ABHOW Sharpens Focus on INSIDE Developing Great Leaders Words 710.pdfservices at Judson Park in Des Moines, Wash., listens in. Continued on page 3 ABHOW Words 3 J u l y 2 0 1 0 Portions

SHARING OUR STORIES

News of the American

Baptist Homes of the West

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 7 • JULY 2010

Mature Living Since 1949

Last year, as part of ABHOW’s administrator-in-training pro-

gram, Makamure was paired with Keith Kasin, executive director

of Plymouth Village in Redlands, Calif., to complete the 1,000-

hour internship necessary to earn her administrator’s license. She

plans to take the final licensing exam in August.

“I was learning from someone who was doing the job, and what

he said was how he lived it,” Makamure says. “ABHOW tailors

the program to how we do things within ABHOW. In addition

to meeting state requirements, trainees get an additional layer of

understanding that is unique to ABHOW.”

ABHOW Sharpens Focus on Developing Great LeadersI N S I D E

Page 4 Green living inspires bright

ideas at ABHOW communities.

Page 7 Fresno campus shares

wheelchairs and other assistive

devices with global ministry.

Page 9 Foundation’s Vehicle

Donation Program provides

mutual benefits.

Mildred Makamure knows what makes a great leader because she saw one in action while qualifying for her California nursing home administrator license.

Continued on page 2

2 J u l y 2 0 1 0ABHOW Words

The mentoring relationship paid off. Makamure,

who was previously the administrator of ABHOW’s

two Redlands affordable housing communities, Casa de

la Vista and Fern Lodge, was promoted in February to

property supervisor for eight communities.

Makamure’s experience is just one example of how

ABHOW’s efforts to create great leaders have gained

momentum in the past year through a renewed effort to

cultivate candidates from within the company.

ABHOW’s internal development effort benefits from

its experience on the national level. This year, as in each

of the four years since the program’s inception, an AB-

HOW employee has been chosen as a Leadership Fellow

with the American Association of Homes and Services

for the Aging (AAHSA), which represents 5,000 non-

profit nursing homes, retirement communities, assisted

living residences and senior housing communities.

This year the honor went to Ancel Romero,

senior vice president for affordable housing. He and

ABHOW’s three other fellows are helping develop

Leadership ABHOW, a company-wide course designed

to create a ready reserve of trained and licensed em-

ployees who can move into management-level posi-

tions as they become available.

“The fellows are helping me by developing cur-

riculum and being mentors and leaders-in-residence,”

says Kay Kallander, senior vice president for strategic

planning. “I have this roster of people who have gone

through the experience and are now giving back to

their colleagues at ABHOW.”

Leadership ABHOW, which welcomed its first class

in June, will prepare a select group of employees for

the licensing process while simultaneously imparting

ABHOW history, values and best practices. Ten team

members from across the company will spend a year

visiting ABHOW communities and learning from other

leaders like Makamure, who spoke to the kickoff ses-

sion about her own training experience.

Leadership Development Continued from cover

Rae Holt (left photo), the new executive director of Pilgrim Haven in Los Altos, Calif., participates in the June session of Leadership ABHOW. Alex Candalla (above), a Leadership AHHSA fellow and executive director of The Terraces of Los Gatos in Los Gatos, Calif., shares his experience as Natalie Wilcox McCann, director of residentservices at Judson Park in Des Moines, Wash., listens in.

Continued on page 3


Portions of Leadership ABHOW draw on a six-month

executive director-in-training program developed by

Tara McGuinness, vice president and regional operations

manager. “This program will help secure our communi-

ties’ futures and our residents’ futures by ensuring that

we have capable and compassionate leaders,” she says.

The program consists of four separate two- and

three-day workshops that combine training in two

tracks: CCRC administrator and affordable housing

administrator. Kallander hopes to eventually add a third

track for directors of nursing.

