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Connect. Create. Contribute.

Mon, May 20, 2019 Published by

The Admin. for Community Living – a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – believes that when older adults and communities stay connected, everyone wins.

That’s why “Connect” is the first step of the three-part theme for Older Americans Month 2019: Connect, Create, Contribute. Celebrated every May, Older Americans Month is a catalyst for people of all ages to connect and participate in a larger conversation about aging in America — a conversation that grows in importance as the number of older Americans continues to increase. This theme helps remind us to connect with friends, family and services that support participation. It reminds us to create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health and personal enrichment. It reminds us also to contribute our time, talent and life experiences to benefit others.

At the beginning of 2000, 46 million Americans were older than age 60. By next year – 2020 – that number is expected to reach more than 77 million! Celebrating Older Americans Month is a good time for us to honor your contributions to our community. As volunteers, educators, mentors, advocates – you have offered your insight and experience in ways that benefit our Beatitudes community as well as the broader community. You have enriched our neighborhoods and communities through your work ethic and sacrifice to expand the promise of prosperity. Communities that encourage your contributions are stronger. With your engagement and support, we recognize that you play a key role in the vitality of Beatitudes Campus and in our lives.

We are honored that Phoenix Mayor, Kate Gallego, and Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, proclaimed—at Beatitudes Campus Foundation’s request – that May 2019 would be celebrated as Older Americans Month. The White House also issued a proclamation for Older Americans Month, saying, in part, “Older Americans are treasured members of our communities.  They have poured their lives into our country in ways seen and unseen—often at great personal sacrifice.  During Older Americans Month, we honor these Americans, we remember their countless contributions, and we proudly renew our abiding commitment to their well-being.”

Beatitudes Campus is investing today to create a network of programs and amenities to inspire, support and empower you, our residents, as well as future residents to lead healthy, enriched and fulfilled lives. One way we are doing that is by connecting—connecting you with programs that are offered on campus, connecting you with one another and connecting you with us to help us discover new ideas.

Beatitudes Campus Foundation wants to connect with you! We will host a Foundation Open House on Wednesday, May 22, from 1:30 to 3PM, in the Agelink Lobby area. It will be an informal drop-in – drinks and treats provided! You can find out what the Foundation does and you can get to know the Foundation team – Barbara Wood, Linda Travis and Ray Gonzales. But, most importantly, we will be able to hear from you and hear about your ideas! We look forward to building connections with you.

 

Bad For Your Health

Sun, April 7, 2019 Published by

I noticed an article the other day, “In Later years, Your House May be Bad For Your Health.”  Of course I had to read more.  It cited recent results of the first of a five-year study being conducted by Chicago-based Mather Lifeways Institute on Aging and Northwestern University which found that nearly 70% of Life Plan Community (also known as Continuing Care Retirement Community) residents stated that moving into such a community, “somewhat or greatly improved their social wellness.”

We are consistently interested in what distinguishes Beatitudes Campus from other senior living options.  What we experience here seems to track with what the study was finding.  Including more than 5,000 residents in 80 Life Plan Communities across 29 states, the study survey found that residents of the communities (which typically offer independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing in a single location) scored higher across five of six recognized facets of wellness than about 1,000 peer group older adults living in the community at large—including greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness.

Focusing on just assisted living, a 2018 study of residents in just over 20 communities operated across four states by New Jersey-based Juniper Communities, found that hospitalizations of residents were half that of peer group seniors living at home. Juniper in turn estimated that such reductions are saving Medicare between $4 and $6 million each year and would save between $10 and $15 billion annually if applied across the similar larger population of Medicare beneficiaries.

While both studies are essentially conducted by senior living organizations, they reflect what has been intuitively suggested by not only professionals, but residents within senior communities for years. Specifically, that living within a community setting, with daily access to friends as well as personal health assistance, dining, wellness and social programs, housekeeping, maintenance, and transportation services – may not only improve quality of life for individuals age 75+, but add to it. I hear this from our Ambassadors time and again as they speak to prospects considering Beatitudes Campus as their home.

