Aug 11, 2015 | award, events, fundraiser, seniors
Lester Strong is Vice President of External Affairs and Experience Corps, a program of the AARP Foundation which tutors and mentors elementary school children (K-3) who struggle with reading by utilizing the skills and experiences of adults 50+. Experience Corps serves 32,000 students in 23 cities across the United States through a program recognized as the one of the most effective in-school interventions in the country.
Prior to his service at Experience Corps, Lester served as a leader in educational entrepreneurship and development. He was the Chief Development Officer for the BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) Foundation, which also provides tutoring and mentoring services to underserved children in multiple cities.
A long-time proponent and practitioner of meditation, Lester was CEO of the SYDA Foundation, an educational organization that provides instruction in yoga and meditation in 46 countries. He spent 25 years in the television industry as an executive producer, reporter and anchor in Charlotte (WBTV), Atlanta (WSB), New York (ABC Entertainment) and Boston (WHDH). His work earned him a host of national and regional awards, including five regional Emmy Awards and a White House commendation from President Ronald Reagan.
Lester serves as chairman of the board of Editorial Projects in Education (Education Week) and sits on the boards of Encore.org and YouthBuild USA. He also serves on the advisory councils of the Presidio Institute and America’s Promise Alliance. Lester holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature/Education from Davidson College and is a graduate of the Columbia Business School’s Institute for Non-Profit Management.
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Sep 26, 2014 | Fresh Foods, Giving, healthy eating, Independent Living, seniors
Yudi Cesar Artis
Yudi Cesar has been the site manager at Broadway Terrace for more than four years. The Service Coordinator role is one of her many roles.
Yudi comments, “being a part of a non-profit organization that provides safe, secure, and affordable housing to seniors is one of the most important works I have done. The population of seniors we serve would otherwise be homeless without programs like the Section 8/202 program currently in place at Broadway Terrace. It makes possible for those persons of extremely low income to afford a quality home and remain independent for as long as it may be possible before transitioning to next levels of care. This extension is made possible through partnerships with other organizations like Gregory’s Fresh Market, which brings high quality items to the hands of those mobility impaired seniors who are unable to secure or afford transportation.” Yudi, your hard work over the last 4 years is appreciated.
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Sep 23, 2014 | Fresh Foods, Giving, healthy eating, Independent Living
Debbie Gallacher
From the time Debbie Gallacher acquired her degree in Sociology, Debbie Gallacher knew she was destined for community and public service. Over the past 15 years, she has fulfilled her destiny. She has worked in Suicide Prevention, has been a substance abuse counselor and worked in food pantry management. For the past five years, she has served 94 residents as a service coordinator for Biltmore Properties. Her activities there have included: coordinating visits by Mayo Clinic student nurses, organizing community Christmas parties for residents, and organizing Brown Bag educational lunches and various food programs including visits from Gregory Fresh Market. Debbie says, “Gregory’s Fresh Farmers Market helps the 94 residents of the Arizona Retirement Homes by delivering the freshest and best quality produce to seniors who are not able to get out. The produce keeps for many days longer than store bought produce saving the residents money because they can use all the produce without any waste. The produce helps the seniors stay healthier than they would without it. It also saves the seniors money by not needing a cab to get to and from the store.”
Debbie’s other projects include: working to add a bus stop closer to Biltmore and soliciting local support to purchase a van to transport her residents to and from the Tempe Adult Community Center. A few of her major accomplishments include: helping 50 residents gain financial assistance on their utility bills and helping her residents give back to the community by utilizing time, effort, and skill to quilt blankets and knit hats for area hospices and shelters. Her team also sponsors holiday toy drives and cards for local school children.
Debbie Gallacher takes great pride in her accomplishments and helping to restore seniors a sense of independence and pride in the seniors. In this and other ways, she is the consummate social worker, giving back in service to our community. Congratulations on receiving the Advocacy award. Thank you Debbie Gallacher for your service to our seniors and to our community.
Tickets are available at a donation of $90 each at: http://dgosf3awards.eventbrite.com/
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Sep 22, 2014 | Giving, Independent Living
Joe Montagna
The service coordinator award recognizes the excellent work in meeting the social service needs of seniors and assisting them with maintaining their independence as long as possible. A service coordinator is a highly trained professional who provides supportive services to apartment communities that provide services to elderly and disabled adult residents that assists them in maintaining their independence as long as possible. These support services include:
- Health care coordination
- Benefits/entitlements/insurance services
- Meals
- Home management
- Monitoring services
The first Advocacy award recipient is Joe Montagna, founder and President of the Arizona Chapter of the American Association of Service Coordinators.
Imagine an elder having trouble with a Medicare payment or a leaky faucet. As a service coordinator, Joe Montagna is there to help. But that describes only a part of his duties. It’s the human element that is also important and, as a former psychology major, it is one that Joe knows extremely well. After three years at National Church Residences, here are a few examples of how Joe assists the 100 residents in three complexes. If you don’t have a car and need to shop for food and supplies, Joe helps through the mobile food drives he sponsors to bring you food and household supplies. If you want to get on the Internet to communicate with family and friends, Joe is working on building a computer lab in your building and bringing in volunteers to help train you on the use of a computer. No way to get to your doctor’s appointment? Joe is working on a transportation system that will provide on-demand transportation for doctor’s appointments, shopping and dining.
Residents of National Church Residences are pleased to know that Joe is a volunteer on three local community boards and when he sees something that is needed by one of his complexes, he can spring into action and write a grant request to a local foundation or community organization.
A recent HUD report revealed that service coordinators contribute greatly to the lives of their residents by enabling them to live independently for a longer period of time versus facilities without service coordinators. Mr. Montagna, today we honor your commitment and dedication to the residents of National Church Residences. Thank You.
Tickets are available at a donation of $90 each at: http://dgosf3awards.eventbrite.com/
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Jan 15, 2014 | Giving, holiday food program
Holiday Food Drive for Seniors Expands by 50%
Gregory’s Fresh Market (GFM), a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the nutritional health and well-being of seniors, hosted its third annual holiday food program for seniors at 15 locations in the Greater Phoenix Area from November 11 to December 23. For the third consecutive year, the organization announced another milestone in its nutritional food giveaway program for seniors.
“We’re very grateful to ONECare by Care1st Health Plan of Arizona for their support as presenting sponsor for the GFM seniors holiday food drive program,” said Diana Gregory, president of Gregory’s Fresh Market. “They started by sponsoring our annual Senior Awards luncheon in October, which raised funds that allowed us to expand the food program this year to 15 locations. As a result, we delivered packages of fresh fruits and vegetables to 1,200 seniors, a 50% increase over last year.”
Studies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and other health care organizations document the nutritional benefits of eating recommended daily amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Beneficiaries of the GFM food drive program received packages filled with zucchini squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, oranges, apples, bananas, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and other items. Many senior citizens are nutritionally at risk because they don’t consume enough fresh produce.
In addition to ONECare, other sponsors who supported the annual GFM Awards Luncheon and holiday food program include Walgreens, Southwest Gas Corporation, Southwest Airlines, Cox Communications, Majerle’s Sports Grill, Girl Scouts, ArizonaCactus-Pine, SRP African American Cultural Committee, and the Arizona Informant.
“We thank all of our sponsors and individual supporters, who so generously partner with us to expand healthy eating options to more seniors in the Greater Phoenix area,” said Ms. Gregory.
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