After just its first session in June, Leadership

ABHOW offers a glimpse of how the program will help

develop a new generation of leaders for the company’s

communities.

“I’m more than pleased,” Kallander says. “At the end

of the day, you would have thought they had worked

together for 15 years.”

The first class of Leadership ABHOW proudly poses for a group photo in June.

Leadership Development Continued from page 2


Community

Stories Communities Model Green Living

It all started with a vending machine. A few years ago, residents of Mount Rubidoux Manor in Riverside, Calif.,

decided to recycle more of the soda cans sold in their community’s laun-dry room. After all, the profits from the vending machine went to the resident council. Why not recoup the deposits California requires on cans.

That single decision triggered a resident-led environ-

mental movement. The community audited its energy

use. Residents and staff installed compact florescent

bulbs and planted indigenous shade trees. Then they

replaced toilets, refrigerators and showerheads with more

efficient models. Before long, guest speakers began visit-

ing to talk about such topics as water conservation and

waste management.

“Any little thing [people] can do

can make a difference. It all adds up,”

says resident Janet Gilmore, who was

president of the resident council when

it started the speaker series. “My idea

was that if we bring people in here

and educate ourselves, in a year’s time

we’d be educated enough to make a

difference.”

Mount Rubidoux Manor residents

are in good company. With the envi-

ronmental movement growing expo-

nentially in recent years, older adults

are becoming a significant force in it.

A 2008 Cornell University survey

found that 15 percent of seniors

belonged to an environmental organization and nearly 20

percent had volunteered for one. Four out of five among

the 1,000 seniors surveyed said they would do what is right

for the environment even if it meant spending more time

and money. Almost all said it is important to maintain the

environment for future generations.

Many older adults have been concerned about the

state of the planet for decades, some since well before

José Veyna and Janet Gilmore recycle cans at Mount Rubidoux Manor.

Replacing a lawn area with a succulent garden at Valle Verde allows for almost zero irrigation while creating a visually interesting destination.

Continued on page 5


Earth Day was established in 1970. Take for instance

the colorfully named group Great Old Broads for Wil-

derness, which since 1989 has tapped the wisdom and

experience of older women to document and counter

wilderness destruction.

But increasing numbers of older adults are taking ac-

tion, for reasons both practical and philosophical. Valle

Verde resident Harry

Jones notes that his

community’s green ini-

tiative saves money and

strengthens its ties with

its home city, Santa

Barbara, Calif., which

undertakes numerous

sustainability efforts

of its own. Jones, who

has been active on

environmental issues

for so long that he can’t

remember starting,

says most Valle Verde

residents share a desire

“to do our best to

improve our environ-

mental impact on the

community and on our

lives in general.”

Like these ABHOW

residents, some seniors

elsewhere begin their

efforts by making

changes where they

live and then spread

their knowledge so

others can do the

same. In 2007, resi-

dents of a continuing

care retirement community in Connecticut worked to

make their campus greener. From that effort grew the

National Senior Conservation Corps, an education and

advocacy group that today provides information to others

in senior living communities.

On many ABHOW campuses, staff and residents grow

organic produce, hold farmers markets and donate us-

able materials removed during renovations. They’re recy-

cling more, installing highly efficient heating and cooling

systems, and making both design and lifestyle changes

that allow them to

tread more lightly on

the earth.

While residents lead

some environmental

efforts, staff members

are also working hard

to make the company’s

campuses more earth-

friendly. At the new

Kelly Ridge affordable

housing community

in South Lake Tahoe,

Calif., staff integrated

many energy-con-

serving features, such

as double-paned

windows, efficient

appliances, extensive

insulation and a heat

pump. They selected

landscape plantings

that require minimal

water and made sure

residents had a bus

shelter for easy access

to public transit.

Retrofitting an

existing community to

a greener standard can

be a complex project,

yet Valle Verde has significantly reduced energy use and

utility costs through a series of actions.

