National Charity League Shares Long History With SLH
The National Charity League designated St. Luke’s Home as one of its non-profits long enough ago that no one remembers the exact year. However, one of the volunteers who has graced St. Luke’s the longest is Page Chancellor Marks, Management Attorney at Goldberg & Osborne. She captured the feeling NCL volunteers have about our community. As Marks put it, “NCL loves St. Luke’s,” she said, “It is literally our best charity!”
NCL is a national non-profit organization comprised of mother and daughter members. Its mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.
Volunteers from NCL spent Saturday, August 4 at St. Luke’s playing games and interacting with the Elders. Pictured above standing behind the Elders are, right to left, Mart Clements, Grace Clements, Laura Wallace, Samantha Wallace and Christina Strong.
Christina first began volunteering at St. Luke’s when her daughter Cammie, who is now a high school sophomore, was in the 6th grade. Barbara Warrilow also was introduced to St. Luke’s through NCL. She has donated many hours of her time transforming the landscaping in St. Luke’s courtyards.
A special thanks to all NCL volunteers who not only give of their time but pass along the joy and gift of volunteering to their daughters. A formula of enrichment for mothers, daughter and St. Luke’s Elders!
Former Chicago Sun Times Reporter Launches Writing Group at St. Luke’s
Philip Franchine’s (pictured above) loves stories. He recently heard a sermon by Rev. Frank Williams at St. Francis in the Foothills church, “Stories Give Our Lives Meaning.” He then read a piece in the St. Luke’s newsletter about Med-Start students working with our Elders as part of Who We Are, a special program funded by a stART grant from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. Franchine knew immediately he wanted to keep the Elder stories going and called St. Luke’s.
As a member of the Mesquite Shades, he knows St. Luke’s well. “I know the Elders at St. Luke’s Home from playing music there every few months and enjoy their company.” he shared. “My day job is doing free-lance writing and editing with a specialty of ghost-writing life stories.”
The writing group is just getting going. He interviews Elders one-on-one, takes notes on a laptop, writes the notes up and then emails the draft stories to the staff, and they edit together.
“I love doing this work,” Franchine said. “I have discovered that recounting and recording our life stories turns out to be a healing process for many people. Life stories also can connect grandchildren to three, four or five generations of family lore and legend that may not be available in photos or mementos. This also gives the Elders a sense of purpose.”
National Immunization Awareness Month Shines Light on Elder Health
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to remind all Elders in your life about the importance of immunizations for older adults. NIAM is sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC). NPHIC, in collaboration with CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
St. Luke’s keeps close tabs on the health of all their Elders and partners annually with Walgreens and CVS to provide on-site flu shots. In addition, the Pima Council on Aging provides excellent resources to be “Med Smart.” Click here to learn more: http://bemedsmart.org/
Happenings at St. Luke’s Home
St. Luke’s Needs Front Desk Volunteers!!If you are interested in volunteering at St. Luke’s, we need individuals who can volunteer four hour blocks of time in the living room greeting visitors and answering the phone. Information: https://stlukeshometucson.org/about/volunteer/ Or call Sally Krommes, 520-207-0790
Wish List for St. Luke’s Elders: Many of you have asked if St. Luke’s needs specific items so here is the “most wanted” list from our Elders:
Individual Body Wash (bottles, not bars); Toilet Paper; Poise: Overnight Pads, S/M; Depend underwear for Women, L/XL; Depend underwear for Men; Toothpaste and Toothbrushes; Deodorant; and of highest demand: rolls of quarters to be used for Bingo!
Your donations to St. Luke’s Home are deeply appreciated and easy to do.
Click on the donate button pictured above to make an on-line donation that supports the mission of St. Luke’s Home.
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