To be clear, more, longer and larger studies are needed. And there is no industry-wide research indicating all assisted living communities could produce the same health outcomes as Juniper, considered by many to be among the best in the industry. Still, surveys have consistently shown that as high as 90+% of senior housing residents and family members are satisfied with their experience.

Which leads to the question of why approximately 90% of Americans age 75+ are choosing to remain at home. Yes, many are still physically and socially independent, but data suggests more may be able to benefit from the services and care senior living offers than are accessing such communities.

Consider:

Lack of socialization is a major source of depression, with nearly half of women age 75+ living alone. The National Institute of Mental Health has declared depression among older adults a major public health issue.

44% of older adults 75+ report having at least one physical disability that impairs their ability to live independently.

14% of adults age 71+ and 32% of adults age 85+ suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementia.

Drivers age 80+ have the highest rate of fatal crashes per miles driven of any age group.

More than 34 million Americans are serving as unpaid caregivers for an older adult parent, spouse, other relative, friend or neighbor, the majority of whom are age 75+, for an average of 24 hours per week.

Perhaps the largest factors inhibiting utilization of senior housing are cultural and based on stereotyped perception. In the first case, the current “Silent Generation” of older adults (born during the Great Depression) were raised on the idea of putting a roof over their heads and never giving it up, along with an ingrained responsibility to never be a burden on anyone. In the second case, many older adults continue to assume that a senior living community is a place for “old people” and represents the institutional “nursing homes” of yore – even as the studies above indicate otherwise.  Just today, I spoke with a fellow whose mother lives close by in our neighborhood and he remarked how much he knew she would benefit from the “purposeful living” about which we center so much of what we do at Beatitudes.  He will be by soon with her to see the campus and I can’t wait to have her experience what so many of you delight in communicating to our visitors – our mission and philosophy of the campus and the effect on superior senior living!

 

Moving to a Life Plan Community

Sun, March 3, 2019 Published by

For many older adults who are currently independent, but like the idea of living in a setting where healthcare services are available if needed down the road, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC also known as a Life Plan Community) can be an ideal solution.

Many Beatitudes Campus prospects ask us, “When is the best time to make the move?” Many of you reading this article remember wrestling with this question yourself.  There is no perfect answer to this question because everyone’s situation will be different. However, waiting too long can mean missing out on some of the very reasons people are attracted to a life plan community in the first place.

We often counsel that if you feel that a continuing care retirement life plan community is right for you, here are a few reasons why you may want to consider moving sooner rather than later:

Involvement: One of the main benefits of living in a community like Beatitudes is having easy access to a vast array of services, amenities and activities. Many of these perks take place within the walls of the community, but we are increasingly providing ways for residents to stay involved in the broader community through service projects, the 19North Neighborhood Association, our Life Long Learning adult education classes, and more. Many of you can well attest to the fact that moving earlier allows residents to more fully enjoy and benefit from these “extra-curricular” activities.  As we talk with those considering the campus, it’s often a story they are eager to hear from you.  We so appreciate our Resident Ambassadors who are so willing to talk about their experiences weighing all the factors……and almost always, it’s about the environment of purposeful living so much a part of the fabric of the campus.  If you are interested in taking the training and becoming an Ambassador, please contact the Marketing Office and see how you can become involved.

Wellness: We strive to help residents stay healthy and live independently as long as possible. Comprehensive health and wellness programs include access to qualified fitness professionals, special diet meal plans, our aquatic and fitness centers, low-impact aerobics, and yoga classes, just to name a few. Additionally, we continue to emphasize a “whole-person” concept, including emotional, spiritual, intellectual, vocational, and spiritual experiences, and have an award-winning Success Matters program which provides the opportunity to assess what makes up your best path to maximize independence.