Jack Martin and Janet Gilmore (top photo) use energy-saving bulbs at Mount Rubidoux Manor, while a Valle Verde resident checks out the community’s Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Green Living Continued from page 4

Continued on page 6


“Our green initiative began in January 2006 at an

advisory board retreat,” recalls Ron Schaefer, the

community’s executive director. “One of our advisors,

Dennis Allen, was chair of the local green building asso-

ciation, and he said we should be able to go green in our

apartment renovation. Out of that impetus, the whole

process began to snowball.”

Valle Verde was already irrigating its landscaping

using reclaimed water and had begun converting to

more efficient light bulbs, Schaefer says. “Every time

we renovated an apartment, we took out the old water

heater — a 40 to 50-gallon drum that keeps water hot

all the time — and converted to flash [or tankless] hot

water heaters. We went to low-flow water fixtures, which

sometimes didn’t combine well with the heaters. We had

to play around with brands and styles and eventually we

found a combination that worked.”

As at Mount Rubidoux Manor, one step led to

another. “We started doing more onsite recycling, not

just boxes, paper and cans, but construction materials,”

Schaefer says. They shredded used lumber for mulch

and discovered that the gypsum in old drywall makes a

beneficial addition to the clay soil in their planting beds.

Two years ago, Valle Verde started buying much of its

produce locally or regionally, and it recently began do-

nating food scraps to a centralized composting program

run by the city of Santa Barbara. Prompted by resident

requests, the community has eliminated Styrofoam from

its kitchen and instead uses compostable containers for

take-out food and returnable ceramic go-cups for coffee.

Many changes were inexpensive. To pay for longer-

term investments, staff members trimmed other re-

modeling costs. “When we collected enough [money] to

put in a series of photovoltaic panels, we would do it,”

Schaefer says. Valle Verde now sells energy from its solar

panels to the power company, and over five years has

seen its electric bills drop by 14 percent, despite regular

rate increases.

“It’s saving us money,” says Jones, who endorsed the

green cause during his service on Valle Verde’s advisory

board. When management asks for his neighbors’ input

on such moves as installing more panels, he says, “resi-

dents always express pleasure.”

This summer, environmental studies graduate stu-

dents from the University of California at Santa Barbara

will calculate Valle Verde’s carbon footprint, evaluate the

community’s practices and identify opportunities for

further improvement. Because CCRCs integrate aspects

of several fields — among them construction, transpor-

tation, health care, housing, food, entertainment and

employee transit — such communities make excellent

test sites for studying green practices that are widely ap-

plicable, Schaefer says.

For that reason, he has been asked to speak about

Valle Verde’s experience not just at other CCRCs but

also outside the senior living profession. The commu-

nity, which has won a number of awards for its green

initiative, is also educating Santa Barbara neighbors by

Photovoltaic solar panels provide energy for Valle Verde.

Continued on back page



Community

Stories Donations Assist World’s Disabled

Ernie Barnes of The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens in Fresno, Calif., used to ride his bicycle with an attached

wagon around the campus to collect donations for the community thrift store he ran with his wife, Betty.

Among the donated clothes and household goods, he

would sometimes find such items as canes and walk-

ers and set them aside. On weekends, he would go to

nearby flea markets and look for more assistive devices

— wheelchairs, crutches and the like — that could be

restored to top condition. Riding around on his bicycle,

Barnes was a driving force behind his community’s

wheelchair donation drive.

The effort began when Chaplain Nancy Wilson-Jen

brought David Hooker to the campus in the fall of

2008. Hooker is regional coor-

dinator of Joni and Friends, a

nonprofit organization started

by Joni Eareckson Tada, who be-

came a paraplegic after a diving

accident in her teens. Hooker

talked with residents about

Wheels for the World, a min-

istry through which Joni and

Friends collects and refurbishes

wheelchairs, walkers, canes and

crutches and delivers them to individuals with disabili-

ties in the developing world.

