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Village Santa Cruz County
Aging Better Together
The Village News
March 2026 | |
Our community is amazing!
Santa Cruz Gives Raises over $2 Million
for Local Nonprofits
Santa Cruz Gives 2025 raised $2,117,271 for 73 local nonprofits! Donations to Village Santa Cruz County exceeded our expectations, raising just over $10,000. With these funds we have purchased the license and materials for Strategic Transitions and Essential Planning, six workshops covering 12 topics and have scheduled the workshops. FREE to the public.
Schedule: 3rd Monday of each month, May - October, 12:30 - 2:30 PM
A shout out to the Aptos Public Library who has partnered with us, offering free space and technology for the workshops
Register for the workshop series at
info@villagesantacruz.org
indicate: in person OR on zoom
NOTE: in person space is filling up fast!
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Rina & Mary hard at work learning to throw clay on the wheel.
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Aptos Circle members of Village
get a backstage tour
of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. | | | |
March Book Group Read:
"Buckeye" by Patrick Ryan. Set in the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio, “Buckeye" tells the story of two couples, Cal and Becky Jenkins and Margaret and Felix Salt, whose paths cross on the home front during World War II and whose families remain intertwined for decades afterward.
Other Recommendations:
"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig, is a speculative novel about a woman named Nora Seed, who after reaching a breaking point in her life, finds herself in a mystical library that allows her to explore the infinite versions of her life and discover what truly makes it worth living.
"Effingers" by Gabrielle Tergit. Mathias Effinger, a humble, pious watchmaker from a small town in southern Germany, provides the moral compass for this sprawling narrative about the heyday of Jewish life in Germany beginning in 1878 and up until things begin to deteriorate in the 1930s.
"The Correspondent" by Virginia Evans, is an epistolary novel, a tale told in letters that is staunchly, defiantly old-school, in form and message. Its main character—Sybil Van Antwerp, is a septuagenarian divorcée, mother of two living children, and former attorney living in Maryland.
"Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia" by Brian Barth. In this wide-reaching portrait of the constellation of people living in tents, shacks, and cars in the shadow of tech campuses and skyscrapers, award-winning journalist Brian Barth introduces us to the misfits, activists, and iconoclasts of Silicon Valley’s homeless encampments.
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Recommendations from
the TV/Movie Discussion Group
"The Burbs," on Peacock. A clever murder mystery, which is an adaptation of the 1989 film of the same name and stars Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall. A young couple moves back to the husband's childhood home, only to face threats from new neighbors and uncover dark secrets of their cul-de-sac.
"The Undoing," on HBO/MAX. An American mystery psychological thriller television miniseries based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. Grace Fraser is a successful NYC therapist whose life collapses when her husband, Jonathan, vanishes following the brutal murder of a woman connected to their elite school community.
"Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire," a documentary on PBS American Masters, 2026, about Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night. Over the course of his life, Wiesel fought the "sin of indifference" by writing, teaching, speaking truth to power, and championing human rights.
"Southland," a character-driven drama about cops in Los Angeles on Netflix that originally aired from 2009 to 2013. There are five seasons of the show, and each one is gripping. The drama takes a "raw and authentic look" at Los Angeles and the lives of the LAPD officers who police it.
At the movies: "Hamnet." This film dramatizes the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (also known as Anne) Hathaway as they cope with the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet. A touching film, up for eight Academy Awards for the 98th awards season in 2026, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Jessie Buckley.
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The 2025 National Census of Villages
In 2025 Village Santa Cruz County took part in a Nationwide Effort to Survey All Operational Villages. The project was a collaboration between Rutgers University Hub for Aging Collaboration (School of Social Work) and Village-to-Village Network (VtVN).
PURPOSE: The 2025 National Census of Villages aims to expand our understanding of the rapidly evolving Village Movement. Our goal was to survey as many operational Villages as possible to learn about the set-up and operations of Villages in 2025. Findings from this project will provide critical data points to help communicate about and advocate for Villages.
The project will also guide future collaborative research on Village development, best practices, outcomes, and impact.
- 9 Months of Planning & Data Collection
- 245 Villages Represented
- 88% Response Rate
- 37 States Represented (including DC)
The Responses Are In...What's Next?
Now that data collection has closed, the Rutgers research team is actively working on cleaning and organizing the data. We plan to begin sharing national results in late spring/early summer 2026.
Project insights can serve as the foundation for future research and collaborations that explore Village development, implementation, effectiveness, sustainability, and more.
