Even when we’re doing everything right, sometimes life just doesn’t show up in the way that we want. Out of nowhere – a health scare. A car repair. A partner losing their job.
One unforeseen event can take the hard-working and compassionate team members at Christian Living Communities from stable and thriving to wondering how they’re going to pay the rent. Not because of poor choices – just through plain bad luck.
CLC invests in competitive pay and benefits because our team members matter. The Critical Needs Fund, funded by generous CLC community members like you, exists for the extraordinary moments when even those supports aren’t enough.
The Critical Needs Fund provides team members in crisis with a powerful gift: relief. And when team members thrive, the older adults they partner with in care thrive, too.
When Medical Bills Change Everything
Emma (a pseudonym used at her request) has supported her CLC community for 10 years. “The same feeling I had when I walked in the door the first time is the same feeling I have now,” she says. “That it’s home. It’s my work, but it has a feeling of home.”
Five years ago, she was diagnosed with melanoma – an event that turned life upside down for her and her family. Though the cancer was caught early, it started her on a lifelong journey of follow-up care. Every three months she has skin checks, which have led to repeated (and expensive) excisions and biopsies. Pathology reports alone cost an average of $1300. Even with good health insurance, Emma’s family now reaches their out-of-pocket maximum each year.
The procedures are painful and require recovery time away from work. Last summer a skin-check led to the early detection of another melanoma – and a nearly $3,000 medical bill. The timing was terrible – she and her husband both work full time and during the summer they need to pay for full-time day care for her daughter. “Whenever you’re raising a family,” Emma explains, “adding ongoing medical costs can be challenging.”
Support from the Critical Needs Fund made a difference. “It relieved the pressure I was feeling when I got the bill, which allowed me to deal with the mental and emotional side of that journey,” she said gratefully.
Today, Emma brings the same feeling of community and belonging into supporting residents and families. “This is a tiny part of my story,” she says. “What I get to do at work, being a mom, being a wife. These are the identities that matter.”
When One Lost Job Threatens a Household
Barbara’s experience with Critical Needs is different but just as powerful. She has supported the Holly Creek community for the last 17 years as a housekeeper and is proud to have never called in sick. Barbara approaches her work with meticulous care and values the close relationships she’s built with residents. She loves taking time to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them.
Last year, Barbara faced an unexpected crisis when her partner was hospitalized and lost his job. Suddenly responsible for paying the entire rent and electric bill, her savings quickly disappeared. “I had to prioritize my bills,” she explains. “Rent came first. Other bills fell by the wayside.”
Barbara was honest about her struggles with her supervisor, who encouraged her to apply for help from the Critical Needs Fund. “I used the help to get back into my routine,” she says gratefully. “I managed to get back on my feet and pay back my bills.”
Last month she celebrated her 71st birthday and her retirement with her future feeling more hopeful and secure. Barbara is looking forward to moving to Florida with her best friend and seeing the ocean again, which she misses from her youth in New York City.
The Difference Your Kindness Makes
Emma and Barbara are so thankful for the caring supporters like you whose gifts helped them at a critical time. They shared their stories with permission to demonstrate the impact of your tremendous kindness for CLC team members.
Requests for help continue to grow each year as the cost of living remains high in Colorado. Last year, 54 CLC team members applied for and received more than $50,000 in emergency assistance.
Stories like these are stories of kindness, care, and community. Every day, CLC’s amazing team members show up to provide quality, compassionate care partnerships with the residents they support. And they are so moved by the residents, families, team members, and supporters who show up for them in their moment of need.
It’s Okay to Ask for Help
It’s not always easy for team members to ask for help. Emma wants other team members going through a tough time to know “It’s ok to ask for help. Not a lot of organizations give space for people to ask for help. We have a culture where people can feel supported to ask.”
At CLC, caring for each other is part of who we are. Together, our community makes sure that when hardship strikes, no team member must face that moment alone. Thank you!
Show Your Support for CLC Team Members
Would you like to show your support for CLC team members with a gift to the Critical Needs Fund? You can make a gift online with credit or explore other ways to give. Your gift of $50, $100, $200 (or another amount that is meaningful to you) will help a team member recover from an unexpected crisis.
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.
