Villa International Atlanta Inc

AS THE WORLD STRUGGLES WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, VILLA INTERNATIONAL ATLANTA CONTINUES ITS MISSION OF OFFERING A WELCOMING COMMUNITY, AND A SAFE, AFFORDABLE, HOME-AWAY-FROM HOME TO SEVERAL HUNDRED VISITORS EACH YEAR WHO ARE SHORT-TERM INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS. THEY STUDY AND WORK PRIMARILY AT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, AND EMORY UNIVERSITY ITS ROLLINS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, AS WELL AS ITS RELATED DEPARTMENTS AND HOSPITALS, AND OTHER GLOBAL PROGRAMS IN ATLANTA.

IN 2021, THE SECOND YEAR OF THE COVID PANDEMIC, VILLA HAD ONLY 105 GUESTS FROM 49 COUNTRIESA FAR CRY FROM THE NORMAL YEAR COUNT OF CLOSE TO 500 FROM 100 COUNTRIES. HOWEVER, WHILE THE HEAD COUNT WAS LOWER THAN NORMAL, THE ROOM OCCUPANCY RATE REMAINED HIGH, ESPECIALLY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR AS THE HUMPHREY FELLOWS ARRIVED AND AS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS RELAXED. GUESTS WHO HAD BEEN LIVING AT VILLA WHEN AIR TRAVEL WAS CANCELLED CONTINUED TO STAY AT VILLA WHEN THEY WERE OFFERED ADDITIONAL CONTRACT WORK TO CONTINUE RESEARCH OR TO FILL IN EMPLOYMENT GAPS AS THE WORKFORCE DIMINISHED OR CHANGED ITS FOCUS TO COVID. IN MOST CASES, DURING THE PANDEMIC, GUESTS PREFERRED NOT TO SHARE THEIR ROOMS, EXCEPT IN SITUATIONS WHERE ROOMMATES AND THEIR HABITS WERE WELL KNOWN TO EACH OTHER. ONCE AGAIN, THE AREA OF THE WORLD REPRESENTED THE MOST OFTEN BY VILLAS GUESTS WAS SOUTHERN ASIA. SIXTEEN CAME FROM INDIA, SIX WERE FROM PAKISTAN, FOUR EACH FROM THAILAND AND BURMA, TWO EACH FROM BANGLADESH AND SRI LANKA, AND ONE FROM VIETNAM. IN ADDITION TO THE 35 FROM SOUTHERN ASIA, THE REGIONAL BREAKDOWN SHOWED EIGHT GUESTS FROM NORTHERN ASIA, 12 FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, NINE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, 19 FROM AFRICA, 14 FROM EUROPE, AND EIGHT FROM THE UNITED STATES. JOYS AND CELEBRATIONSIN THE SECOND YEAR OF A WORLD PANDEMIC, THE GREAT JOY IS THAT VILLA NOT ONLY SURVIVED, BUT ALSO THRIVED BOTH PHYSICALLY AND FISCALLY. PHYSICALLY, THERE WERE ONLY THREE MILD, BUT ISOLATED CASES OF COVID IN THE BUILDING. ALL GUESTS AND STAFF ADHERED TO STRICT RULES OF QUARANTINE AND CAUTION, AND PERSONS OUTSIDE VILLAS BUBBLE WERE ONLY WELCOMED OUTDOORS AND ONLY IN SMALL NUMBERS. NEW GUESTS WERE REQUIRED TO SHOW PROOF OF VACCINATION AND QUARANTINE UPON ARRIVAL.FISCALLY, THE YEAR STARTED OUT ON A FIRM FOUNDATION WITH THE HELP OF THE FIRST PAYROLL PROTECTION PLAN (PPP) LOAN RECEIVED IN 2020 AND A STEADY SOURCE OF INCOME FROM AN AVERAGE OF 31 GUESTS PER MONTH DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR. A SECOND PPP LOAN FOR $51,000 WAS GRANTED IN FEBRUARY OF 2021. WITH AN INCREASE TO AN AVERAGE OF 45 GUESTS PER MONTH DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR AND GENEROUS DONATIONS FROM LOYAL FRIENDS AND DONORS, VILLA ENDED THE YEAR ON VERY HEALTHY GROUND AND WITHOUT DIPPING INTO ANY RESERVES. THE YEAR 2021 WAS SPENT IMPLEMENTING THE BOARDS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND SUCCESSION FOR CHANGES EXPECTED IN 2022 TO VILLAS STAFF AND LEADERSHIP. INNA BARANOVA, A NATIVE OF TAJIKISTAN WHO HAS MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN NGOS, JOINED VILLA IN LATE OCTOBER, STAFFING THE FRONT OFFICE AFTER MAUREEN HUNT RETIRED. ASSUMING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ON-SITE-LIVE-IN RESIDENT ASSISTANT IS KATIE ARCHIBALD-WOODWARD, A RECENT GRADUATE OF COLUMBIA SEMINARY WHO IS ACTIVE IN MISSIONS IN THE HOLY LAND. MEANWHILE, THE SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR A NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HAS BEEN BUSILY LOOKING FOR A REPLACEMENT FOR CAMILLE GAFFRON WHO RETIRES IN MARCH AFTER 23 YEARS AT VILLA. GAYLE KNIGHT, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, HAS BEEN NAMED THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UNTIL THE NEW DIRECTOR BEGINS. (AS A 2022 UPDATE NOTE: REBECCA ARAYAN HAS BEEN NAMED AS VILLAS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BEGINNING AT THE END OF MAY. SHE, HER HUSBAND CAREN AND THEIR SONS, ALEX AND EVERETT, WILL MOVE INTO THE DIRECTORS APARTMENT AFTER SCHOOL IS OUT. REBECCA COMES TO VILLA FROM THE GEORGIA RADIO READING SERVICE, WHERE SHE HAS SERVED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS. PREVIOUSLY SHE SERVED IN A VARIETY OF NONPROFIT ROLES, INCLUDING SERVING AS DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR DAY 1 EARLIER IN HER CAREER.)IN OTHER JOYS, THE PLAN FOR SUCCESSION ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS INCLUDES LINDLEY SMALL TO STAY ANOTHER YEAR AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD, WITH ALISON MAWLE AS VICE-PRESIDENT (TO ASSUME DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT IN 2023), AGNES NELSON AS SECRETARY AND JANNA WOFFORD AS TREASURER. NEWLY ELECTED PRESBYTERIANS ON THE BOARD ARE: STERLING IVEY FROM CLINTON, SC, AND (RE-ELECTED) NORMA JOHNSON FROM TEMPLE TERRACE, FL, AND DEANNA MCFARLAN FROM ATLANTA. ROTATING OFF THE BOARD ARE PRESBYTERIANS SUE SPIVEY FROM SUMMERVILLE, GA AND ALICE WYATT FROM COLUMBIA, SC.THE YEAR 2022 MARKS 50 YEARS SINCE VILLA OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1972. WE WILL CELEBRATE THESE WONDERFUL YEARS ON OCTOBER 15, 2022, WITH EVENT AT THE MILLER-WARD HOUSE OF EMORY UNIVERSITY AND A WEEKEND OF EVENTS FOR GUESTS FROM NEAR AND FAR.