Relationships: Residents of life plan communities often say that one of the best things about them is the friendships they have formed with other residents. That is absolutely the hallmark of Beatitudes Campus.  Those who wait too long to make the move may not have the time to develop meaningful relationships, which can be particularly helpful as part of a support network if healthcare needs arise in the future.  Again, prospects are very interested in your stories and we will be reaching out and providing opportunities to highlight them in our publications and website in the next few months.

The number of folks considering the campus right now is very high.  We already have 28 of the 34 patio homes that will open beginning in early 2019, committed and several others have placed a hold.  Additionally, we have begun the B V.I.P. Program for the new Promenade Residences to be built on the site of the former Garden Apartments and have more than 40 who have been given priority numbers. And our current living options are seeing more inquiries than at any time in the last four years!

So, with all this activity, do we need your help?  Absolutely!  Our mission is to provide what we believe is the best in purposeful, resident-centered senior living for as many folks as possible.  So, don’t forget the Friends and Family Resident Referral Program which pays you or your family member for successful recommendations of prospects to the campus.  Stop by the Marketing Office for details so we can provide you a referral form.

So, when is the best time to move to the campus?  Many of you would answer with a hardy, “right now!”  This is literally one of the most dynamic times at the campus since its original founding and we are anxious to share the excitement with as many as possible.  Thanks so much for all the many ways you help us every day!  Viva la Beatitudes!*

Weave: The Social Fabric Project

Sun, February 24, 2019 Published by

Every year 47,000 Americans kill themselves and 72,000 more die from drug addiction. Journalist David Brooks says: “This kind of pain is an epidemic in our society. When you cover the sociology beat as I do, you see other kinds of pain. The African-American woman in Greenville who is indignant because young black kids in… read the whole article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQi

Courage and Joy

Sun, February 17, 2019 Published by

Fifty-five years ago, the visionaries and pioneers of Beatitudes Campus held a historic groundbreaking on undeveloped farm land, bought for $25,000 an acre, with a vision to change the face of nursing homes of the 1960s—to build  a place where older adults could live, learn and play for the rest of their lives. They created a vision so big and so bright that it lives on from generation to generation.

From the first apartment built after that groundbreaking (Plaza South), so much has been built, and 16,000 seniors have lived vibrant and fulfilled lives at Beatitudes Campus.

Ten years ago, another historic groundbreaking occurred—the building of the Central Park Apartments and creation of our Town Plaza. At that groundbreaking ceremony, our founder, Rev. Dr. Bill Nelson, offered an invocation:
“…Never let the mystery keep us from plunging into the future with courage and with joy…may we turn the sod over and rearrange the world in more human ways…”

I have never forgotten those words, and they seem especially pertinent as we prepare for another chapter in the life of the campus—an eight-year master plan of redevelopment. We are rearranging the world—in ways that allow our residents to live empowered and purposeful lives, in ways that nourish and strengthen our neighborhood and community, in ways that allow our staff the privilege of servant leadership. I am honored, and humbled, to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors—Dr. Nelson, Rev. Everett Luther, Rev. Ken Buckwald and Peggy Mullan—to build on the firm foundation they have laid and embark on the biggest redevelopment the campus has seen. And, I am so privileged to serve our residents and our future residents and learn from you the lessons of hard work, of survival amidst momentous change, of sacrifice and of honor.

Our master plan is not just an investment in Beatitudes Campus. It is an investment in our community-in the lives of residents and future residents and in the staff who answered the call of service to others. We have grown from a dozen staff members to our 450 dedicated staff who have a sacred responsibility of service to 650 residents. The growth of the campus to become one of the largest employers in North Central Phoenix and in the Top 100 in Phoenix, is a testament to our vision to be a leader in aging services and serve the broad middle class. Our focus is not only confined to our campus – the campus is also a major contributor to our community’s economy. More than half of our expenditures to vendors is  returned to our local community businesses that are headquartered in Arizona, most of whom are located in Maricopa County or are small businesses.

As Dr. Nelson so clearly stated ten years ago, we must plunge into the future with courage and joy. It takes courage to redefine senior living as we are doing each and every day, but the joy I feel when you thrive and contribute to our community is life affirming. Our redevelopment and expansion speak to the heart of our campus mission.