Aid organizations consider this population — which

totals about 400 million worldwide — to be the very

poorest of the poor. In developing countries, people

with disabilities often can’t afford the equipment that

would allow them to work, attend school and join

others for recreation and worship. Consequently, they

are often isolated, impoverished and discriminated against.

The response from The Terraces at San Joaquin Gar-

dens was enthusiastic and receptive, Hooker says.

“Both residents and staff contributed material goods

or money,” says Wilson-Jen of that initial drive. Ernie

and Betty Barnes encouraged their neighbors to give,

and Ernie Barnes personally rounded up all the devices

he could find. Team members in the community’s as-

sisted living and memory support programs and the

health center donated used items they had in storage. At

a service on the evening before Thanksgiving 2008, says

Wilson-Jen, “the donations were dedicated to the Lord

and taken by Joni and Friends.”

Wheels for the World delivers the donations to Taft

Correctional Institution in Taft, Calif., where a work

force refurbishes and packs the equipment for shipment

to one of 17 countries overseas. In-country volunteers

custom fit each wheelchair to its recipient and provide

training in its use and upkeep. Volunteers also give each

recipient a Bible, give talks about the needs of disabled

people and in some cases improve access to churches,

homes and other local buildings.

Continued on back page

Wheelchair donations help the disabled in the developing world. (Photo used by permission of Joni and Friends.)

Barnes


The Terraces

at San Joaquin

Gardens is com-

mitted to enriching

the lives of older

adults through

progressive pro-

gramming, services

and activities. For

more than 40 years,

the community has

delivered one of

the most engaging lifestyles in the area — one that helps

residents attain personal growth through learning and

staying connected.

Even though the community’s name has changed, the

mission remains the same, Lopez says.

“We aren’t leaving our heritage behind; we’re building

on it each day,” she says. “We just felt it was time to give

people a fresh introduction to the community.”

For more information about The Terraces at San

Joaquin Gardens or to schedule a personal tour, call

559-435-1999 or visit www.TheTerracesAtSanJoaquin.com.

Community Stories Fresno Community Embraces New Name

While ABHOW’s long-established Fresno continuing care retirement commu-

nity is busy adding new amenities and stylish renovations to its campus, it is also embracing a brand-new name. San Joaquin Gardens is now known as The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens.

“When a lot of people hear the name San Joaquin Gar-

dens, they have a certain impression of the community, even

though they might not have visited our campus in the last

two to five years to see all the investments and enhancements

we’ve completed,” says Jessica Lopez, executive director. “We

want to change these old impressions and give everybody

a fresh perspective about what The Terraces at San Joaquin

Gardens’ lifestyle and campus is today.”

The community has completed construc-

tion on 47 brand-new apartment homes, a pool,

bistro, fitness center and spa; transformed five

existing garden homes with renovations inside

and out; and has plans to add new commons

spaces and renovate an additional 20 garden

homes by the end of this year. The community

is also taking reservations on an additional 142

new apartments, Lopez says.

In addition to residential living, The Ter-

races at San Joaquin Gardens offers residents

access to a full continuum of on-site assisted

living, memory support and nursing care, one

of the primary benefits of living at a CCRC.

The community will soon break ground on

The Grove, a dedicated memory support area, and be-

gin construction on all-new assisted living and nursing

care accommodations.

Residents Sylvia Yorke (left) and Mary Campbell catch up on the news as Yorke walks her dog, Corky.


Foundation

StoriesFoundation Has Solution for Cars No Longer Needed

If you’re stuck with a car that won’t run, getting rid of it quickly can’t be much easier than making one phone call.

That’s what one ABHOW employee discovered

after making use of the Foundation’s Vehicle Donation

Program. When her husband’s 11-year-old car suddenly

needed an $8,500 engine replacement, she knew she

had a problem on her hands.

