There are often a whole host of reasons that we narrate in order to convince ourselves and others that we are helpless to make a choice which is mindful of the needs of others.
Empowered power.
Dosia Carlson & Mim Hoover
Some of the most powerful people I know are living right here at Beatitudes Campus. I stand back in awe of how, when asked to take responsibility for some aspect of our community’s growth, a vision that once seemed grand soon pales in comparison to what the resident(s) actually create. A few weeks back, at the Arizona LeadingAge Conference (an organization that unites non-profit communities like ours), there was a powerful exhibition of purpose, power and empowerment – and it was by our very own Beatitudes Center for Lifelong Learners.
Dosia Carlson and Mim Hoover, with the help of Nell Bennett, who was not able to be present, put together a presentation, aptly titled, Success Story. It wowed the administrators from the other communities who sat in on their workshop. In the workshop, the participants learned how, when residents in a community like ours, are given a task to create, that the sky becomes the only limit, far surpassing what any one staff person could ever create or do. The resident-run, Lifelong Learners Team, have created, not only a success story of a program in terms of number of participants and diversity of class options, but have impacted the lives of almost all those who participate and have been given a sense of purpose in creating excellence.
As I said at the beginning, we have not a resident on Campus who is not gifted with immense power and talent. The true sign of a successful community is how capable is it in empowering its members to be free to use their gifts toward the betterment of the entire community. The ultimate job of administration in a community like ours is to facilitate the freedom to excel, and clear the path for creativity and ingenuity for any resident ready to take our community even further toward our goal.
I can testify for our administration that few things are more gratifying than seeing our residents work together with us to accomplish great things, making our community innovative and on the cutting edge of our field. More and more of you are taking leadership roles and bringing great transformation to us with visions and ideas that we as staff would never come up with. To just name a few – the Environment Committee, the Garden Club, the Recycling Program, our English Language Assistance program, the resident’s Life Enrichment Team who plan our outings and activities and that is just the beginning.
You are leaders and models for senior communities, and I thank you for being a point of pride (and also for letting us boast a bit to our competitors) when it comes to residents with power and purpose lived out.
With warmer spring weather arriving, we are all enjoying the welcoming temperatures of the season and spending more time outdoors. But with spring comes higher pollen counts and an increase in allergic symptoms. In Arizona, allergens cause more severe and prolonged allergy symptoms due to the extended growing seasons. Phoenix residents also endure more air pollution in the form of soot, dust, aerosols and emissions than most large cities, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms, as well as other lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Allergies, asthma, and COPD combined affect over 56% of the population, and COPD, in particular, has a higher rate of occurrence among older adults. But breathe easy…we’ve got you covered.
Better Breathers is a group sponsored by the American Lung Association, which meets every 2nd Monday of the month at 4PM in the Motion Studio. This group supports individuals with various lung conditions and provides valuable insights and tools for lung health. Under the thoughtful leadership of resident, Barbara Carpenter, the Better Breathers hosts speakers and regularly addresses topics, such as:
Like many residents on campus, participants in Better Breathers are committed to living their lives to the fullest, despite physical challenges that may arise. Through peer support and education, Better Breathers helps residents and community members learn proactive ways to face lung conditions head on and embrace life!
On March 25th, members of the Better Breathers group will be making a special trip to the LUNG FORCE Expo. The LUNG FORCE Expo is a program designed for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers to learn more about the latest trends, resources and research surrounding lung conditions. Speakers from a variety of fields will present current medical information on topics that have the most impact on those whose lives are touched by these conditions.
If you’re interested in learning more about Better Breathers or attending the LUNG FORCE Expo, join us Monday, March 13th at 4PM in the Motion Studio or catch us next month on April 10th.
One of the points of pride for Beatitudes Campus is our enduring culture of making an impact outside the walls of our campus. It is part of our DNA to be engaged in a much larger community than the 23-acre parcel of land upon which our campus sits. Our mission, vision and values do not end at the sidewalk—they are reflective of our commitment to the greater community. We are proud to announce that this commitment was recently recognized by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (GPCC), which named Beatitudes Campus as a finalist for its 2017 IMPACT Award, a prestigious award that honors us for the strong footprint we make in the Valley.
We were apprised last December that Beatitudes Campus was nominated for the award by a business community partner and we were asked to start the award process. We were nominated in the large business category (defined as having more than 250 employees). We were given a list of areas in which we were asked to submit information to the award selection committee. These areas included the campus accomplishments in several different business categories—Community Champion, Economic Driver, Exceptional Innovator and Arizona Advocate. Thirteen other companies were nominated in the large business category and submitted their information, along with the campus. Eight businesses were then chosen as finalists. Rod Bailey and I accepted the IMPACT Finalist award last week. It was exciting for us to be there to represent the campus’ achievements. Our next step in this process is for Michelle Just to be interviewed about our accomplishments in a session conducted by a selection panel. We will learn in mid-March if we are honored with being the recipient of the award.
