Independent Senior Living, Manchester, Vermont

Equinox Village—together with At Home Senior Care, Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning, and Green Mountain RSVP—are pleased to launch the Exceptional Retiree Awards and to open nominations.

The ERAs will honor Bennington County retirees who are using their retirement in exemplary ways: to expand relationships, to learn new things, to serve others… Through this program Equinox Village and its community partners would like to identify examples of individuals that can be followed into vibrant older age.

“We are eager to bring attention to people who are using their wisdom, experience, humor, and vigor to take on challenges and opportunities in ways that they may not have been able to when they were younger,” said Kirt Sampson, managing partner of Equinox Village.

“The Green Mountain RSVP is pleased to be a part of this community recognition event. It is an opportunity to recognize volunteers, who do so much and who never ask for anything in return,” said Patricia M. Palencsar, the organization’s executive director.

The awards will be open to residents of Bennington County who are retired and over the age of 55. Categories include Excellence in the Arts, Excellence in Continued Scholarship, Excellence in Health & Wellness and Excellence in Service & Community Leadership.

Three community leaders have been chosen to review the nominations:

John Cave retired in Vermont 20 years ago. He has served on the boards of Maple Street School, Southern Vermont Arts Center, and the Dorset Village Public Library and in several roles for The First Congregational Church of Manchester. He's currently on the Development Council of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Northshire, Bennington County; on the Board of Directors of Vermont Reading Partners; and on the Advisory Board for Burr and Burton Academy.

Dr. Rev. James H. Gray is a Vermont native, husband, father of three sons, and an outdoorsman. He has been the senior pastor of the United Church of Dorset and East Rupert since 1998. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. and his Master of Divinity from the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J.

Seline Skoug is the immediate past chair of the Northshire Nonprofit Network, a board member of Meals on Wheels of Bennington County and an executive committee member of the Arlington Rescue Squad.  She has worked in the healthcare and non-profit arena for more than 20 years and is currently working as an LPN at Northshire Medical Center.

Nominations open officially on Friday, February 17, 2012. Nomination forms are available from Equinox Village by calling (802) 362-4061, emailing abrenon@equinoxvillage.com, by visiting www.equinoxvillage.com, or by visiting Equinox Village at 49 Maple Street in Manchester Center, Vt. The nomination deadline is Friday, March 30, 2012.

The top nominees and nominators in each category will be invited to attend the presentation dinner in May, where the recipients will be announced. The winners will receive an engraved acknowledgement gift on the evening of the event.

“Through this program, we hope to generate excitement for what can be the richest time in one’s life and to celebrate the accomplishments of the extraordinary people in our community,” Sampson said.

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Equinox Village is a vibrant independent living community situated on eleven pristine acres in the heart of the Green Mountains’ rich cultural and recreational opportunities. Residents enjoy private, spacious apartments with exquisite views and fine dining in the community’s full-service white-tablecloth restaurant. Well-appointed common areas provide ideal places to meet family and friends and to participate in cultural events, health and wellness programs, and educational opportunities. Equinox Village was founded in 2006 by brothers Dr. Jim Russell and John Russell. They lead a team of caring professionals to offer the premier independent living experience in the region.

At Home Senior Care assists seniors in Bennington, Rutland and Addison counties. Its mission is to provide dependable, responsive non-medical care while ensuring that seniors maintain their quality of life, with dignity and independence, while aging at home.  Founder Mary Lou Morrissette has many years of experience serving seniors and understands the needs of seniors who are trying to maintain their quality of life.

Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning is a non-profit organization in Manchester, Vermont whose mission is to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of the community by providing accessible, diversified, and high quality educational programs to the public. Serving all adults in the Northshire, GMALL offers courses in academic subjects with intellectual rigor as well as courses for people who simply want to develop their abilities and skills, for professional or personal reasons, for a reasonable investment of time and money in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center serves Bennington, Windham, and Windsor Counties. This non-profit organization matches volunteers, age 55 and over, with meaningful work at other non-profits, schools, libraries, hospitals and towns. Both the community and the volunteers are enriched by the experience. The organization presently manages 1,059 volunteers at 234 worksites in the three Southern-Vermont counties it serves.