Services We Provide Our Members
For East Rock Creek Village members, help with the needs and problems of daily life (or a social night out) is a single phone call or e-mail message away. Make it a habit to call the Village first to discuss your needs with the Executive Director or a volunteer, whatever the need. Below is a list of frequently requested services.
Transportation
Volunteer drivers are available for taking members to and from local destinations. Typical destinations include grocery stores, doctors’ offices, meetings, and social and educational events in or near the ERCV neighborhoods. When appropriate, drivers will assist the member to and from the front door and help carry groceries or packages into the house.
Convenience Services
Sometimes, a member needs help with a particular task because of multiple commitments, family emergencies, scheduling problems, out-of-town travel, temporary disability or some other circumstance. Volunteers are available to run errands, care for pets, wait for a repairman or delivery, or perform other routine tasks.
Electronics and Computers
Help is available for "vexing" electronics and technology issues, including computer set-up and management, and programming thermostats, DVDs, phones, and clocks.
Gardening Advice and Help
Volunteers are available to occasionally water outdoor gardens, water houseplants, offer gardening advice, and do light weeding and planting. For larger or ongoing projects, ERCV will recommend a landscape professional.
Light Home Maintenance
Volunteers are available to help with minor household chores and simple repairs; shoveling walks; mailing packages; disposing properly of hazardous waste; organizing “stuff”; and getting rid of clutter.
"Friendly Checkin" Program
“Friendly Checkin” is designed primarily for ERCV members who live alone and want to receive a daily phone call to confirm that they are all right. Participating members are paired with a neighbor, and the two become “Friendly Checkin” partners. Each day, at a mutually agreeable time, one partner calls the other and they share a brief conversation. If the scheduled call is not answered, the member making the call notifies the ERCV office, and that sets into motion a series of steps, including a follow-up call. If needed, a ERCV volunteer will make a home visit.