By Ann Luongo
Content Writer, Marketing & Philanthropy

Here in the Marketing Department, we’re working hard to put together the Annual Report on Giving. It’s my first time working on this project, but I love being a part of the process – picking out the images, putting together the content, and bringing all the pieces together to create something great. That’s what publishing is, after all – creation. So much satisfaction comes from holding that beautiful finished product in your hands.

I was a little nervous about the interview portion of the project. We wanted to get quotes and testimonials not only from the staff, donors and family members, but from the individuals we serve. Their view of what we do here and how they feel is, after all, everything.

I wasn’t nervous about interviewing people. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people over my 20-year career in writing and publishing. I’ve interviewed authors, celebrities, politicians, musicians, artists, business owners, and just about everyone in between. But I’ve never interviewed anyone associated with New England Village before.

While excited to have the opportunity to meet with some of the individuals we serve and spend a little time getting to know them, I really wanted to do a good job. It was important to me to accurately represent what they were telling me. I wanted to convey to our audience what they had to say (some with the help of their staff) and wanted them to be pleased with their words coming from my hands onto the page. I hope they’ll like the results.

When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a writer. They usually react one of three ways: with interested surprise (surprise because it’s not something a lot of people CHOOSE to do) or by scrunching up their face and saying, “Really? I hate writing.”  The third response is to react with suspicion. After all, being a writer must mean that I’m also a reporter (I’m not) and will spill all their secrets to the world (I won’t).  That last one doesn’t happen as much as the previous two, thankfully.

But I digress; I’m glad to be able to slowly get to know more of the individuals we serve as I continue working at NEV, and I’m happy that some of the residents recognize me now and will greet me by name, and I can greet them in return by theirs. Getting to know them, in all their individuality, is a pleasure.