We will celebrate this new chapter in the life of the campus with a Groundbreaking Ceremony on Thursday, February 21 at 10AM. Residents and staff can watch the ceremony live from the Luther Life Center, followed by a reception and refreshments from 10:00—1:00PM with our special guests and future residents. The Beatitudes Campus Board of Directors and I invite you to share with us, and each other, this important milestone in the evolution of the campus and feel the joy along with us.

Diversity and Inclusion Day: What a Celebration!

Sun, January 27, 2019 Published by

We hope you made it over to the Life Center last Monday for our inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Day! Over 150 residents and staff members participated in this happy event. CEO Michelle Just and President of Beatitudes, proclaimed January 21, 2019 as Beatitudes Campus Diversity and Inclusion Day. Thank you, Michelle! Here is a segment from that proclamation:

“Now, therefore, I, Michelle L. Just, President and CEO of Beatitudes Campus, with a continued commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality, proclaim January 21st, 2019, (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day),  Beatitudes Campus’ Diversity and Inclusion Day, and we resolve to stand together with all people of good faith in our community recognizing we have the power to change our attitudes, to overcome our ignorance and fears, and ability to influence our peers and neighbors to embrace and build together a more loving, caring community, open and affirming of all.”

On large maps of the world and USA, participants were invited to mark their places of origin and cultural heritage. Attendees also explored exhibits and gathered information about Black History, the LGBTQ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning), the personal and cultural meaning of Dia de los Muertos, and they were able to see and handle cultural heritage artifacts from Indonesia and Ukraine. The Success Matters team gave attendees the opportunity to experience age-related changes such as losses in their vision or hearing. The differences in how folks responded when they actually experienced those losses surely represent another, very personal kind of diversity. Participants were invited to write out answers to the question “What does Diversity mean to you and what makes you unique? How would you answer?

The celebration continued with staff members dancing, singing, and playing music at the event. Resident, Barbara Levy, read a very moving poem she had written in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr, and his call for a more just and inclusive world. In keeping with the spirit of the celebration, there was delicious food from around the world. Throughout the event, one video offered Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, another moving video entitled “The Real Thing” explored how to support transgender community, while another video focused on exploring the meaning of diversity. Most importantly, and enjoyably, there was time just to talk with each other. Residents and staff shared stories about many topics, including service in the Peace Corps, participation in civil rights demonstrations, and the many personal moments where there were deep vows to raise children and grandchildren in a more just world guided by values and faith.

So why was the event held? The Diversity and Inclusion Action Council, made up of staff and residents, organized and planned the event. The Council has been meeting since last April to further explore and focus our attention on diversity and inclusion, and we decided to highlight diversity and inclusion through this event! Our Beatitudes Campus Promise statement moves us to “value the diversity of all” and that promise was surely kept in this celebration. This event was an addition, not a replacement to the long-standing campus traditions of honoring Black History, Veterans, LGBT community, and older adults.

Our campus is a special place where we come together to create a community of welcoming for all– regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, marital status, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age. As you know, we welcome all faiths and those choosing not to identify with a faith. Beyond welcoming, our activities and day-to-day interactions and life on the campus illustrate our commitment to learning from one another and always expanding our beliefs and worlds. We also bring our commitment to diversity to off-campus community involvement through volunteering at schools, participating in neighborhood organizations and so much more.

Our Diversity Day highlights our rich past and guides us to future actions about diversity on campus. What are some of your reflections about diversity on campus? What would you like others to know about you or your heritage? Let’s keep the dialogue going! The Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee is looking for others who are passionate about this work so if you would like to join the Council or would like more information, please call Linda Travis, at X16365, or Chaplain Peggy Roberts at X16109 *

Looking for Veterans

Tue, May 29, 2018 Published by

The 4th of July is always an exciting time to celebrate our country’s birthday and what better way to celebrate than a parade and neighborhood festival!