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REAL Act Signed into Law
The Requiring Enhanced Accurate Lists Health Providers Act requires more Provider Directory accuracy for Medicare Advantage plans. Beginning in 2028, Medicare Advantage organizations must comply with updated regulations. Key changes include more frequent provider data verification, updated timelines for directory changes, and the implementation of both annual accuracy analyses and public accuracy scores. This includes:
- Verify Provider Data Every 90 Days
- Indicate Unverified Providers in the Directory
- Remove Non-Network Providers Within 5 Days
- Expanded Provider Directory Information Criteria
US Rep Jimmy Panetta's Press Release
More details of REAL Act
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A.I. Guide for Older Adults
A.I. promises to change the way we live and work, but what is it really, and what does it mean for older adults? This guide provides the facts: the benefits, the risks, and how it can address the distinctive health-related, financial and lifestyle needs of older adults. Download the guide: A.I. Guide for Older Adults_AARP
PODCAST: The Perfect Scam
The Perfect Scam is AARP’s weekly podcast profiling America’s biggest scams. Listen to experts tell stories from fraud victims and their families. Hosted by Bob Sullivan. Go to The Perfect Scam (you may need to be an AARP member to access this podcast)
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An Immigrant from the Viet Nam War Era
Tells His Story
I belong to Commit to Connect, a national organization "connecting people with resources that help fight social isolation and loneliness." Sery Tatpaporn, another member, told this story of his immigration experience. He gave me the go-ahead to reprint it for our Village newsletter.
A letter from Sery Tataporn:
Greetings from Sacramento, Capital City of the State of California, the most diverse State in the Union.
I first came to the US as a refugee from Laos in 1979 after the US withdrew from Vietnam war in 1975. 4 years later all three countries (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) fell to the communist regime causing over 3 million people to flee their homeland to become refugees in the neighboring counties namely Thailand, Malaysia, Philippine, and Hongkong. The US and other free world counties such as France, Canada, US, Australia, and many others had stepped up to take these refugees to resettle in their countries.
(continued in the special 'Immigrant Story' section at the end of this newsletter)
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Become a Member of Village Santa Cruz County
|  | Coming UP in March
Members will receive Zoom information in weekly eBlasts.
Tuesday, March 3, Pickleball, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, @ Derby Park, 508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz, All levels, including beginners are welcome.
Tuesday, March 3, Rummikub Social Club, 12:00 - 2:00 PM, @ Leila's mobile home park clubhouse in Capitola. Rummikub is a fun board game for everyone. Easy to learn. We spice up the game with a little wagering on the side, so bring your spare change (pennies, nickels and dimes).
Wednesday, March 4, Aptos Circle Meet Up, 1:00 – 2:30 PM, @ Aptos Methodist Church, 221 Thunderbird Drive, Aptos. Relax with a cup of coffee or tea and catch up on what's happening with your Circle friends. Curious about Village? Open to all. Non-members are welcome to join us.
Thursday, March 5, Solo Agers, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, @ Branciforte Library, 230 Gault Str. Santa Cruz. Topic for March: TBD. We meet once a month to talk about how we deal with various issues and to offer aid and support.
Thursday, March 5, Bocce, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, @ Felt Street Park, 1904 Felt Street, Santa Cruz. Come play Bocce with us! All members welcome. Bocce is simple to learn, it's a lot of fun, and good exercise (not to mention the great company). Come try it out. Cancelled in the event of rain or wet court.
Thursday, March 5, Westside Circle Meet-Up, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, @ The Abbey Coffeehouse, 350 Mission Str. Santa Cruz. Relax with a cup of coffee or tea and catch up on what's happening with your Circle friends. Curious about Village? Open to all. Non-members are welcome to join us.
Friday, March 6, Executive Board Meeting, 3:00 - 4:00 PM, on Zoom. This is a closed meeting of the Village Executive Board.
Tuesday, March 10, Pickleball, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, @ Derby Park, 508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz, All levels, including beginners are welcome.
Tuesday, March 10, Mid County Circle Meet Up, 1:30 - 2:30 PM, @ The Loft Coffee, 2701 Cabrillo College Dr., Aptos. Curious about Village? Open to all. Non-members are welcome to join us.
Wednesday, March 11, SLV Circle Meet Up, 1:00 – 3:00 PM, @ the Empire Grill, 6155 Hwy 9, Felton. Relax with a cup of coffee or tea and catch up on what's happening with your Circle friends. Curious about Village? Open to all. Non-members are welcome to join us. Note location change!
Wednesday, March 11, ART 1:30 - 3:00 PM, @ member's home. If you are a member and would like to join, please contact info@villagesantacruz.org
Thursday, March 12, Bocce, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, @ Felt Street Park, 1904 Felt Street, Santa Cruz. Come play Bocce with us! All members welcome. Bocce is simple to learn, it's a lot of fun, and good exercise (not to mention the great company). Come try it out. Cancelled in the event of rain or wet court.
