Dr. Welles' son, Bob, and daughter, Patti
The new center, which is equipped with treadmills and stationary bikes, has been named in honor of former resident and medical director Dr. Marshall Welles, a well-regarded physician who spent 35 years with wife Helen as a medical missionary. Welles’ family joined residents and staff for a special dedication ceremony to celebrate the physician, who continued his medical practice until age 84.
Westminster Gardens residents had an opportunity to tour their new fitness center, scheduled to open later this month. Some residents even tested the new treadmills, stationary bikes and other fitness equipment. An official dedication ceremony will take place on April 23.
The fitness center has been named in honor of former resident Dr. Marshall Welles, a well-regarded physician who spent 35 years with wife Helen as a medical missionary. After retiring in 1972, he joined another medical practice and served as medical director at Westminster Gardens. He and Helen eventually moved to the community in 1998. Welles died in July 2009, just two days shy of his 102nd birthday.
Wendy Matalon
Looking back over 25 years, I could write a book! It has been an amazing journey. The opportunities to touch so many lives, the meaningful relationships, the lessons learned are all so powerful. The residents are such a wonderful study of how life can be lived. We have the chance to learn so much from them.
Many of them are accomplished in their field, well educated and traveled. Many have served faithfully their communities—large and small. Those that are the dearest to me are the ones that found a passion or clarity, maybe in their career, but often in how they chose to ‘retire.’ I am so moved by those who give selflessly, who see the bigger picture and who are willing to make a difference. They give their money and time not only with intention, but with joy. Then there are those who just ‘are.’ They are generous of spirit and thought. They are good.
I remember working with two residents over a period of time, and the relationship between the two was contentious. One of them had an idea for the community but couldn’t be dissuaded from a specific way of proceeding. The other didn’t agree with the approach, but was less concerned about getting his way than managing the situation to a positive conclusion. He was masterful. He was able to accomplish the goal without hurt feelings, arrogance or ego. The task was time-consuming and without glory. It was a joy to watch.
Employees are also an interesting study. Some of them are so eager to learn and grow and to do a good job. They don’t necessarily have the desired education, experience or confidence to take the next step. It has always been my job to see them, to speak an encouraging word or present an opportunity. It has repeatedly amazed me how little one has to do to have a positive impact on someone (although sometimes people need a push, sometimes a gentle nudge, sometimes a two-by-four). What better legacy than to have helped others grow? It has given me great pleasure over the years to do just that.
Now I’m on to a new phase in my life. Actually, I’ve been doing some form of fund raising throughout my years as an executive director. My first fund-raising experience was exhilarating.
I was returning to my office after lunch and stopped briefly to work on the jigsaw puzzle in the lounge outside of the chapel. A resident was working on the puzzle as well, and we began talking about a committee we both served on that was working to beautify the community. We both wanted new carpet for the lounges, as they were overdue for replacement.
The president of the resident’s council was opposed to the idea as he felt the carpet was in good repair and other items were a priority. We commiserated for a few minutes and then she asked me what the new carpet would cost. I told her about $40,000. She then asked, “If that amount were donated, would the opposition be eliminated?” I responded that it probably would. She pushed her chair back and said she would be right back. Much to my surprise, she returned a few minutes later with a check for $40,000. We got new carpet, and in the years that followed she gave many gifts, all with a specific purpose. She was one of those residents who gave selflessly and repeatedly—both of her time and money.
I don’t think fund raising will always be quite that easy, but it is exciting to think of all of the possibilities!
To honor her father, Toni Beasley made a generous gift to the Benevolence Fund at Redwood Terrace. Relatives of a Kirkwood Orange resident who passed away are supporting the renovation of the community’s patio and garden in her memory. The children of a beloved former Westminster Gardens resident have heartily backed construction of a new fitness center that will bear his name.
These are just a few examples of a longstanding tradition of giving among the friends and family of be.group community residents. Gifts in the past few months have included support for Benevolence, capital improvement projects, a scholarship program for employees and a wide range of other initiatives and funds.
Some family gifts have led to cherished traditions. Lola Lund, who lived at White Sands La Jolla from 1966 to 1983, was known for delivering flowers and gift baskets to new residents. “It was important to her that everybody felt included and welcomed, so that they wouldn’t feel alone,” says Wendy Lund, Lola’s granddaughter.
