VERGENNES — On Sept. 16, Vergennes Grand, a senior living facility, held its first-ever Health & Wellness Fair, bringing together 18 organizations and nearly 100 community members. That Wednesday afternoon, residents and neighbors filled the Vergennes Green as they paused to talk with representatives from Porter Medical Center, Age Well, the Addison County Sheriff's Department, The Peer Recovery Center of Addison County and several other services.
Nearly 1 in 5 residents in Vergennes is 65 or older. For many of them, the question of where to live as they age looms large. Vergennes Grand — which was established in the mid-1960s as Clark's Nursing Home — and officially opened in March of 2025, is a place where seniors can receive daily care and support while still taking part in the life of the community.
For many of Vergennes’ senior residents, the facility serves as a place to live with a larger community while staying connected to life outside. For this event, that philosophy took shape in a lively afternoon of music, raffles and conversation.
“Sometimes [senior residents] tend to be forgotten,” said Michele Witherbee, director of memory care at Vergennes Grand, “but they’re still important members of the community.”
The fair gave community members the chance to meet officials outside of the conventional circumstances in which they would normally interact with them. Mark Gutel, a patrol deputy with the Addison County Sheriff's Department who specializes in mental health and addiction, served as one of the fair's representatives. In an interview with The Campus, Gutel explained how he came to the fair with coloring books and other art materials he had expected to give to children. Instead, he found that many of the older residents wanted them too, which allowed them to get to know him better.
“It's all about getting to know your people,” Gutel said. “I'm the community guy. I love community events. I thrive on them. And I really like being a mental health cop; it's awesome!”
For Gutel, the afternoon allowed him to be seen as something other than a sheriff's deputy; for residents, it was a chance to feel closer to someone they wouldn’t otherwise have met.
“What we talked about was just conversation; it honestly wasn't even ‘cop stuff,’” mentioned Gutel.
Gutel’s welcoming presence gave people an opening to meet the person behind the uniform: a former coffee shop owner and a farmer who sees human connection as central to how he approaches his work.
At another table sat Lydia Vaine, an AEMT representing the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, the 911 ambulance service for Vergennes and seven surrounding towns.
“I think the biggest thing we want to share is that we’re here to help and provide a calm environment to a very chaotic time,” Vain said.
Vain came equipped with “vials of life” to give out to residents, which are small forms containing medical information that can be kept in a refrigerator for first responders to find if a patient can't communicate.
“It’s great having a local department,” Vain said, “you get to know the people in the area a lot.”
In 2019, Grand Senior Living took over Vergennes Residential Care, hoping to meet a local need for a facility that provides memory care and houses seniors with varying income levels. However, the planned redevelopment was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic as construction costs rose. The residence eventually secured its loan, temporarily relocated its residents to a home in South Burlington, and after several years of planning and construction, Vergennes Grand opened in March of 2025. Currently, the facility has space for 65 independent and assisted-living residents and 23 memory care residents. The space is currently around 92% full.
Witherbee, who spearheaded the event, believes that growing older should mean continuing to take part in life outside the residence instead of becoming isolated there. Her current work involves assisting with many of the practical aspects of residents’ lives, such as overseeing hygiene, dressing and meals, working with HSAs and CNAs, handling paperwork, and other duties. Beyond her commitment to these daily responsibilities, Witherbee emphasizes connection and empathy, sharing how crucial it is for residents not to feel ostracized from society or isolated simply because they require more care and have moved into senior housing. She encourages her residents to volunteer, create presentations and interact with organizations outside of their home.
“They are still members of the community,” Witherbee explained. “Let's make them feel like members of the community.”
Lawrence Kopp, the sales and marketing director for Vergennes Grand feels that it is important for residents to have opportunities beyond the care facility. “We want our residents to access services outside.”
Furthermore,
After only one year at Vergennes Grand, Witherbee worked with her team to bring her vision to life: an event that would connect residents with other organizations in town.
Kopp and Witherbee emphasized that, rather than simply an event for Vergennes Grand residents, the fair was truly meant to be a local community-focused event. That’s why the event was scheduled for 3 to 6:30 p.m., to catch people traveling from work and parents picking their children up from school. The idea behind the fair was to bring together services seniors might need in one place. By the time of the event, more than a dozen wellness organizations, including the local hospital, had eagerly signed on.
By the end of the afternoon, it was clear the fair reached far beyond the audience it was designed to serve, and the organizers are already looking ahead to next September.
Witherbee hopes to begin planning earlier, bring in more organizations and offer food options.
“This was only the first one,” Witherbee announced, “There is going to be more to come, definitely.”
