2007 Spring Vintage.pmd - Retirement Housing Foundation

Volunteer Recognition
Our residents are a vital part of the areas they live in. Whether it is the residents of La Mirada Vistas (La
Mirada, CA), volunteering to be “victims” in city-wide safety drills; handing out water at the Los Angeles
Marathon (Rio Vista Village - CA); stuffing Easter eggs for the Jaycee’s annual egg hunt (La Fontaine
Center - Huntington, IN); or starting a cancer support group for seniors (Pioneer Towers - Sacramento,
CA) - our residents see a need and step right in to fill it.
300 Main - Estacada, Oregon
For the past ten years, the 300 Main-liners (a group of residents
from 300 Main) have visited the Grace House Assisted Living
community in Estacada on a monthly basis to lead its residents in
a sing-along and provide a few hours of companionship. They
bring along a book of favorite songs and have a special song sheet
for every month.
Getting ready to go on their March excursion is (l to r): Elaine Piercy,
Dora Jane McCary, Celenia Garcia, 300 Main Manager Linda
Forsberg, Lillian Johnsen, Lorraine Fasciona, and Kathryn Ross.
Pioneer Towers - Sacramento, California
In 1992, at the age of 71, Shirley O’Key found herself in Albania as a
Peace Corps volunteer. It had been a struggle to get there - convincing
the Peace Corps that she wasn’t too old for the task. They had first
rejected her (that age thing), but she demanded an interview and
eventualy received an assignment.
She taught English as a second language to high school students in
three different cities - Tirana, Elbasan and Sarande.
“The prior government did a couple of things right,” O’Key said. “There
was a school in every village, they had power and they had television.”
Last year she returned. She visited the schools she had taught in and
spoke with many of the teachers she had worked with during her first
visit. From that visit she has a new endeavor - collecting books (in English)
to send to the schools in Albania.
Maple City Square - LaPorte, Indiana
The annual Flu Clinic at Maple City Square is a long established
event in the LaPorte community.
Each year the word has gone out that seniors can obtain shots at this
site even when vaccine is in short supply. 2006 was no exception.
By the end of October, many medical offices had not received their
supply of flu vaccine due to shipping problems from the distributor.
The Visiting Nurses of America (VNA) made a special effort to have a
supply for those who would be coming to Maple City Square’s site.
This is a collaborative effort on the part of numerous community groups throughout the LaPorte area. The
VNA, working out of LaPorte Hospital provides the supply of flu vaccine and the nurses to administer the
shots; the Maple City Square staff gets the word out about the clinic, fields phone calls from neighboring
cities and sets up the community room for the seniors who come; and community volunteers make sure the
paperwork is correct and things run smoothly throughout the day.
This year, more than 100 area seniors received flu vaccinations - no one was turned away.
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