VINE Celebrating 30 Years of Service in February

Published On: January 29th, 20251.8 min readCategories: News

This February, VINE Faith in Action celebrates 30 years of service to the community. Inspired by founder Pam Determan’s family caregiving experiences, VINE began as a grassroots effort to support older adults. Determan’s hands-on experience helping her dad care for aging grandparents, combined with her time working in a hospital, highlighted the need for a community-based volunteer program. With a start-up grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Faith in Action initiative in 1995, VINE was born.

Initially a neighbor-helping-neighbor program for isolated and homebound individuals, VINE quickly grew, with 37 volunteers ready to serve even before its official launch. It became the largest Faith in Action initiative and has since evolved to meet the changing needs of the aging community.

A significant milestone came in 2006 when VINE was asked to take over the Summit Senior Center after its board of directors decided to close it due to funding troubles. With a strong focus on health and wellness programming and evidence-based fitness classes, weekly participation grew from 50 to 525 people in just 5 years and the space was soon outgrown. In 2010, VINE began searching for a new, larger space and in 2013 purchased the former Nicolas building and began renovating it into a 5-story senior center. In 2014, the VINE Adult Community Center (VACC) opened, creating a space for social connection and healthy aging. Today, VINE supports over 850 older adults annually with the help of 900 volunteers and has welcomed more than 2,000 members into the VACC.

Under the leadership of Melinda Wedzina, who succeeded Determan in 2020, VINE continues to thrive. “Thanks to a talented successor, a committed board, and hardworking staff, VINE has continued to prosper,” Pam reflects. She credits the organization’s success to the many individuals who have embraced its vision and invested their time, energy, and resources to make it a cornerstone of the community.

VINE will soon undergo a remodel and expansion of the VACC, adding space to improve accessibility and enhance opportunities for exercise and socialization. Once completed, VINE will invite the public to celebrate this milestone and view the exciting new improvements.

More information about VINE can be found online at www.vinevolunteers.org or by calling (507) 387-1666.

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