The good folks at Miriam-Webster define stewardship as the “careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” That’s as fine and true a definition as any I’ve heard, but the one that speaks more to my heart comes from Grand Lake Gardens resident Carole Lee, who calls stewardship the “commitment of one’s time, talent and treasure.”
Carole’s words really resonate with us here at ABHOW, and they’re timely, too. This week we hosted our 62nd annual meeting, the theme of which was “The Spirit of Stewardship.” We took a look at the many ways in which stewardship reveals itself at ABHOW communities every day. We also highlighted how we use our time, talent and treasure to affect the greatest good we can, even in this uncertain economic time.
It’s both humbling and heartening to hear of the wonderful, sometimes even unexpected ways in which our residents and team members give of themselves in the name of stewardship. Here are just a few examples:
- Carole Lee and her fellow green-thumbed residents at Grand Lake Gardens, who planted an organic garden last spring that so far has produced 550 pounds of fresh produce — including potatoes, string beans, squash, and cucumbers — for donation to local homeless and low-income seniors.
- Janet Gilmore, Dale Dobson and the Seniors Go Green committee at Mount Rubidoux Manor, where a simple soda can recycling project morphed into a resident-led green revolution. Today, Seniors Go Green holds an annual conference to raise environmental awareness and action among other area seniors, and they’ve even reached out to local schoolchildren to sew the seeds of stewardship early and often.
- ABHOW’s exceptional affordable housing team, whose dedication is not only changing the look and feel of affordable housing for generations of seniors to come, but also recently earned the company the highest possible industry recognition. In fact, ABHOW is the only company west of the Mississippi to receive the National Affordable Housing Management Association’s coveted Corporate Partner designation.
- Executive Director Keith Kasin and his team at Plymouth Village, who have found a powerful way for the Redlands, Calif., continuing care retirement community to show both stewardship and neighborliness to local affordable housing residents. Kasin, an avid runner and health enthusiast, initiated a rehab sharing program whereby Plymouth Village’s team of five therapists travel to nearby Fern Lodge, Casa de la Vista and Mount Rubidoux Manor where they make health assessments, provide a full range of rehabilitative services, and conduct clinics on avoiding falls.
At ABHOW, what we know about stewardship is that each of these people and the good work they do is a gift that will continue to grow and thrive, taking our company to new heights and our residents to a bright and happy tomorrow.
