Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/52581
Building a Community for Seniors ᑀᑀᑀ BY CAROL GRUBER I n the early 1970s, leaders at Sunny- vale Presbyterian Church saw the need for reasonably-priced housing for seniors. With church funds and financing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), their dream was realized in 1976 when Life's Garden, an attractive 208- apartment retirement community for people age 62 and older, was opened in Sunnyvale, California. Linda Hagan is president of Sunday bus Friends for life plans various programs for residents at Life's Garden, including a Christmas party. Volunteers do their best to accommodate residents' dietary restrictions. Residents reflect the racial/eth- Friends for Life, a group of volun- teers at Life's Garden. Many of these volunteers are active with Presbyterian Women at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. Friends for Life spends considerable time and effort providing entertain- ment and refreshments for Life's Garden residents. Funding for these events comes from church mem- bers and others, along with a nomi- nal annual membership fee paid by the residents themselves. "We have events that bring the residents together," says Linda. She loves parties, so she enjoys helping organize the four big events of the year—the Christmas tea, spring supper show, June ice cream social/open house and August bar- becue. Friends for Life also hosts occasional Tuesday night events that feature dessert and entertainment. 34 nic mixture of the San Jose area, with approximately one third from Asian backgrounds. Life's Garden has resident interpreters and Eng- lish as a Second Language classes for those who need language assis- tance. Two thirds of the apartment units are HUD subsidized. Life's Garden is open to people of all eth- nic and religious backgrounds. Membership in Sunnyvale Presby- terian Church is not required. According to the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church/Life's Gar- den website: "Tuesday drivers are another group of Friends—for mobility and community care. Each Tuesday morning, one of a faithful, caring group takes his or her own car to Life's Garden at 10 AM to drive residents to a nearby grocery store and phar- macy. These residents are a fun and very thankful group." drivers bring Life's Garden residents to Sunnyvale Presby- terian for worship. "One of the driv- ers says this is a way to 'honor her mother and father' cared for similarly in another city by friends, when she couldn't be there. Another volunteer read that when retir- ing one should do something [one has] never done before, but can now. So she drives folks [to church]." Linda enjoys the gentle humor of the residents and their gift of time-sharing. "We're trying to take the edge off, because when the res- idents move here, they are living in unfamiliar surroundings." Carol Gruber is a freelance writer, clerk of session at First Presbyterian Church, Union, Missouri, and president of Church Women United of Franklin County, Missouri. T ᑁᑄᑃᑇᑅᑀᑂᑆᑇᑄ ᑒᑣᑙ∀ᑰᑀᑩᑱ∀ᑣᑀᑙᑠᑱ%∃ᑀᑒᑧᑤᑣ)#ᑀ ᑐᑙ∀ᑢᑣᑰᑀᑙ∃ᑀᑕ%ᑰᑰ(&ᑙᑨᑣ ᑓ∀ᑣ#ᑠ(∃ᑣ∀ᑧᑙᑰᑀᑈᑦ%∀ᑡᑦᑀᑙ∃ ∋∋∋ᑃ#& ᑡᑃ%#ᑄᑥ∀ᑱ% #ᑄᑦᑱ%#ᑧᑰᑥᑃ ᑦ ᑃᑀ ᑉᑱ∀ᑀᑙᑀᑤ%ᑰᑀ ᑦᑱ∃ᑱᑄᑩ%#ᑧᑡᑄ&ᑧᑢᑣᑱᑀᑱᑤ ∃ᑦᑣᑀᑙᑰᑰ%ᑙᑨᑀᑈᑦ∀ᑧ#∃ᑩᑙ#ᑀᑖᑣᑙᑁᑀᑥᑱᑀ∃ᑱ ∋∋∋ᑃ(ᑱ%∃%ᑠᑣᑃᑡᑱᑩᑄ∋ᑙ∃ᑡᑦᑇ&ᑆ !ᑑᑉᑅᑤᑔᑕᑂᑗᑧᑘ bui l ding communi t y courtesy of Life's Garden YouTube page