All kinds of good ideas spread when ROC leaders get together online and in person
The first Wednesday evening of each month is like a Hollywood Squares screen full of people from across the country – different time zones, different communities, different backgrounds, but one main goal: To learn from each other and share ideas.
The Zoom squares are filled with ROC Association Directors and ROC Board Members from across the country meeting alongside ROC residents TA Providers and ROC USA® staff to discuss important topics related to ROCs.
At the Dec. 6 meeting, they gathered to brainstorm upcoming topics for the 2024 Better Together calls but with the holiday season in full swing, the first 20 minutes of the meeting was all about holiday traditions – what they’re doing in their ROCs, what they’ve learned from others and what creates connection within their communities.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
– African Proverb
They talked about all their holiday traditions, including sending handwritten holiday cards to each Member of the ROC, hosting a movie day and Christmas caroling. And the beauty of the Better Together calls is that participants can learn from one another and bring ideas back to their communities, which is exactly what they did.
Kelly Jensen, Board President at Paradise Village in Johnstown, Colo., who is also the newly elected Mountain West ROC Association Region Director, and Kristi Peterman, Board Vice President at Liberty Landing in Liberty, Mo., both sent Christmas cards to their community Members this year because they were inspired by a fellow ROC Leader.
“I actually got the idea from Natividad Seefeld (Board President) from Park Plaza (in Fridley, Minn.) at the ROC Association meeting in Chicago,” Peterman said. “It seemed like such a good way to connect to residents in a low-key way.”
Here are some other holiday traditions from ROC Members:
- Susan Holli, Board Vice President at The Woods Cooperative Association, a 55 and older community in Little River, Calif., lends the ROC’s community center to a local women’s choir so the choir is giving the community a free holiday concert. The Woods is also hosting a New Year’s Party.
- Liberty Landing hosted a Christmas Movie Day on Dec. 9 where they showed “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Scrooged.”
- Meadowbrook HOA in Hudson, Mass., rented a hall for their Christmas Party and nearly half of their residents have already signed up to attend. The Co-op Members will also be caroling and one of their vendors who has a big van is volunteering to drive the carolers around.
Some of the decorations adorning trees at Mountainside Community Cooperative in Camden, Maine. - Lincoln Mobile Estates Housing Co-op in Lincoln, R.I., held a Christmas Craft Fair.
- Sherwood Valley Housing Cooperative Corporation in Coventry, R.I., combined its annual December meeting with a holiday party.
- At Mountainside Community Cooperative in Camden, Maine, residents annually decorate the exterior of their homes with holiday lights and decorations and the Board of Directors and Social Committee makes sure that everyone who is a single-person household gets invited to Christmas dinner at a neighbor’s home.
Better Together calls are open to all residents and scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m. Eastern. The next meeting is Jan. 3, 2024. Ready to join a call? Click here and scroll to the Better Together Calls section.