Thursday, March 12, Advisory Board Monthly Meeting, 12:30 PM - 2:15 PM, Join on Zoom. All Village members are invited to attend our monthly planning meeting. Email info@villagesantacruz.org if you plan to attend, so that we can send you the agenda.
Friday, March 13, Village Santa Cruz Men's Luncheon, 1:00 - 2:30 PM, @ Tramonti Italian Restaurant, 528 Seabright Ave. Santa Cruz. For more information, contact info@villagesantacruz.org
Monday, March 16, Westside Circle Life Stories, 1:00 - 2:00 PM @ The Abbey, 350 Mission Str.. Topic: What is one item or thing you had to do in your childhood that you hated but doesn’t seem so bad now. Contact info@villagesantacruz.org to register. Open to Westside Circle members only.
Tuesday, March 17, Pickleball, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, @ Derby Park, 508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz, All levels, including beginners are welcome.
Tuesday, March 17, Co-Generational Coffee House Chat, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, @ The Abbey, 530 Mission Str., Santa Cruz. The third Tuesday of each month, a group of Village members meet and invite whoever happens to be at the coffeehouse to join us just to talk. Contact Mary Howe villagescmhowe@gmail.com if you’d like to join us.
Wednesday, March 18, Aptos Circle Luncheon, 1:00 – 2:30 PM, @ TBD. Open to Aptos Circle Members only.
Thursday, March 19, Bocce, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, @ Felt Street Park, 1904 Felt Street, Santa Cruz. Come play Bocce with us! All members welcome. Bocce is simple to learn, it's a lot of fun, and good exercise (not to mention the great company). Come try it out. Cancelled in the event of rain or wet court.
Thursday, March 19, TV/Movie Discussion Group, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM, on Zoom. Look at the recommendations above for suggestions on what to watch.
Friday, March 20, Book Group Read: Book: "Buckeye" by Patrick Ryan, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, @ Simpkins Swim Center Library Annex, 979 17th Ave. Santa Cruz, Meeting Room C. Please see above for a description of this great book.
Tuesday, March 24, Pickleball, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, @ Derby Park, 508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz, All levels, including beginners are welcome.
Tuesday, March 24, Mid-County Luncheon, 12:30 - 1:30 PM, @ TBD
Wednesday, March 25, SLV Circle Meet Up, 1:00 – 3:00 PM, @ the Brookdale Diner, 11570 Hwy 9, Suite H, Brookdale. Relax with a cup of coffee or tea and catch up on what's happening with your Circle friends. Curious about Village? Open to all. Non-members are welcome to join us. Note location change!
Thursday, March 26, Bocce, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, @ Felt Street Park, 1904 Felt Street, Santa Cruz. Come play Bocce with us! All members welcome. Bocce is simple to learn, it's a lot of fun, and good exercise (not to mention the great company). Come try it out. Cancelled in the event of rain or wet court.
Friday, March 27, Westcliff Walk, 12:30 - 1:30 PM. This is an hour walk, 1/2 hour out and 1/2 hour back. Meet in the parking lot of Shrine Coffee. 544 Westcliff Ave.
Tuesday, March 31, Pickleball, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, @ Derby Park, 508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz, All levels, including beginners are welcome.
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In Our Community
Tuesday, March 3 through Tuesday, April 7, 10:30 AM - 12:25 PM, at Aptos Village Park. Dance Classes Offered through Santa Cruz County Parks & Rec. Beginner Cha-Cha and East Coast Swing are energetic and playful dance classes, perfect for adults with little or no dance experience. Whether you're flying solo or bringing a partner, these classes are a great way to kick off your dance journey. Bring comfortable shoes! Beginning East Coast Swing registration here. Beginning Cha-Cha registration here.
Wednesday, March 4, Textile Arts Exhibit, “Back and Forth: The Unintended Beauty of Textiles” will open to the public in the Santa Cruz Art League gallery, 526 Broadway, and remain until April 10. Fiber artists often remark about how they like the backside of their work better than the front side that they planned, designed, and labored over. More info here.
Thursday, March 5, 12:00 - 5:00 PM, Honoring Women Art Exhibit at Santa Cruz Mountain Arts Center, 9341 Mill Str. Ben Lomond. March is International Women’s Month. So for the first exhibit of 2026, local artists have created art that celebrates women.
Saturday, March 7, 3:00 - 4:30 PM, Forging Friendships as Adults. How Social Isolation affects general health and wellbeing. @ the Aptos Library, 7695 Soquel Dr. Aptos. Register for this event here.
Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, March 21, The 14th Annual Watsonville Film Festival. The Watsonville Film Festival promotes Latin and indigenous cultural traditions, sharing stories that illuminate our shared humanity and inspire meaningful change. For more information, go to the Watsonville Film Festival Home Page.
Saturday, March 21, 7:00 PM. The Top Dog Film Festival is back for another season, with a brand-new line-up of short films that celebrate the extraordinary connection between dogs and humans, at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave. The Top Dog Film Festival features tales of adventure, resilience and canine joy — reminding us why dogs truly are our best friends. This year’s event supports the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation. Tickets and information can be found at riotheatre.com.
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Articles, Videos, and Listening
What technology takes from us – and how to take it back, The Guardian, “I once read an essay in which a man tried to figure out how much per pound his garden tomatoes would cost if he factored in the price of all the materials and the hourly rate for his own labor. It was ridiculous and intentionally so, because growing tomatoes gives so much more than a certain number of pounds of fruit. There’s the exquisite smell of tomato leaves, and the sense of time that comes from watching a plant grow, observing pollinators visit, seeing a flower become a fruit, tracking its ripening. There is the pride of doing something yourself.” Read the full article here.
Seniors should be walking more, but there are some regulations that discourage it. Nursing homes are working to prevent patients falling, but may be doing so at the cost of patient mobility. Read about this trend in this Washington Post Article.
The Balancing Act: Creating Healthy Dependency and Connection Without Losing Yourself, by Stacy Lindsey, Maria Shriver Sunday Paper. Stacy Lindsey has a conversation with author and therapist, Nedra Glover. Read the article here.
A Brief but Spectacular take on making the most of the multi-generational moment, PBS Hour with March Friedmann, founder and co-CEO of Co-Generate. YouTube video
Knowing your family history can make you more resilient so you are able to weather challenging times with less stress. Yet researchers say family history can be easily lost. Learn why knowing your family history is important and what you can do to preserve it in this Next Avenue article.
2026 Movies for Grownups. Check out some great movies coming out in 2026 in this article from AARP.
Science Found a Way to Use Broccoli and Carrots to Stop Prejudice. Watch this 2.5-minute video on YouTube to find out how.
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An Immigrant's Story
a letter from Sery Tataporn:
continued from the front page...
As a young man at 21 years old and a family of three people were given an opportunity to resettle in the US. My family and 200 other refugees were picked up from Thailand and flew across the ocean by the US military airplane and land in California on November 4th, 1979.
I and my family were well taking care of by the US welfare system which helped us to survive in the most complex society and most modernized in the Western world. The first several years were hard. We had to start from scratch and learn everything new with limited English to communicate with other. Must use the public transportation dealing with so many routes and BUS Numbers to go around.
With some basic French language, I learned in Lao high school before I was drafted to join Lao Army, it helped me to learn English quickly. After 9 months in the US, I got my very first job working in a graveyard shift from midnight to 8 am in the morning and got pay a minimum wage of $3.75 per hour. I kept going to school during the day and worked at night for a while.
About 7 months later, I got a job at Richmond High School as a bilingual teacher assistant where I had to work with refugee students who were too old to go elementary school or junior high. They have to attend high school with no language skill to understand the teacher in the classroom. I worked at Richmond High helping the limited English or no English at all for 4 years (1981 to 84).
In the meantime. I also got involved with the refugee resettlement issues at the local level where I served on the County Planning Advisory Committee who were responsible for planning how to spend the money from the Federal Government in helping refugees to adjust their live into the society as quickly as possible and getting the job and becoming self-sufficient I was a co-founder of the Lao Family Community Development, a mutual assistance association in 1980 and became a key staff in 1984 as a Director of Leadership development program.
I got a job with the Refugee Resettlement Program under the California State Department of Social Service for 4 years in 1986-90 and worked as a senior Health Educator with the Contra Costa County Health Department for 7 years. I became a President/CEO of ABLE Community Development Foundation in 2017 and developed multiple programs such as the Asian Senior Health and Wellness Program, Breaking Barrier Program, Southeast Asian Behavioral Health Program, Stop the Hate, and the Youth Enrichment Program.
As a senior myself at (70), I have committed myself to the cause of helping and advocating for the limited English-Speaking seniors in 3 different counties serving over 1,200 seniors. I currently serve on the Real-Life Experience Working Group of California Department of Aging. I also serve on the Sacramento County Adult and Aging Commission looking after more than 340,000 seniors in Sacramento County.
With the Spirit of Humanity and Love.
Sery Tatpaporn, President/CEO
ABLE Community Development Foundation https://ablecommunitydf.org/
| Village Santa Cruz County
1740 17th Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062
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