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Golden Rule Awards Banquet

Sun, May 5, 2019 Published by

The Arizona Interfaith Movement (AZIFM) holds the Golden Rule Banquet each year where people and organizations are honored for upholding the principles of the Golden Rule. I had the pleasure of attending the 14th annual banquet on Thursday evening, April 11, at the Mesa Convention Center and found it an awesome and inspiring evening. Those of us attending from Beatitudes Campus, besides myself, were Sybil Eppinger (whose husband Dr. Paul Eppinger founded the AZIFM), Karen Shannon, Cammy Clevenger, Bob Van Riper and Nancy Splain.

When we arrived at the Mesa Convention Center, we were greeted in the courtyard by hosts at several booths providing information about different religions.  At the Sikh booth, I met Rani Sodhi, the brother of the man who was murdered in Mesa right after 9/11. Mr. Sodhi has spent all of the intervening years since then, travelling all over the United States and beyond, working to build bridges of understanding among people of different faiths and backgrounds.

At 6:30PM, we joined the over 800 other attendees inside for the evening program and banquet.

The evening started with the sounding of the Jewish Shofar followed by a welcome from Anita Rangaswami, Vice President of the AZIFM Board and a representative of the Hindu faith.

Pat McMahon, radio personality and Hall of Fame Broadcaster, was Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Opening prayers were given by a Christian, someone from the BahaIi faith tradition, someone from Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and a Buddhist. Each prayer ended with the statement of the Golden Rule as expressed in their respective faith traditions.

Mesa’s Mayor, John Giles, and AZIFM’s Executive Director, Rev. Larry Fultz, each then welcomed us, and dinner was served. During dinner, we were treated to an impressive musical performance by Taiko drum artist, Ken Koshio, and his son.

After dinner, the awards were given as the next part of the program. This year’s Golden Rule Awards recipients were as follows:

The Serving the Children Award went to Sunshine Acres, a home for children with no place to go.

The Humanitarian Award went to members of the Japanese American Citizens League made up of Japanese Internment survivors. This group talks to schools and encourages the breakdown of fear and hatred and the empowerment of kindness.

The Community Building Award went to the East Valley Community Builders. This group encourages interracial and social activities between citizens and police to encourage mutual understanding.

The Media Award went to AZTV and its director, Lynn Londen, for programming focusing on the positive qualities of our community, including airing a teenage group which does a media show on kindness and helpfulness.

The Darl Anderson Award went to Nick Lowery, the Hall of Fame Kicker of the Kansas City Chiefs. He started the Nick Lowery Youth Foundation that assists homeless youth.

At the end of the award ceremony, to bring the evening to a close, AZIFM Executive Director, Rev. Larry Fultz, called his family members in attendance to the stage. Assembling on the stage were a husband and wife from Nigeria (the husband had been a young student sent by his father to study in America who had lived with the Fultz’s during that time), a Jewish rabbi, Rev. Fultz’s brother and his Russian wife, a son with his Japanese wife, and a grandson with his Pakistani wife. Each gave a prayer or blessing to us all in his or her native language, followed by his or her spouse’s rendering the prayer in English. What a powerful visual.

The family closing was a magnificent end to a very inspiring evening.

Lead An Active Life

Mon, March 6, 2017 Published by

I was reading about inspirational living the other day and was drawn to an article by Dr. Art Hister, an award winning physician, educator and media personality from Vancouver.  Most seniors want to live longer, but even more important, they want to enjoy a good quality of life. We hear this a great deal as we tour prospective residents and their families around Beatitudes Campus.  It’s really those types of factors that make the difference – our fitness center and incredible training staff, our top flight Center for Life Long Learning and the host of other clubs and organizations in which residents can immerse themselves.

Dr. Hister tackles this issue directly and I’m sufficiently convinced we should listen since it appears that he has more than a bit of credibility.  He is currently a health analyst on The Morning News on Global TV in BC. He is also the author of two Canadian bestsellers, Midlife Man and Dr. Art Hister’s Guide to a Longer and Healthier Life, as well as numerous articles for publications such as Reader’s Digest, The Globe and Mail, and The Medical Post.

“Quality of life is really important,” says Dr. Art. “I want to enjoy the rest of my years, especially with my grandchildren. I want to walk on the beach with them, not have to sit waiting for them to visit me.”

“The single most important thing you can do,” he advises, “is to be more active. Just keep going. The more active you are, the better. There is less chance for your body to deteriorate. Being mobile and active is more important than diet or other factors.” Dr. Art doesn’t like to use the word “exercise” preferring to say “keep moving, keep active.”

“Furthermore, it’s easy. There’s nothing to prevent you; simply make up your mind to be more active. Sadly, our culture does not encourage us to do exercise, quite the opposite.” One only has to look at the parking lots, cars, elevators, and escalators all around us to see that Dr. Art is right.

“Numerous studies have shown that when previously sedentary people become more active, their health improves,” he says. He describes how living a healthier life has several almost immediate benefits including sleeping better, having more energy, having lower stress, and suffering less anxiety. Long-term benefits include living longer, being happier, and reducing the negative effects of chronic diseases. That last benefit is particularly significant, isn’t it?

He also emphasizes you’re never too old to change your habits. Studies show that even 80-year olds benefit from becoming more active and embracing these recommendations.  A resident told me recently that he had never really embraced fitness or involvement in a number of social activities, but that in giving it a try, he was astounded at how much improvement in life in general was being experienced.  This was actually in a conversation which involved his daughter and she chimed in rather immediately, stating rather amusedly that she wasn’t exactly sure who these folks were posing as her parents.  “I pretty much have to book an appointment with them—always on the go and more social than I ever knew them to be.  I keep telling the story to my friends for their folks.”

I am always thrilled to hear reports like these.  In fact, we are always anxious to have our family members share the Beatitudes Campus story.  Did you know that the Friends and Family Referral Program also extends to sons, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or cousins that recommend a prospect to the campus?  We will be hosting two informational sessions later this month to explain how your family member can earn just like our residents by referring qualified prospects to the campus.  Rewards are paid out after three months for those successful placements.  Be sure to let your family know – we will announce the times and place in the Roadrunner soon.

In the meantime, we remain as excited as ever to continue the progress on campus.  These are exciting times!