Village Volunteers honors Bennett Connelly as past president

To express gratitude to Bennett Connelly for his vision and dedication to Village Volunteers during the four years he served as president, board of directors members along with staff and former staff members recently came together for a presentation.

Connelly was given a crystal memento with engraved words reading, “With deepest gratitude for your years of dedicated service to Village Volunteers and our greater community.”

Connelly’s involvement with the organization stretches back exactly 10 years ago when he joined a small band of dedicated women in meetings to plan ways to help senior adults seeking to live independently in their homes.

“He was at our initial planning meetings. I had my eye on him from the get-go,” said founder Jackie Finer of Lewes, as she described what she witnessed about the man being honored. “I knew his background, knew leadership he was already doing in the city, boards he was on. Not only did he show a commitment to Lewes, he understood the problems of aging.”

“We are grateful for his leadership, his incredible networking, his vision and his commitment to help the older adult population age with the dignity they deserve,” said Jackie Sullivan, executive director. “Bennett and our board of directors have brought the Village to new heights. His caring and supportive leadership has helped us to be the organization that people want to be part of. We are ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors,’” she said.

Volunteers give of their own time, when they can, to assist seniors with transportation to appointments, shopping, household chores and social outings.

Steuart Martens of Rehoboth, who has succeeded Connelly as president, praised him as the leader that the Village needed at an important period in its development. “The Village has earned a tremendous reputation in the community as a result,” he said.

Throughout his career, Connelly maintained a reputation for service to community. In high school, he worked in a nursing home during spring break and summer for four years. In Maryland, he was director of the Department of Children, Youth and Families in Montgomery County, then director of the Department of Human Services of St. Mary’s County. With a keen interest in both youth and older adults, he created an intergenerational center that matched seniors with high school students, mixing social activities with learning.

When he retired to Lewes, he worked with others when the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches collaborated to serve people in need, and he helped to initiate the outreach program that was the forerunner to the Community Resource Center and Food Basket in Rehoboth Beach.

In 2017, as a volunteer, Connelly worked with the Village board to develop a strategic plan for its future mission to serve senior adults in Lewes, Rehoboth and Milton. That effort included supporting leaders of the then-fledgling South Coastal Village Volunteers, serving communities to southeastern Sussex County.

Volunteerism is a two-way street, Connelly said. “It not only benefits senior adults who need assistance to live independently, but also develops lasting friendships among volunteers. The Village was really my heart and soul.”