But donating the car was as easy as calling the toll-

free number and setting up a time for the National

Vehicle Donation Program (NVDP), which handles

donations to the Foundation, to pick the car up at the

repair shop.

“We knew there was nothing we could do to fix it,

and it just dawned on me that we could donate the car

to the ABHOW Foundation even though it wasn’t run-

ning,” says the employee, who wishes to remain anony-

mous. “It really works out best for both the Foundation

and me personally.”

NVDP takes responsibility for selling the vehicle, with

an average of 70 percent of the proceeds for each sale go-

ing to any ABHOW community the donor designates.

The value of the donation is determined based on

the vehicle’s final sale price. If it sells for less than $500,

donors can claim the fair market value up to $499.

Nearly any vehicle qualifies, and the Foundation wel-

comes donations from everyone, including residents

who no longer need their cars.

Since the program started in April 2009, residents

and staff have donated 18 vehicles for a total of $15,949

in proceeds for the Foundation, says Suzette Luer, the

Foundation’s development coordinator.

“This is a creative, easy way for people to donate to

the Foundation and save the hassle of trying to sell a

vehicle themselves,” she says.

This year the Foundation has combined the Vehicle

Donation Program with the 14th Annual ABHOW

Foundation Golf Classic to be held Oct. 11 at the Round

Hill Country Club in Alamo, Calif. Each vehicle donation,

no matter the value, will earn one free registration to the

tournament. The golf package includes lunch, green and

cart fee, range use, tee prizes, contest holes, two mulligans,

snacks and beverages on the course, plus evening events,

including the cocktail reception, silent and live auction,

dinner and awards ceremony.

Arrange to donate your vehicle by calling the Foun-

dation at 1-800-222-2469 ext. 7151 or by going to www.

abhow.com/foundation and clicking on the “Donate

Your Vehicle” link.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2010

edition of Legacy, the Foundation’s newsletter.


(HUD) and a federal tax credit

program that lets companies shelter

some profits from taxes by investing

in affordable housing. Because these

two funding streams spurred pub-

lic/private partnerships that cre-

ated high-quality housing services

for vulnerable populations, both

proved to be excellent investments

of federal funds.

But the tax credit program has declined as compa-

nies have had fewer profits to shelter. And when the

administration made its budget recommendations for

2011, it stripped all funding for new construction under

Section 202 and HUD’s Section 811 program, which

supports housing for people with disabilities.

Ancel and other ABHOW colleagues have visited

congressional offices in Washington, D.C., in recent

months to advocate for the restoration of these vital

funds. They spoke by phone with HUD Assistant Secre-

tary Carol Galante to underscore the essential role resi-

dent service coordinators play at each of our affordable

communities. And they have been closely involved with

local, state and national nonprofit

organizations that work tirelessly to

promote affordable housing.

We salute the dedication of our

affordable housing team. Ancel

describes their motivation this way:

“In a time of great uncertainty, it is

all the more imperative to ensure that the housing and

supportive service needs of our nation’s low-income

elderly, frail and disabled are addressed.”

We heartily agree.

David B. Ferguson is president and CEO of ABHOW.

This article originally appeared in the June 2010 edition

of ABHOW E-News.

Our Hillcrest Gardens affordable housing community in Daly City, Calif., has 39

apartments. The waiting list has 575 names. The gap between the demand for affordable housing and its availability should be a concern for every American. It is for ABHOW.

In recent years we have stepped up our efforts to

provide high-quality senior communities that meet the

federal standard for affordability — under which rent

costs 30 percent or less of monthly income — and pro-

vide residents with safe, appealing and well-maintained

homes. Led by Senior Vice President Ancel Romero,

our highly committed affordable housing team man-

ages 22 communities where more than 1,800 seniors live

in security and dignity. Two additional communities

comprising 160 apartments are under construction, and

seven other projects are in various

stages of development.

