It only takes a spark to light a fire, and at Las Ventanas last spring, Irene Geller was that spark. Disappointed that her seven-year-old Las Vegas retirement community hadn’t yet formed a foundation committee, Geller rallied the troops – 10 of them, to be exact.
“I said to them, ‘You know what? This is a worthwhile thing to do,’” recalls Geller. “I had Joe Anderson come out and talk to them about how to form the committee, and the kind of investments we could do. And they agreed, it was a good thing to do.”
The resident-led group grew to include Rose Rager, the community’s interim executive director, and Las Ventanas Board Chair Ruby Warthan-Vance. The group met several times this summer to develop bylaws, determine governance, form subcommittees and elect officers. Now that the bylaws have been deemed compliant with the ABHOW Foundation, the newly formed Las Ventanas Foundation Committee is officially ready to get to work.
“We don’t have any specific fundraisers planned as yet, but there’s a lot of interest and enthusiasm, so I feel like we’re going to see a lot of collaboration in the months ahead,” says Rager.
Like many other senior living communities today, Las Ventanas is struggling with occupancy. Rager says that made the need for a local foundation committee all the more evident.
“When you think about what the local foundations do for a CCRC – everything from promoting planned giving to providing [benevolent] care, planning and raising funds for capital projects – it’s going to do a lot of good for residents and the community for years to come.”
Rager says as a first order of business, the committee is currently weighing how to replace a baby grand piano that was on loan from a resident who recently passed away.
“Now that the piano has gone to the resident’s estate, it’s left a void in the common area where it used to sit,” Rager says. “We used it a lot for special functions and social events, so there’s a good chance that will be on the committee’s agenda to start.”
Other ideas, such as a community flower and vegetable garden, are starting to take shape. But there’s also a general consensus that a slow start might just be best. The committee has conferred with Foundation President Joe Anderson about an ongoing program of outreach to help educate residents on investment options and the importance of establishing a robust community endowment.
“This is not just about living well today, but planning well for the future,” says Warthan-Vance. “I do wish we had been able to form this committee and establish an endowment fund a long time ago, but now is the time. We’re ready. Our community is just going to flourish.”
About ABHOW
Founded in 1949, ABHOW is widely known for its pioneering leadership in senior housing and health care. The company serves more than 5,000 residents in 37 retirement communities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Washington.
To learn more about ABHOW visit www.abhow.com.
This article appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Legacy.