Being a leader in aging services calls us, more than ever, to be innovative and flexible. When the campus began more than 50 years ago, older adult living had a different landscape than what it is today and what it will be during the next 50 years. Beatitudes Campus has deeply embedded a culture of innovation throughout the campus – and beyond our walls. Our heritage of innovation is strongly evident—from you, the residents, to our management team, our front-line staff and our board of directors. As a leader in the aging services industry, our reputation as innovative thinkers with entrepreneurial acumen is apparent. As a community champion, Beatitudes Campus residents and staff clearly give with their hearts. Not only is the campus a resource for many diverse community groups, many organizations are recipients of the generosity of time and talent from staff and residents.
Beatitudes Campus is an economic driver for the city of Phoenix, too—as one of the largest employers in north central Phoenix, most of our employees live in and reinvest in the city. The campus’ purchasing power is indeed great. As an Arizona advocate, our efforts have had and will have a deep impact – our Arizona partners look toward Beatitudes Campus to be active and strong partners in initiatives across the Phoenix community.
Winning the IMPACT award will be a great acknowledgement for Beatitudes Campus, but haven been chosen as a finalist in itself is such an honor and tribute to the campus. Other businesses in our category are EPCOR Water, Isagenix International, National Bank of Arizona, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Sonora Quest Laboratories, Southwest Airlines and Total Transit. As you can see, we are being recognized among many wonderful and deserving organizations that are worthy of this award. Stay tuned for the results!
A woman in a car pulled up to the toll booth at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. “I’m paying for myself and the six cars behind me.” she says with a smile.
One after another, the next six drivers arrive at the booth, money in hand. “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare,” says the collector. “Have a nice day.”
The woman, it turned out, had read a note taped to a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice Random Kindness.”
The message from the door of that refrigerator is spreading, on bumper stickers, walls and business cards. And as it spreads, so does a vision of guerrilla-goodness.
A passer-by may plunk a coin into a stranger’s meter just in time. A group of people with pails and mops may descend on a run-down house and clean it from top to bottom while the elderly owners look on, amazed. A teenager shoveling snow may be hit by the impulse and shovel his neighbor’s driveway too.
Senseless acts of beauty spread. A man plants daffodils along a roadway. A concerned citizen roams the streets collecting litter in a supermarket cart. A student scrubs graffiti from a park bench. It’s a positive anarchy, a gentle disorder, a sweet disturbance.
They say you can’t smile without cheering yourself up. Likewise, you can’t commit a random act of kindness or beauty without feeling as if your own troubles have been lightened – because the world has become a slightly better place.
And you can’t be a recipient without feeling a pleasant jolt. If you were one of those commuters whose toll was paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else?
There are times in our lives when we look around us and are disheartened by what we see. Sometimes we might feel as though we are powerless to make an impact on the situation, but as Mother Theresa once said “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Like all revolutions, guerrilla-goodness begins slowly, with a single act. The question is, what are you going to do today?
I can’t believe it’s already four and a half months since I came to Beatitudes Campus! It has been a great time of assessing where we have opportunities and tooling up for our future. What a pleasure it is in my many travels on behalf of the Campus to speak of our many unique characteristics and determination to serve as many seniors as possible in meaningful ways.
During these first few months, we have been able to kick off a number of projects and initiatives – a few that have been contemplated for some time and others that have been developed to distinguish Beatitudes in our rather active marketplace. The First Impressions project, funded by the Beatitudes Foundation, has begun in earnest and is already making an impact on the environment around the property.
As you might well imagine, on a campus with buildings that span from less than ten to over fifty years old, many opportunities for improvement in the look of furnishings, colors and floor coverings have presented themselves. So about three months ago, we took an entire inventory of where we were and how we could best tune up image and surroundings to benefit our valuable residents and those who are considering residency. It may not surprise you to learn that the tab was very, very high if we were actually able to do each and every item on the wish list, but undaunted, we went about breaking it down into phases and ways in which to achieve the best “bang for the buck.”