Wendy Lund
When Mrs. Lund passed away, her son John (Wendy’s father) established an endowment in her memory to continue that tradition of making new residents feel a part of the community. What began with flowers has blossomed into the Lola Lund Dinner to welcome new residents. Wendy attended the latest event in April in honor of her father, who passed away last year.
“I knew that he would have wanted me to go,” says Wendy. “I have very fond memories of White Sands and my grandmother.”
Toni Beasley remembers her father, James Flood, keeping himself busy on the landscape committee during his 15 years at Redwood Terrace. It was a chance for him to “really spruce up the place,” she says.
To honor this spirit of giving, Beasley gave $5,000 to support the community’s Benevolence Fund. “My father was a marvelous man who gave of himself so very much,” she says. “I wanted to be able to continue that with my donation.”
Because Jadwiga Nowakowski enjoyed sitting in Kirkwood Orange’s courtyard, family and friends made gifts totaling $840 to help fund the backyard beautification project, including a new garden patio, shaded trees, seating and lighting.
“Kirkwood was like home for my mom,” says son Henry Nowakowski. “All of the staff who took care of her were like family, and we felt it was the right thing to do.”
Long-time Westminster Gardens resident Marshall Welles liked to joke with his family that he had clocked enough miles on his exercise bike to have traveled around the world. His time on the stationary bike and treadmill walks in his basement were part of Dr. Welles’ daily fitness routine.
Given the success of his exercise regimen—Dr. Welles, a medical missionary, lived to 101—it was fitting for Westminster Gardens to name its planned fitness center after him. His three children—Bob, Richard and Patti—honored their father’s memory with a gift in excess of $20,000 in support of the project. Work is expected to be completed by early 2012. “It seemed like an appropriate thing because Dad worked very hard to keep himself in good condition,” says Bob.
“To perpetuate his memory is a nice thing to do because he was such a giver to begin with, and it just makes sense to give to something that can help people in a way that he believed in,” adds Richard.
The gift also reflected the role Westminster Gardens has played in the life of the Welles family. “[The residents] were like aunts and uncles,” says Patti. “The enveloping love in the community was really special.”
White Sands La Jolla residents and staff gathered for their annual Celebration of Philanthropy on Dec. 7.
The community dedicated the new sculpture Ascent located in the north courtyard. The bronze art piece, which is the work of renowned sculptor Gary Lee Price, was donated to the community by a resident’s family. The sculpture is of two Native American men climbing a cliff.
“This sculpture epitomizes the struggle to overcome opposition and difficult challenges and the absolute need we have for others to reach out, bring us in and raise us up,” says Price about his work.
As part of the celebration, the courtyard garden was officially renamed the Sculpture Garden. The community also toasted this year’s opening of its new clinic and renovation of the garden room.
Many of our residents have made gifts over the years that have continued to reverberate throughout a community long after that resident has left us.
Longtime Glendale resident Dorothy Miller kept herself busy with a wide range of civic and social endeavors, including the YWCA, Philanthropic Educational Organization and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. When she moved to Windsor in 1992, she brought her passion for philanthropy with her, lending support to the community in a number of areas, including the renovation of the resident activities center. But when she passed away, she left her greatest mark with a $300,000 gift from her estate, the largest in Windsor’s history. Since then, the funds have been instrumental in supporting resident activities and the community’s exercise program.
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are a growing challenge to seniors and those who serve them. More than 5.4 million people in the United States are afflicted, a number expected to nearly triple by 2050.
There is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s. Researchers are vigorously seeking new treatments designed to alter its course or improve the quality of life for those who have it.
In the meantime, be.group has taken several major steps to help address the growing need for memory care among our residents.
Last year we celebrated the opening of Harvard House at Regents Point, a project that philanthropy helped to make possible. In June we opened the doors of the Hacienda at Westminster Gardens—fully funded through giving by the community’s residents and friends. Both have greatly improved the quality of life for those served.
Harvard House and The Hacienda were just the latest in be.group’s family of memory care centers. Redwood Terrace, White Sands La Jolla and Kirkwood Orange have been meeting this need for years.
“With the growing aging population, families need these options for care,” says Mimi Brown, program director of the Community Assistance Program for Seniors in Pasadena, an Alzheimer’s day care center that provides support to family caregivers. “That’s the key.”
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be taxing. Making sure that life under tough circumstances remains rich and fulfilling is an even greater challenge. Regents Point resident Rufus B. “Tommy” Thompson faced this situation with his wife, Betty, whose symptoms became obvious only gradually.