As part of the 19North neighborhoods, Beatitudes Campus has once again been asked to open the festivities at the Royal Palm Neighborhood 4th of July Parade and Festival on Monday, July 4th at Royal Palm Park (8405 N. 15th Ave.)  We are looking for a few veterans who would like to volunteer to carry in the flag, lead the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem to help kick off the morning events. The volunteers will need to be ready to go by 7:00AM and can leave as soon as the national anthem is completed. There will be a parade, followed by a great festival in the park. Last year, we had a table and connected with hundreds of our neighbors!

Many local businesses plan to be on hand to help celebrate and give out information and free 4th of July gifts. The entire event is a few hours long but the veterans only need to commit to the first 30 to 45 minutes of the day.

So veterans—can you help? We would love to have another great group kicking off the event. If you  are interested in this patriotic volunteer opportunity, please contact Jonathan Gibbs, Senior Community Relations Ambassador at x18589.

Redefining the Urban Landscape

Mon, May 1, 2017 Published by

I was reading an article the other day about the fact that few people in America walk to work. Most of us drive to the supermarket. But more older people these days are looking for a community where they can enjoy a full life without a car.  The article explained how Ben Brown and his wife, Christine, weren’t really thinking about retirement when they moved to a small town nestled in the Smoky Mountains near Asheville, a haven for many East Coast and Midwest retirees.

“We loved the idea of living in a small town in a rural mountain area,” Mr. Brown recalled. “And we converted a summer house to a year-round home to suit our tastes.”

Yet Mr. Brown, a 70-year-old writer, and his 66-year-old wife said they had second thoughts as they made the transition toward retirement.

“We realized ‘aging in place’ means a lot more than just a comfortable house,” Mr. Brown said. “So we began thinking more about ‘aging in community.’ That means an urban neighborhood where you can walk or take transit to just about everything you need.”

Ben and his wife are considered the “young” old… seniors who are demographically just into the category of senior living and services.  The story went on to talk about West Asheville, a vibrant, urban neighborhood, brimming with trend new restaurants, inviting shops and a number of bus routes into the larger city next door.  Nearly every place they wanted to go was within walking distance, a major benefit for those who don’t want to drive everywhere as they get older.

This made me think a lot about our march toward redevelopment and the larger community in which Beatitudes is located and the community we are excited about continuing to define on this campus.  And when I say excited, I truly do mean that is the sharpest sense of the word.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to the Design Studio group for a couple of weeks and it was enlightening for many to learn of the amount of research that we do to plan and forecast what services, amenities, price points, logistics, technology and environment make for the best in senior living.   One of the terms that we have begun to hear a lot of in urban planning is “walkable” and this has long been a hallmark of life plan communities (previously known as continuing care retirement communities)… that we organize a campus such as Beatitudes to emulate a growing, mixed-use neighborhood with ample amenities to provide a “good life.”  As a result, our campus as seen the evolution of four restaurants which are available to all residents regardless of their home location in independent or assisting living or nursing care.  A bank, ceramic studio, computer lab, library, gift shop… there is a large list of these conveniences.  What is rather thrilling is that we now are on the edge of two facets in the life of the campus that can help us all set the bar far higher in the new age of senior living.

One is our own redevelopment plan which has been revisited, reviewed, rearranged, revamped, redesigned and researched (insert every “re” word you can imagine!) again and again during the year that I have been here on campus and before.   Why?  Achieving marketable feasibility is far more intricate than merely building new apartments or patio homes and hoping for the best.

Often retirement communities have been slow to change.  But the most successful take the time to really assess what makes the most sense and build around those needs.

Now one of the truly exciting facets that very few life plan communities can boast.  Enter our new paradigm: the walkable, urban space envisioned by the emerging 19North Community Association which our Resident Community Outreach Committee has helped ignite.  Emanating out of the completion of the lite rail along 19th Avenue, a number of community members from surrounding neighborhoods and businesses determined that a new opportunity existed to redefine the area as a walkable, safe and invigorated area of powerful living.  Now couple that with Mayor Stanton’s determination to achieve an “Age Friendly Community” status.  I was very honored to be the only senior living community representative named to a new sub-committee to study that topic and was sworn in at the city council this past January.