About $66,000 had previously been set aside for flooring in the Foundation and they generously granted an additional $271,000 for the project which includes not only carpeting and wood vinyl, but also replacement of a good deal of furniture, artwork and accessories in the Health Care Center, Plaza View Assisted Living, Plaza North and Plaza South as well as the Central Park buildings. To date, we have seen completion of new wood vinyl flooring in all of the Central Park lobbies and elevators, as well as new paint schemes in those lobbies and throughout the upper floors at the entrances of resident apartments. We have also completed the replacement of all upper floor lounge carpets in Plaza North and Plaza South. A two tone painting scheme in hallways separated by a chair rail is underway in those buildings. The big news is that the remodel of the first floor lobby begins the week of September 19th with the removal of the desk/counter as well as carpet. It is all going to be replaced with our new flooring selections as well as a great executive desk, credenza and hutch, which our volunteer staff will continue to staff as they do in other buildings on campus. We have also completed the installation of new flooring in Plaza View’s upper floor elevator vestibules and lounges and then the first floor dining room and activity room will see their new carpet installation start around the first of October. Last, but certainly not least, 200 new multi-purpose, colorful chairs for use throughout the campus are starting to hit the scene. As a result, we will be retiring a lot of the extraneous and dated seating that has survived through the years.
Major activity will begin on October 10th when we will begin to see the furniture, artwork and lamps delivered throughout the campus. We are also hosting the 2nd annual PASRS (Professional Association of Senior Referral Specialists) conference on October 13th when we will enjoy the company of about 300 visitors on campus who will be looking at us for potential placement of their clients. Of course, we are putting out the welcome mat, but also will be working feverishly to have our décor in place to present ourselves well, in addition to our mission and outstanding care services. Some of the items will not be delivered until November, but once all of this work is completed by Thanksgiving, Phase I will essentially be complete.
All of the remaining areas of need have been collected into a Phase II process which will occur through our upcoming fiscal year (October 1st, 2016 – September 30th, 2017), funded by both the Foundation as well as largely by our campus operations. Our board approved the plan this last week, but capital expense budgets are only possible by well executed operations, so we will also be working diligently to meet all of our occupancy and expense budget targets. The completion of the First Impressions plan is scheduled through quarters one through four this coming year and we are tremendously excited about the impact that all that we are doing is making on campus.
So that brings me to the new Friends and Family Referral Program that we have kicked off as of September 7th. For every qualified referral that you provide to the marketing department, that has not been previously identified to us or toured, we are anxious to pay you, our valued residents (or members of your family) $1000 for the first successful admission, $1250 for the second and $1500 for the third. That’s $3750 that you can earn per year! In addition to the prospects not having been previously in our marketing database, they must complete three months of residency and be current on their account. It’s that simple! Think about former neighbors, members of your church or members of your own family that you would recommend becoming a part of Beatitudes Campus and provide their names to the marketing department. The program runs all through next fiscal year to September 30, 2017 but I urge you to hurry. As I write this article, there are 23 apartments that are “sold” and not yet occupied between rentals and entry fee (Central Park). Even though we will experience some residents that will transition to higher levels of care, there are a few apartments to fill and enjoy this opportunity. I will say I honestly cannot wait to hand out that first check at a Residents Council or Town Hall meeting to someone who has referred a successful admission under this program! And, I want to keep handing them out…….again and again throughout this year. I love working together with you – simply the finest Life Plan Community I have ever known. Together, we are creating the community of choice in, not only the Phoenix metropolitan area, but the southwest U.S. – full of choices, opportunities for service and a place of love, acceptance and fellowship. Please be sure to get in touch with me if you have any questions…… call Marketing at x18487 or myself, at x16107.*
In 221 B.C., a Chinese emperor of Qin decided to link all the small separate walls across China to help protect them from raiders in the north. Over 450 years later and over 13,170 miles covering 9 provinces and municipalities, the Great Wall of China was completed. There were approximately 400,000 workers who died in the midst of constructing that wall. Although many of the workers were forced to assist, you will agree that it took many committed people along the way to complete this work. Still today, there are as many as 70,000 people visiting the wall each day.
When a leader has a dream for an organization (or a country), it takes many hands, hearts and minds to complete the work. During the work, it can get frustrating or even boring without the right encouragement. It must have been grueling and exhausting when the workers of the Great Wall lived and died without seeing the final result of their labor. Sometimes I feel that way – I’m sure you do too. I think commitment to the vision is another part of the creation process.
And what difference does it make anyway? Was this my idea or someone else’s? Why am I doing this when I could be doing something I want to do? We make choices every day about what we will do and how we will make an impact on the world. Many of our campus co-workers are here because of our combined work to help older adults reach their own potentials.
For every day that we decide to work at the campus, we also are being changed. We are becoming more like the people we admire in our lives. The potential for personal change is incredible!
It reminds me of a great quote by John H. Schaar, “The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”
Creating something new will create someone new.
