been a lifeline for many people and its loss will reverberate for a long time to come. Unfortunately, those who were not ready for it yet will never realize the benefits it could have afforded them. We wish to thank those individuals and organizations who believed in us and supported TAVAH through their affiliation and dedication of time and resources.