What a stellar opportunity we have!  We are seeking to not only program on our own campus, but help define what is “age friendly” in our neighborhood and provide even more access to opportunities for diverse interest.  The theme is simple: Get out and walk/utilize easily assessable short distance transportation to basic services such as our campus buses.  We are thinking about folks like the Browns that I mentioned at the beginning of this article as we plan our next generation of this life plan community.

Walkability is much more than a hip marketing pitch. It’s linked to better health, social engagement and higher property values.  The researchers Philippa Clarke and Linda George found that walkable, mixed-use environments could possibly reduce disabilities many face as they age. Pedestrian-friendly communities promote walking to a grocery store, cafe or other services like the salon or library such as we have here on campus or nearby.

Although there is clearly a growing demand for walkable, urban retirement communities, they are difficult to build within cities, said Christopher Leinberger, a developer based in Washington and a professor at the George Washington University School of Business.  Mr. Leinberger noted that most mainstream retirement developers had traditionally favored suburban or exurban sites that involve sprawling “greenfield” building on relatively cheap farmland. The new approach, by contrast, is for dense, urban or town-centered sites that are accessible for services and socially vibrant.

“The model used to be to isolate old people on cul-de-sacs backing up to a golf course,” Mr. Leinberger said. “The new model just beginning to rise is for walkable urban places.”  And here we are in our north central Phoenix location doing exactly that.  I love being a part the development of a new cutting edge model for senior living.  Beatitudes Campus has probably one of the most unique positions in helping redefine high quality senior living that could possibly exist – a long history of quality services on our own 22 acres and now integrating into the surrounding community determined to raise the standard of living for all.

But there are often obstacles. Age-friendly communities within cities may require extensive infrastructure improvements, including wider sidewalks, bike lanes, more public transportation options and longer pedestrian signal walk times.  Thankfully, the mayor and council seem determined to invest in the improvements.

Mr. Leinberger, in a G.W.U. study, found that the walkability factor added more than 72 percent in increased housing value compared with car-dominated developments, where he says prices will fall over time as America ages.  He provides a short list of items to consider when defining and planning an age friendly, walkable community.

Do they have quality health care institutions nearby? Is public transportation adequate? Will you need barrier-free sidewalks and retail establishments? How easy is it to leave and visit other parts of a city or its metropolitan region?  What about local colleges for cultural amenities and lifelong learning programs?  The answers to these questions are basically favorable for those residing here and we’re just beginning.

I’ll be anxious to continue to update you on the progress of 19North and the Age Friendly Sub-Committee.  We present our initial findings and recommendations at the June, 2017 council meeting.  And, of course, we will have a great deal more to publish about our own redevelopment in the next few months.  These are indeed very significant times for the campus and I’m so proud to be a part of what will be the foundation for the look, feel and service of Beatitudes Campus for many years to come.

Forward Looks to the Future

Mon, October 17, 2016 Published by

A few of us from campus were privileged to attend a very enlightening presentation this week on the 2017 economic outlook sponsored by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.  It was encouraging to hear that, we can expect a continuing good business environment and that, compared to the rest of the country, we rank 6th in our position in the recovery, up from a 20+ position a few years ago.  Nonetheless, the recovery is weak compared to others, but is actually the second longest in history since 1928.

gobeyondcreativityElliott Pollack, nationally renowned as a veteran Arizona economist, informed us that education and health services should continue to boom and are not expected to be cyclical, but rather steadily increase despite market fluctuations.  In fact, one of every eight new jobs will be in the healthcare industry as the Phoenix metropolitan area continues to develop as a national center of medical expertise. Employment in the health industry has actually risen 156% since 2008.

