December is truly a blessed time of year. Holidays give us space and time to create beautiful moments for connection, community, generosity, and love. The end of the year is also an open invitation to reflect on how much we have grown and what we have accomplished over the last 12 months.

This December, we would like to share with you the blessings that you made possible this year for older adults and the team members who support them. Some you have heard about, and some you haven’t. Every one of these beautiful moments was made possible by you through your kindness and generosity.

Library Updates

Residents at Someren Glen and Dayspring Villa enjoyed new large-print books in their community libraries, because of you! Someren Glen was also able to start a second library in their assisted living neighborhood.
 

Transformative Technology

Thanks to a kind donor, an iPad was installed in every apartment in the Aspen and Willows neighborhoods of Clermont Park. Residents can use the iPads to access menus and life enrichment calendars, receive community updates, and chat with fellow residents.
 

Music, Art, and Newspapers

Residents at Holly Creek and Clermont Park enjoyed musical performances and donor-funded newspaper subscriptions to the New York Times and Denver Post. You provided gifts that allowed Someren Glen to host Paint with a Purpose art classes, giving residents the opportunity to pick up brushes and canvases express their creativity through art (some for the first time!) At Dayspring Villa, residents enjoyed outings to concerts and Rockies games.
 

Resident Led Performances

The Holly Creek Chorale was created to provide residents with an opportunity to share their vocal talents under the leadership of a professional director. The Clermont Park Showstoppers put on several sold-out performances of the musical “Into the Woods” starring an incredible community cast.
 

Community Updates

Your gifts allowed Dayspring Villa to remodel the team breakroom, greatly boosting morale. With your help, Someren Glen was able to remodel their gift shop, which is staffed by a dedicated group of resident volunteers. At Holly Creek, supporters provided for a complete update of the Suites Garden, creating beautiful and cooling spaces for residents and families to enjoy.
 

Team Member Investment

Generous contributions to the Scholarship Fund enabled team members to pursue training programs in chaplaincy, counseling, and mental health, as well as degrees in nursing and accounting. You provided a deeply appreciated opportunity for respite for team members and their families this summer in Westcliffe, Colorado. And you have given a helping hand to team members experiencing financial crisis through the Critical Needs Fund. So far this year, team members have received more than $31,000 to help with unexpected car repairs, medical bills, and rent.

What a beautiful and powerful impact you have made for older adults and the people supporting them this year. And this is only some of what you have made possible! Thank you for being someone who wants to help others. Thank you for helping to create vibrant senior living communities made of active citizens. Thank you for bringing so many opportunities for growth, joy, fun, meaning, and connection to the older adults who call CLC home.

About the Author

Stormie Foust Maley, Annual Giving Manager, is a born Midwesterner and Certified Eden Alternative Educator who believes passionately that individuals can make a difference in the lives of others. She worked for nine and a half years at Dayspring Villa Assisted Living, a neighborhood of Christian Living Communities, prior to her role as Annual Giving Manager. There she learned firsthand the joy of building a purposeful and resilient community through a person-directed care mindset.