Late last year, Mrs. Thompson moved to Harvard House and Mr. Thompson moved from residential living into Sunridge, Regents Point’s assisted living community. But the transition proved to be challenging and painful for the couple, who had been married for over 68 years. “I felt like I had abandoned her,” Mr. Thompson says.
Tommy Thompson credits Regents Point staff with making it possible to see his wife whenever he wanted
But thanks to the staff at both facilities, Mr. Thompson says, they were able to be together again in an apartment at Sunridge. Several months later, Mrs. Thompson’s condition worsened and she returned to Harvard House.
“I could see that she was just not in the right place in recognizing that her memory was not where it once was,” says Mr. Thompson. He felt it was best that she return to Harvard House.
After Mrs. Thompson passed away in March, her family made a monetary gift in her honor to purchase a new entertainment system for Sunridge. The gift was made in appreciation for the care Mrs. Thompson received, says Sue Sanders, the Thompson’s daughter.
“Not only was Harvard House beautiful, it brought comfort to the family knowing that Mom was safe and being cared for by an excellent staff,” says Sanders. “Both Sunridge and Harvard House staffs were so wonderful in the way they accommodated our needs throughout the entire situation.”
Cary Smith would agree. Harvard House staff provided Cary with daily updates on her mother Ramona’s condition during her stay. “I sometimes got two or three calls a day,” she says. “I said a little prayer of thanks every time.”
The vision for The Hacienda first arose in the early 1990s, when Westminster Gardens’ board of directors decided to develop a new health care model for the community that would incorporate memory care. Residents and friends raised almost $2 million for the project.
Approximately half that funding went toward remodeling three adjacent existing residences in order to create The Hacienda. The new memory care center, which can accommodate up to 10, includes a full kitchen, entertainment and activities room, garden patio and several other amenities to make residents feel like they’re at home.
“This is needed and will be appreciated,” says George Cassat, a former member of the board who helped spearhead the fund-raising campaign nearly a decade ago. “I’m sure that [The Hacienda] will care for needs that won’t go away.”
be.group and its communities are blessed with an abundance of loyal supporters. Some give because they believe strongly in be.group’s mission. Others make gifts to improve their community or support their neighbors. Still others do it for the tax advantages. But there may be another reason, something more intangible but no less important, according to researchers.
William Harbaugh, an economics professor at the University of Oregon, revealed in a 2007 study that charitable giving stimulates the brain at different levels for different people.
The source of those differences is something Harbaugh is still examining, but he says it’s clear that for those who are generous, “there’s this warm-glow feeling that comes because you know that you did something personally to help someone else.”
Researchers used brain imaging technology on volunteers as they donated to a food bank in order to examine people’s motives.
While giving provided some volunteers with a good feeling, the research also found that others weren’t stimulated at all when they gave but they did it anyway. “You may argue that this is altruism in its truest and purest form,” says Harbaugh.
The study, which Harbaugh conducted with psychology professor Ulrich Mayr, resurfaced in July with the publication of “The Compass of Pleasure.”
Nearly 200 Redwoods residents, staff, family and friends gathered on Sept. 18 in Redwood Town Court’s garden patio for Sunset, Wine & Jazz. Sponsored by be.group foundation, the festival grossed $55,000 that will help support the many critical programs and services provided through Redwood Elderlink.
Special thanks go to the ever-popular jazz group Monsoon featuring band leader and trombonist Dave Scott. You can also catch Dave sharing the latest weather updates on local news station KUSI-TV. Dave and the band really kept everyone grooving throughout the evening. At one point the combo was joined by Redwood Elderlink Administrator for a stellar version of “Mac the Knife.” Check it out here.
There was also plenty of great food and wine, and chances to win a host of prizes—including a mini wine cellar with a wine fridge.
Redwood Elderlink has been serving seniors throughout North San Diego County for nearly 20 years—services ranging from adult day care to the Out & About transportation program. The support this year is all the more necessary as the state prepares significant budget cuts in the funding of Adult Day Health Care Centers throughout California, including Elderlink.
If you’re interested in lending your support to Elderlink, please call (760) 480-1030.
Kirkwood Orange officially broke ground this month on the community’s backyard beautification project. Changes will include a new patio area with seating and tables for residents and their guests to enjoy.
Kirkwood Orange backyard under construction
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