About Us
A group of about 40 neighbors met in the spring of 2014 and again in the fall of that year, coordinated by Bob Ohlerking and Joyce Jed, to see if people were interested in establishing an organization in Park Slope to help us age in place. It was clear from the response of those who attended these meetings that people loved the idea!
By October, 2015 we had received our 501c3, not-for-profit status, created a board of directors, opened a bank account, joined the Village-to-Village network and had a wonderful "launch party". We also developed an attractive, user-friendly website to communicate with our members.
While researching the models across the country, we realized that our neighborhood has unique needs while providing more options than many other communities. We decided to form an organization that can begin on a low budget and then can grow and develop as new needs emerge.
We currently offer:
Social Activities - Our main focus has been on creating opportunities for older people in our community to meet and enjoy each other. To this end, we have created a wide array of social and cultural activities through which we can expand our networks with others in our community, increasing informal sources of support while having fun together.
Community Resources - We explore what resources are available to us in our community from agencies such as government, health, aging services, and other organizations, and we share that information with members through our website, newsletters, lectures, and workshops. We have organized many interesting lectures on subjects of interest to our members.
Advocacy - We have become advocates for services that are needed but not yet available, or, if available, are not sufficiently accessible. These projects are described on the Advocacy page of our website.
Member Resource Exchange - We have developed a community resource exchange through which members are able to share information with each other about high quality, reliable, reasonable services in the neighborhood. This information is available to members only. Medical providers are included as well.
Broadcast Bulletin Board - We have created a page on our website where members can communicate with each other about anything they wish to sell, give-away, obtain, or if they would like to share an activity with another member. Members are able to ask for help if they need it, and members are able to offer help to others.
Social Activism Interest List - Members can add their name to this list if they are interested in receiving information from other members about Social Activism Events happening in our area. This email will include information about the member to contact for more information.
We are a completely volunteer, member-driven organization. As of October 2024 we have 700 members. All activities and programs are initiated by members and we have an ever-changing, wide array of programming. We currently have over 30 different activities each month. We also encourage informal helping activities whenever possible and appropriate.
Our Board of Directors currently consists of 12 members, elected for 3 year terms. Each Director can serve for 3 consecutive terms, if re-elected. Click here to see the current Board of Directors:
GNPS Board of Directors
Our current membership fee is $30 for an individual, $50 for a household. No one will be turned away due to an inability to pay. Contact the Membership Director if you have questions.
A group of members has prepared information to help other groups start an organization like ours, which gives history of the organization. It is available here:
Starting an Aging-in-Place Organization
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