Construction is doing well as evidenced by the substantial amount of home building as well, apartments and our unemployment rate is at a historically low level.  Significantly, for those of us in the senior living industry, we are more in a seller’s market than any time in the last eight years with values up and inventory slightly less than demand. Sales of existing homes are on track to finish 2016 as the strongest year since 2008 and prices of homes should continue to rise.  That is good news for those exiting home ownership to come to a campus such as Beatitudes.  Most interesting, was Mr. Pollack’s observation that there will be a “tsunami of eligible buyers in five years as bankruptcies fall off of credit reports.”

Despite all of the good business environmental factors, we continue to look for ways in which we provide opportunities for our campus to thrive in other ways which make a difference in, not only the quality of life of our residents, but our community as a whole.   I recently read an article by Debra Wood, R.N., that highlighted that giving time to improve another person’s life, or the greater community, offers benefits far beyond the good deeds done by volunteers.  It creates feelings of self-worth in those doing the giving and can improve their outlook and well-being.

“Volunteering gives us another reason to get out of bed in the morning, because we look forward to getting together and doing this,” says Carol Jenkins, a resident at Parker and McCarrick in Somerset, NJ, and secretary of its Living with Purpose Club.  “It makes us feel good helping others.”

I had the pleasure of watching this in action this past Friday evening, October 7th, at the Open Door Fellowship Church which hosted the formal kick off of the 19 North neighborhood association group.  Jim Elliott and his wonderful group of campus volunteers have been an integral part of taking an idea surrounding completion of the light rail on 19th Avenue, and potential concerns about the development of the neighborhood, to a solid coalition of stores, shops, restaurants, city recreation centers, churches, hospitals, schools and us, as the sole senior living provider, to a movement solidly committed to strengthening our one-of-a-kind community.  19 North is encouraging each to take pride in our area and make it better by contributing ideas, energy and passion……..and interacting with each other in meaningful ways.

It was a privilege to set up our booth and talk with hundreds of interested community members, many of whom expressed interest in learning more about Beatitudes Campus. But the true joy was seeing so many of our residents in action – speaking, working at the display, interacting with other members of the coalition and formulating plans for additional volunteerism in churches, schools and community services.  That is a significant demonstration of our vision and one of the great ways in which Beatitudes Campus becomes more than just a place to live, with a solid business environment.  We are now advertising in the Sunnyslope Plus newspaper which is being retooled with  entire 19 North pullout.  What a thrill to be on the ground floor of something so significant for our neighborhood and to work with such a committed group of volunteers!  Once again, I have to observe “my cup runneth over!”

One and the Same

Fri, June 17, 2016 Published by

images (3)I can’t get it out of my mind. It haunts me. It is likely not one of us here at Beatitudes Campus, either resident or staff, has not been affected by the events in Orlando last weekend. One wishes that such brutality and terror were only in the movies. But not even a movie can portray the horror of what we all witnessed. It is impossible to comprehend what the victims and witnesses were facing as the sick and demented soul made his way through the nightclub shooting and killing unceasingly.

The horrible irony is that the people who gathered in that club on that night, like millions of other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people did in their own communities, did so because it was there that they felt safe, secure, accepted and uniquely free to be just as they are – unlike almost any other gathering area in the United States. It is at such clubs, for the moments they are open, that a genuine sense of community exists for those who have no other community, even if they live and sleep in their various neighborhoods and cities.

For everywhere else there is fear of judgment, condemnation, retribution, and physical, psychological and mental abuse by the public around them. On that night they were to be safe and away from the potential harm they have to endure on a daily basis that is inflicted upon them by faith communities, politicians, television pundits and, too often, neighbors and family. What shakes the gay community to the ground is the fear that there are no safe places any more.

When I think of community, I think of my community—Beatitudes Campus. Since coming here, I have had only one agenda: help create a community where all are received and accepted just as they are, and valued as unique and unrepeatable creations. I believe that to be the one and only goal of true community. In our society, elders are often relegated to the sidelines in condescending ways, but not here. We respect each other, value each other, and care for each other as equals. We may have different colors of our skin, opposing political viewpoints, competing faith traditions, innumerable levels of physical and mental abilities, various sexual orientations and gender identity concepts. But those do not matter in this community, other than they are beautiful characteristics of our whole community.

