Three years ago when Betty Goyette was dying of cancer, her neighbors in Burlington's south end supported her and her husband Art with daily meals and special gifts. This is how a close neighborhood often acts, but in this case, the neighbors' efforts were eased and enhanced because they are all linked together by an email program where they can post and receive messages.

"Our neighborhood was always great," says Art Goyette, 71, but this put everyone on the same page. You don't have to make 38 phone calls to reach people."

In 2000, Michael Wood-Lewis created the Five Sisters Forum, named after the five streets in his south end neighborhood, to "help his neighbors connect." He has been concerned for a long time, he explains, that modern life - suburban sprawl, long solo car commutes, fewer stay-at-home parents, television, and the Internet – has fostered a high level of isolation. Six months ago, he expanded his idea, now called the Front Porch Forum, to 130 neighborhoods across all of Chittenden County. More than 3800 households have joined in that time. Based on his successful experience with the Five Sisters, Wood-Lewis has defined neighborhoods as groups of 200 – 300 households.

Art Goyette lists many ways the Front Porch Forum helped him – some mundane, others more dramatic. He found someone to take care of his lawn, located a used bicycle for sale, found out about a "peeping Tom" in the area. He joined the neighborhood discussion lamenting the fact that the south end bus gets to Burlington High School just a few minutes after classes start. When he posted a message on the forum that his house was for sale, he received an email early the next morning from a prospective buyer from Tennessee. The buyer had gotten the word from one of Goyette's neighbors.

Goyette's most meaningful Front Porch Forum connection came when Betty was dying. Knowing that Betty had never ridden in a convertible and had always wished to, the neighbors arranged for the loan of a new Chrysler convertible and had it delivered to the Goyette's door. The only requirement was that Art drive it down Caroline Street. Because it was a cool night, it was uncomfortable to keep the top down for long, so three days later, another convertible turned up at the Goyette's door for another ride.

"You find out about new neighbors and keep up with old ones," says Goyette. "The forum is the eyes and ears of the neighborhood."

Wood-Lewis describes the forums as a "combination list serve and blog." Each forum is limited to the people in the neighborhood. Any resident can join, and the service is free. All messages are signed with the name, street address, and email address of the sender. Any message posted by a resident is fine, says Wood-Lewis. As moderator, he does not edit messages, but he stops, he says, perhaps one in a thousand that are "inappropriate." Public officials may sign up for more than one forum, depending on their constituencies.

Older people may particularly benefit from participation in their Front Porch Forum because a key to helping frail seniors live independently at home is support from their neighbors. "This is more likely to happen in a neighborhood with a well-developed sense of community," says Wood-Lewis. "Members don't have to feel isolated or alone. When they do need help, it's not like asking strangers."

"People are very positive about the Front Porch Forum and the type of neighborhood connection it produces," says Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, director of AARP's Burlington Livable Community Project, which is exploring ways to make Burlington a great place to grow old. She says that the project may solicit volunteers to join their neighborhood forums to promote community activities and events of interest to seniors. These volunteers could also watch out for seniors who may need assistance.

Beverly Hill, volunteer coordinator for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, tries to respond to seniors' requests for assistance, such as: help with grocery shopping, shoveling snow, yard work, and paper work. "We always have a backlog of fifty requests," she says. "You find three volunteers. You need three more." She plans to ask CVAA staff members and other volunteers to register for the Front Porch Forums in their neighborhoods. That way she can focus the requests for volunteers in the area where the need is.

What about people who do not have computers or access to email? According to a Burlington Livable Community Project survey conducted last fall, 70 per cent of respondents reported that they had accessed the Internet during the past twelve months. Of these, 72 per cent went on-line every day. Many seniors without computers in their homes use them at their local libraries or senior centers. Both senior centers in Burlington already encourage their members to open email accounts on the centers' machines, and staff plan to support seniors in signing up for their neighborhood forums.

Forum use by seniors is as varied as the users themselves. Susan Linnell, 63, of Burlington posted a plea for assistance with her snow blower. Her husband had died recently, and she did not know how to use the machine. Offers of help came pouring in. "I ran dorms when I was in college," she says. "Front Porch Forum is as good as leaving a note on the front door. It works."

Dave Eaton, 76, of Jericho has posted notices about a Democracy for America meeting, help wanted for lawn mowing, and his reaction to Stephen Kiernan's recent book, "Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System." He goes beyond the index in the forum, he says, and reads everything. "Front Porch Forum has a special relevance for older people, says Eaton. "Maintaining community gets difficult as mobility declines. With the forum, people can really share a concern for others."

For more information and to sign up for Front Porch Forum, go to www.frontporchforum.com

Barbara Leitenberg writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in Vermont Maturity magazine.