Ancel’s team has been successful in

finding ways to finance and build new

affordable communities, even in these

difficult economic times. By joining

forces with other nonprofit organiza-

tions whose missions are similar to

ABHOW’s, his group has leveraged its knowledge, tal-

ent, and capacity to provide these vital services.

Yet the need for affordable senior housing continues to

grow dramatically. As the senior population increases, a

significant proportion will have limited financial resources.

For many years, the linchpins for construction

financing were the Section 202 grant program of the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Corporate

StoriesEnsuring That Seniors Have Homes They Can Afford By David B. Ferguson

Ferguson

Read more columns by

David B. Ferguson here:

www.abhow.com/about


showcasing its efforts at an annual eco-fair.

Mount Rubidoux Manor’s residents too have

become a community resource even as they work to

implement further changes in their building. Resident

Wally Longshore spurred his neighbors to share their

learning through a citywide conference, held last fall,

called Seniors Giving the Gift of Green. Their green

committee, which Gilmore chairs, is developing an

informational website, www.seniorsgogreen.org, and

planning their next community conference. Scheduled

for October, the intergenerational event will be called

Seniors and Children Go Green Day.

It is a joy to share the lessons Valle Verde has

learned through its green initiative, says Schaefer.

“It’s really satisfying to see a retirement community

being a model for the rest of the community,” he says.

“There are few times I feel we’re at the forefront of an

issue that’s relevant to everyone. This has been a great

opportunity to be that demonstration, that cutting-

edge organization. Everybody from kids in kinder-

garten to business people to stay-at-home mothers to

college students gets it.”

ABHOW, National and State Websites: ABHOW: www.abhow.com

American Association of Homes and Services for

the Aging: www.aahsa.org

Aging Services of Arizona: www.azaha.orgAging Services of California: www.aging.orgAging Services of Washington: www.agingwa.org

“American Baptist Homes of the West, as an expression of Christian mission, seeks to enhance the independence, well-being and security of older people through the pro-vision of housing, health care and supportive services.”

Published by the Strategic Planning and Communications Department Kay Kallander, Senior Vice President e-mail [email protected] ABHOW Communications Box: http://www.abhow.com/about/communications_box (username: communications; password: box2010)

American Baptist Homes of the West 6120 Stoneridge Mall Rd. 3rd Floor Pleasanton, CA 94588 phone: 1-925-924-7150 or toll-free: 1-800-222-2469 fax: 1-925-924-7232

Sign Up for ABHOW E-News at www.abhow.com


“It’s really satisfying to see a retirement community being a model for the rest of the community.”

— Ron Schaefer, Valle Verde executive director

Ernie and Betty Barnes have since passed away,

but their community’s dedication to the Wheels for

the World project continues. In 2009, The Terraces

at San Joaquin Gardens donated $10,000 in cash

and goods to the ministry. Lynda Gray, assisted

living activity coordinator, gathers items no longer

needed by residents of The Grove, the community’s

memory support program, and The Lodge assisted

living program. “Last year, we gave 15 wheelchairs

and six nice walkers,” she says, adding that they have

also donated shower seats. “The guy from Joni and

Friends had to come back twice with his pickup.”

Wheels for the World receives calls from The

Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens every three to four

months saying items are ready for pickup, Hooker

says. “It’s because of people like the residents of San

Joaquin Gardens that we’re able to help folks in

other countries who otherwise couldn’t afford this

equipment.”

Residents themselves also reap benefits from

charitable projects like this one, says Wilson-Jen.

“Having special guests each year who represent vari-

ous groups that serve the needy keeps them aware

and generous. Both of those attributes are critical to

their spiritual, moral and emotional health.”

Wheels for the World Continued from page 7

Documents

ABHOW Sharpens Focus on INSIDE Developing Great Leaders Words 710.pdfservices at Judson Park in Des Moines, Wash., listens in. Continued on page 3 ABHOW Words 3 J u l y 2 0 1 0 Portions