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The Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers was recently started by Priscilla Huston, mother of Posie (pictured, left, in early 2000), in honor of her daughter and the other villagers living at Camphill Kimberton who are getting older. This restricted fund will help support current and immediate needs specifically for aging villagers, which may include nursing care, therapy, mobility assistance (walkers, canes, etc.) and health and hygiene products.In Mrs. Huston’s words: “It seems like only yesterday that Posie’s father and I sat in Hubert and Helen Zipperlen’s garden sipping lemonade and discussing the possibility of our daughter coming to live in community at Camphill Kimberton. We hoped very much that this would come to pass.
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| Priscilla Huston reading to a group of villagers and coworkers in the early 2000s. |
Posie was accepted and now, years later, I am remembering those early days. They were happy days of adjusting to a new life: making friends, having a roommate and houseparents, learning how to bake bread and make cookies, how to pick apples and work with Martha in the orchard, how to ring a handbell in the Bell Choir, how to ride a horse, how to bowl and hit a home run. It was altogether a new and wonderful world that opened up for our daughter.
As she grew, she learned to take responsibilities seriously: to be on time for work and to work with other people. She was encouraged to be as independent as she could be, and to be proud of a job well done. All the while, Posie and her peers were and still are cared for by wonderfully wise houseparents and coworkers, who dedicate their lives to our very special children.
The years slip by too quickly and suddenly those young people are beginning to age. My daughter can no longer run like a deer, swim or bowl. Working in the orchard has become increasingly difficult. She has problems with balance and depth perception. Posie now needs help with dressing, bathing and expressing herself verbally.
Posie’s wonderful houseparents and coworkers look after my daughter and try their very best to keep her safe. For all of this, we as a family are very, very grateful. As time goes by and the community ages, our vibrant children are slowing down and it is our responsibility to look to the future for villagers when they can no longer work in the garden, the barn, the orchard, or the weavery.
Serena House is certainly part of the answer for now, but will it be enough as more and more villagers need individual attention? Surely we will need to expand. There will also be a need for more nursing care and more health care supplies. I see the need right now with my own daughter and think of all the other villagers going down the same path.
We must move ahead to prepare for the next stage of life at Camphill Kimberton. We must provide funding that will enable our villagers to continue to live out their lives as happily and peacefully as possible in the wonderful place that has been their home for so many years.”
Posie (pictured below, in 2012) is only 52 years old, however, she and her peers with developmental disabilities begin the aging process earlier than many other adults. Currently 2/3 of our residents are over the age of 50.
Ms. Huston has generously contributed $5,000 to begin the fund and had volunteered to match the first $10,000 in contributions to this fund that were raised in the next calendar year.
Because of several generous donations made from September to December, we have met the goal of raising $10,000 and also raised an additional $10,570! Combined with Ms. Huston's match and original contribution, as of January 8, 2014 now have $35,892.92 in the Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers. Thank you to all who contributed.
If you’d like to discuss this opportunity or any other way to contribute, please contact Bernadette Kovaleski, Director of Development, at 610-935-8660 or bernadette@camphillkimberton.org. Thank you!
For more information about Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, visit our website:
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