The reality is that the Beatitudes Community has the opportunity to show the rest of the world what it is to live, not just tolerating each other, but truly accepting and embracing one another. I believe what we are creating in our community will be a model for the larger community around us to discover and learn about living in peace and harmony with one other in a world that clearly does not understand how it is to be done.

It is a fact that one of the most frightening possibilities for senior gay people today is having to move into a community like ours. The fear of rejection, discrimination and having to go back into “the closet” just to survive is beyond too painful a possibility to have to consider. I am grateful that we proclaim our acceptance of all people proudly and deliberately to the LGBT community, as also evidenced in Our Promise. We know we are all one and the same.

Perhaps, more than ever, it is important for us to try to understand and learn more about each other here and those who might be coming to our Campus in the future. Study other religions, learn about other cultures, listen to a neighbor who is now dependent upon assistive devices to move around, befriend a person of a different sexual orientation or gender identity and look at the world through their eyes. Dare to do this and see how your life might be changed for the better, and watch how our community will grow stronger with a love and acceptance that I believe there is not a one of us here who doesn’t yearn for that deep inside. When you hear or witness discussions or actions that are denigrating or exclusionary of others, find the courage to stop them, because it is only destroying a community that I believe is meant to be a model for all others.

11981096-largeSome may know and some may not, but I am gay and proud of who I am after decades of trying to deny who I am. Some may say I am biased as I write this. I will always believe I am just working to help create a community that aspires to the dream of God for all peoples as I long to be part of a community who will accept me, and people like me and all others. For I, too, crave to be able to walk in a community where I won’t feel people looking at me and talking about me when I am with my partner. I am tired of the shouts coming from a passing car calling me a “fag” and worse. I hunger for a time when I, or my friends like me, don’t have to always have it in the back of our minds, “are we safe here?” like we have to today. I want to know there will be a safe community for me when the day comes that I want to live in a Beatitudes Campus type of community.

So I ask my community to please commit to making our community safe and loving for everyone. Let’s work together to make this the model that it so easily can be. Your grandchildren and great grandchildren, nephews and nieces will remember you as trailblazers for teaching this world how to be a better world and showing them what true community is all about. For we are all one and the same. *

Respectfully,

Rev. David W. Ragan

 

Our Promise

Beatitudes Campus is a not-for-profit ministry of Church of the Beatitudes, a United Church of Christ congregation. Our heritage of Christian hospitality calls us to welcome all people. This includes outreach to Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and other faiths, as well as those with no connection to a faith community. We value the diversity of all – regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. Core values of compassion, respect, accountability and excellence drive every aspect of our community, and are what have made Beatitudes Campus a strong and respected leader in retirement living for 50 years.

Advocating for Phoenix’s Fair Share

Fri, April 8, 2016 Published by

Message from the Office of Councilman Daniel Valenzuela

“Recently the Phoenix City Council gave approval to seek a $9 million federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to fund 50 additional firefighter positions. Since joining the Phoenix City Council in 2012, I have been honored to travel to Washington D.C. several times, including earlier this month, to meet with federal officials and advocate for public safety funds on the city’s behalf, and I’m pleased the grant application is moving forward.

This year’s budget already has made hiring first responders a priority, and if we are successful in winning this grant, we will boost our already aggressive public safety hiring efforts.

Public safety continues to be my top priority. Since 2012, we have successfully brought home more than $35 million in federal public safety funds that include SAFER grants to support the Phoenix Fire Department, COPS grants to support the Phoenix Police Department, and UASI grants to strengthen the region’s homeland security capabilities. I will continue to work with my colleagues and city staff to search out and fight for every additional dollar available to strengthen our public safety departments including meeting with federal agencies in Washington D.C. again and again to advocate for our city’s fair share of federal funding.”