Rittenhouse Village at Portage hosts 2023 Village Market
On Wednesday, the Rittenhouse Village at Portage hosted its annual Village Market to support the Bonner Senior Center in Portage. Seven vendors were set up with gnomes, purses, and other trinkets with all proceeds going to support the Bonner Senior Center.
“We've raised money for the Alzheimer's Association before, but this is the first year that we're doing this event to raise the money for the Bonner Senior Center,” said Kristin Pawlak, executive director at the Rittenhouse Village at Portage. “We decided to switch it up because of the fact that it helps the seniors, and we just wanted to be able to contribute to the community.”
The Bonner Senior Center is important because it hosts bingo and other events to help the senior community in Portage. The center compliments Rittenhouse Village’s mission to enrich the lives of its residents.
“They need stimulation and socialization, and the Bonner Senior Center can provide a safe, good place for them to go, " said Pawlak. “Our motto is to enrich the lives of the people living here, so the fact that Bonner Senior Center does that for the whole community is great.”
Not only is the market supporting a great cause, but it also provides a source of purpose for the Rittenhouse Village residents.
“The residents love the fundraising events. All the residents want to have a purpose and they want to be able to help people, said Pawlak. “The fact that they can come around and shop is a treat for them, and at the same time, they know the money's going to something good.”
There were vendors selling homemade items, such as Irene Torres, who was selling soaps and other remedies made from her family’s farm in Hanna. Torres’ background and connections to the Rittenhouse Village helped her decide to set up a stand at the market.
“I'm a nurse practitioner, so I figured I'd come here. The clientele here would benefit from some skin remedies,” said Torres. “I also have some family who work here, and they've been asking me to come and share products that I make with the staff and the residents.”
Torres sees it as an important event that helps the residents socialize.
“This is an important event to help a community who doesn't always have the chance to get out,” said Torres. “I think that it's important for vendors to come here and take the time to have all the residents get a chance to purchase different products.”
The market was a great opportunity for the residents to get out and get to support a great partner for the Rittenhouse Village.
“We partner with Bonner Senior Center quite a bit,” said Pawlak. “We do bingo over there, and a lot of their members that are a part of their community come over for a lot of our events throughout the year. We just try to have a strong relationship with them so we can support them in the things that they need.”
The Rittenhouse Village at Portage is a retirement community with independent living, assisted living and memory care, and more events coming up in June. For more information, go to rittenhousevillages.com.