ABHOW residents shape their communities in a number of ways, and sometimes, they reshape them as well.
Three ABHOW communities will break ground in 2012 on projects to expand or improve their campuses, thanks in large part to resident fundraising efforts through local foundation committees.
The Terraces of Phoenix
The second annual casino night was a resounding success at The Terraces of Phoenix, bringing the community within reach of the nearly $1 million needed for an expansion of the resident activities center. The event brought in $180,000, bringing the total raised by two casino nights and other donations to $330,000.
Casino Night 2011 took a high-tech turn, with electronic swipe cards and e-tablets giving those bidding on items at the event’s silent and live auctions the ability to check on their bids wirelessly.
“Casino night was a huge success,” said Tom Dorough, the community’s executive director. “The technology made the event go so much more smoothly this year.”
Phoenix players enjoyed blackjack, craps, and other games provided by professional dealers, as well as a dance band, bingo, door prizes and appearances by Mae West and Elvis Presley impersonators.
Andrea Schulte, director of lifestyle and activities, said committee members at The Terraces of Phoenix “believe in the ABHOW mission” and in the significance of the project itself.
"Our Foundation committee here really rocks,” said Schulte.
That rocking teamwork includes informal architectural planning and advice offered by resident Gene Buchli. Before moving to The Terraces of Phoenix about six years ago, Buchli, a Yale architectural school graduate, ran a successful commercial architecture business in Phoenix for more than 30 years.
Buchli says the expanded activities space, more than 9,000-square-feet worth, will be large enough to seat 200 people at a time for auditorium events. It will also include sliding partitions to make the space dividable, creating smaller spaces for tai chi and other classes.
The Terraces of Los Gatos
Members of The Terraces of Los Gatos Foundation Committee kicked off a capital campaign last fall in support of a planned 23,000 square-foot addition to their community. The campaign’s $500,000 fundraising goal represents about 10 percent of the total project cost.
The two-story addition will include 16 new homes for residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and 10 one-bedroom, assisted living-level apartments. On the ground floor will be The Grove, ABHOW’s acclaimed memory support program – the company’s seventh Grove community. On the second floor, an expansion of The Lodge will serve residents who require some assistance with the tasks of daily living.
The memory support apartments will open into a large common area that includes a living room, TV room, dining area and social spaces for crafts and other activities, as well as a spa and salon. Construction is set to begin in spring 2012.
“This will be a shining jewel in ABHOW’s memory support crown,” said Joe Cusick, chair of the Los Gatos, Calif., community’s foundation committee. “The addition will be a good mix of homey touches and necessary medical capabilities in an environment that’s friendly and not hospital-like.”
Kay Kallander, senior vice president for strategic planning, said ABHOW’s goal is to someday have a Grove at each of the company’s continuing care retirement communities. Kallander developed The Grove concept while writing her master’s thesis at the University of Redlands. She designed the first Grove, at Plymouth Village in Redlands, Calif.
The Terraces at Los Altos
A 2012 capital campaign at The Terraces at Los Altos will support a long-awaited campus redevelopment, including the addition of ABHOW’s eighth Grove community. The project was initiated more than a year ago with a rebranding campaign that gave ABHOW’s first-ever retirement community, formerly known as Pilgrim Haven, a new name and identity in anticipation of the redevelopment.
The first phase will include The Grove and its 16 first-floor residences. Located on the second floor of the new building will be The Village, a new skilled nursing community with apartments for 30 residents. All total, the expansion will bring the number of residents at The Terraces at Los Altos to around 175.
Meanwhile, the community’s dining services team, led by Andy Au, launched a creative fundraising effort last October by asking residents to make a donation in exchange for two premium meals. Their effort, inspired by a presentation made by ABHOW Foundation Vice President Leonard Kelly, brought in more than $600. A group of 31 residents and staff members came together to raise money and enjoy an evening meal of filet mignon and sea bass.
The dining services team held a second fundraiser in mid-December, selling tickets to a holiday bash featuring a selection of appetizers.
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 Winter 2012 issue of Legacy.
