South Coastal Village Volunteers

Expanding Happiness

Being happy is an important key to a healthy lifestyle as well as to improving longevity. But what is happiness? Happiness is feeling joyful and inspired, peaceful and loved, playful and hopeful, and complete.

So many of us live with what are called limiting beliefs and social conditioning based on what someone has said or what society has taught us. The truth is, when we listen to our own internal signals—our true self—in embracing the unknown, we open up new opportunities for happiness. When we live in awe of every little thing around us, we radiate bliss and grace in our daily lives.

By being mindful and aware, we prioritize experiences that bring us joy. Looking back on each day with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment instead of focusing on what we didn't get done on our To Do list can be life enhancing. Maybe that should be the focus for anyone seeking more happiness in 2025.

It is also important to live in the present moment as opposed to the past or the future—a challenging but powerful habit to practice. As seniors, many of us are seeking purpose. We often find meaning in being kind to others and being of service to our family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. It is through being creative, exploring health-enhancing activities, socializing, volunteering in the community, or learning something new that we spark our health and happiness. When we find new purpose, we feel fulfilled and overflow with gratitude.

Research demonstrates that we can nurture our happiness through our own actions. Let's start today.

Steuart Martens, president of the Village Volunteers board of directors, is a national health and wellness coach. He is certified as a nutrition health coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Martens also conducts healthy-eating workshops.

Information from Steuart Martens, an NBC-HWC/National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, is intended for your educational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your physician before starting any diet, exercise, medication, or supplement program or if you suspect that you have a medical problem.

A Word from the Chair

Every month (or nearly), I have the privilege of attending a meeting with four of the most caring people I know. We meet to talk about our members and how they are doing. We discuss each person, some briefly and others at length.

Summer Traffic is Coming!

As homeowners and businesses begin to prepare for the visitor season, traffic has already increased. Past history tells us that on Fridays during the summer, traffic is gridlocked and our volunteers are busy with house guests and activities. Last year, with your cooperation, we tried to avoid the Friday traffic congestion from June through mid-September.

Cottage Tour Hosts Needed

SCVV is excited to support the South Coastal Library’s 2025 Beach & Bay Cottage Tour. We will be sponsoring one of the seven homes that will be open for in-person tours on July 23 and 24. This is a fantastic opportunity to help raise funds for our local library while also sharing information about SCVV.

Next Dine & Donate

June 2 – Big Fish Grill

Long & Foster is proud to partner with the South Coastal Village Volunteers to help raise funds for this much-needed service to our community. In collaboration with the Big Fish Grill in Ocean View, SCVV will benefit from a Dine & Donate on Monday, June 2, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Huge Tax Day Turnout

Dine & Donate at Northeast Seafood Kitchen

From the opening at 4:00 p.m. until the last diners at 9:00 p.m. on April 15, Northeast Seafood Kitchen was packed with supporters of the South Coastal Village Volunteers—as well as with other customers looking for a good dinner. Thanks to the generosity of Northeast Seafood in donating a portion of its revenues for the evening, SCVV increased the funds used to support our programs.

SCVV Spreads the Word at the Addy Sea Spring Soiree

The South Coastal Village Volunteers was invited to participate in the Addy Sea’s annual spring benefit for the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Department. This year’s event, held on April 27, marked the third time that SCVV was invited to have an information table.

Sixty Spring/Easter Baskets Delivered

The Sweets and Sunshine Committee gathered on April 8 to make more than sixty spring/Easter baskets for SCVV members. The group included Ferne Cooper, Lori Gentry, Jan Gibson, Michele Bell, Liz Bolton, Melanie Lincoln, and Rosemary Murray. Nancy Main hosted the gathering.

Member Spotlight: Louise Carey

“My dream was always to live at the beach,” muses Louise Carey, who celebrated her 99th birthday in early April. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Helen Louise Otto spent her summers with her grandmother in Ventnor, New Jersey.

T-Shirts Are Ready to Wear

This spring you will notice many of our volunteers wearing new SCVV T-shirts and polo shirts, like the one modeled above by Steve Ricks in our Ocean View office.

Pretzels Anyone?

Our member Frannie Moyer stopped by the SCVV office—and dropped off both the heartfelt note at left and enough soft pretzels to feed an army of hungry volunteers! We all thank Frannie for bringing joy. And pretzels.

Volunteer Spotlight: Diane Maddex

Joan Gordon

Over the last year, Diane Maddex has quietly taken over one function of the South Coastal Village Volunteers’ communications after another: posting Facebook notifications, liaising with our website manager, and contributing to and now designing and producing the newsletter.

Do More 24

WE DID IT! Not only did we meet our goal, but we surpassed it. Your donations to South Coastal Village Volunteers came to $5,020.