Across Christian Living Communities, small and powerful acts of kindness happen every single day. Team members bring a favorite treat for a coworker, just to make them smile. Volunteers bring therapy dogs so residents can enjoy cuddles and pets. Residents tell team members that they missed them on their days off and welcome them back.
Showing up and caring for each other is part of who we are.
Last month’s Give a Hand team member giving campaign is an incredible example of CLC team members showing up for the compassionate people they work with and the older adults they support. Through Give a Hand, team members can choose to make a recurring gift of their choice directly through their paycheck. It makes it easy for team members to support the funds they care about at CLC.
Our 2026 campaign goals were to inspire 10 new team members to join the campaign and raise a total of $35,000 to support our communities, residents, and fellow team members.
And wow, did team members show up! 13 team members signed up to support funds close to their hearts with gifts through their paychecks. 2 team members made a one-time gift. And 3 current Give a Handers increased their gift amount.
The 2026 campaign also got an incredible kick-start of generosity from an anonymous, long-time mission partner who provided a $5,000 gift to the Critical Needs Fund.
In total, 67 team members are now giving back via their paychecks – from different communities, different departments, and different pay ranges. Some give $3 a paycheck, and some give $100. They are united by compassion, caring, and motivation to help others grow. This year, their impact will be greater than ever! In combination with the generous mission partner gift, the projected combine total for the 2026 Give a Hand campaign is more than $42,000.
During last year’s campaign, Give a Handers gave more than $32,000. Their caring gifts did so much good! Team members supported residents and team members in need, provided scholarships, helped fund dementia training, paid for needed community updates, and so much more.
This year’s big jump of $10,000 more raised means that team members will be able to have an even bigger impact. The need is greater than ever. Two of the most chosen funds are the Resident Assistance Fund, which helps qualifying residents who can no longer afford the full cost of their care, and the Critical Needs Fund, which helps team members navigate an unexpected financial hardship. We are currently seeing an increase in requests for assistance from both funds. Increased team member generosity will help us be able to say yes when those requests arise.
Anyone can say that they work or live in a community where people care about each other. However, actions are the truest reflection of our beliefs. CLC team members are putting their money, not where their mouths are, but where their hearts are. They are generously investing in the older adults they support. They are investing in the team members they work with. They are investing in the communities they care about.
Why? Because at CLC, kindness and compassion are the norms.
Terry Neal, the Assisted Living Director for Clermont Park, is one of the caring team members who gives back part of her paycheck to benefit the CLC community. For her, Give a Hand is a way to express her gratitude.
“I donate as a way of paying it forward for all the support and love our team members and residents have given me,” she said. “I donate in memory of a dear friend of mine (AJ Connor) who worked at Clermont Park and was well known for the love and generosity she offered to her team members. She would want me to give.”
Plenty of Give a Handers have a similar desire to pay it forward. Some received tuition assistance from the Employee Scholarship Fund to help meet their career goals. Now, they want others to get the same opportunities. Some got help at a crucial moment from the Critical Needs Fund, and give so that other team members can, too. And others want a way that they can help care for the older adults who have meant so much to them.
Perhaps in some organizations, this kind of team member generosity would seem strange. But at CLC, we care. We embrace the possibilities. And we show up for each other.
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.
