• 15th Annual Earthen Vessel Dinner with Special Guest Karl Mecklenburg - Thursday, October 9th 2008

• Aged to Perfection spring event raises more than $23k for memory support
• 9Health Fair succeeds again in 2008
• Holly Creek looks forward to a summer opening
• The Living Center remodel is underway

Senior Issues & Topics

• A Mother's Day reflection for mothers and daughters

Joining us in celebration is former Denver Bronco great Karl Mecklenberg. Mr. Mecklenberg will share humorous and inspirational stories of his time in the NFL and his work for Christian based charities. We will also enjoy the beautiful harmonies of the "Fourteeners" an all female choral group that is part of the Rocky Mountain Children's Choir.

We will honor the amazing volunteering machine known as "Clix" and Alyce Meines and we will raise funds for our Clermont Park redevelopment project.

Doors open at 6:00 pm with a Colorado themed cocktail reception following with celebration and dinner at 7:00 pm.

After you register, we will send you driving directions as well as details of a light-rail shuttle we will provide upon request. We can't wait to see you on October, 9th - you won't want to miss it - register now!

Glasses were raised and check books poised as Christian Living Communities (CLC) hosted its 3rd annual Aged to Perfection wine tasting and silent auction at our Holly Creek Retirement Community in Centennial. More than 250 people enjoyed tasty culinary creations at hors d'oeuvres' stations perfectly paired with wine and beer stations. Fifty-three amazing auction items tempted guests all in an effort to raise funds to help seniors and their families bravely facing memory impairment.

Thanks to major sponsorships by Greystone Communities, Inc. and Pinkard Construction Company, coupled with additional business sponsorships and the generosity of attendees, more than $23,000 was raised. The donations will go directly to CLC's Memory Support efforts, funding staff education, equipment purchases and programs aimed to better help the memory impaired and support their families. In the United States, someone develops Alzheimer's disease every 72 seconds. In Colorado there are more than 64,000 people living with a diagnosis of the disease, and several thousand more who have not yet received the diagnosis. The Alzheimer's Association reports that Colorado is one of six western states that will double in the number of Alzheimer's cases by 2020. Christian Living Communities (CLC) lovingly cares for seniors living with this cruel disease as well as other forms of dementia, while educating and supporting loved ones.

Christian Living Communities also bestowed its 3rd Annual Community Enrichment Award to Mr. Roland Buteyn. This award is given to a senior who gives back to his or her community and embodies the active and involved senior lifestyle. Mr. Buteyn has spent the better part of the last 16 months helping rebuild the community of Gulf Port, Mississippi, both structurally and spiritually after devastating hurricanes ripped through nearly two years ago. In Denver, he helped transform a vacant motel into a transitional family housing shelter now known as Joshua Station, and he has worked and volunteered for Brother's Redevelopment, helping low-income individuals with home repairs. Mr. Buteyn was also a teacher and administrator at Denver Christian High School for 13 years.

Joining the cause were Jack Alexander of the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation and his wife Sally; Dr. Gary Vander Ark and his wife Phyllis; former Swedish Hospital CEO Lowell Palmquist and his wife Mona; former Mountain States Employer Council executive Jack Barker and his wife Char; Frank and Sylvia Velzen; Dean and Judy Coddington; Cal and Shirley Van Heukelem; Brother's Redevelopment executive Mary Ann Shing.

The 9Health Fair is Colorado's largest and most-trusted non-profit health fair program that offers free and low-cost health awareness and educational screenings in hundreds of communities around Colorado. It also promotes health awareness and encourages individuals to assume responsibility for their own health.

In 2007, 19,000 community volunteers served more than 87,000 people in 165 communities around Coloradoand its bordering states. Within 72 hours of their 9Health Fair visit, more than 1,700 people received a phone call from 9Health Fair's team of volunteer RNs and doctors notifying them of a critical or alert health situation needing immediate attention.

This year, CLC was proud to host 658 participants who came to our Village community for screenings and educational information - this was double the number of participants who attended our site last year. One hundred volunteers worked diligently to make sure participants received the screenings they desired, and this year, radio station KEZW joined us for a live broadcast from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

There were 10 fairs held in the Arapahoe/Douglas county district this year, and 10,000 participants were served - more than any year in the 9Health Fair's history for those counties.

Thank you, volunteers, who made the Christian Living Communities' site a success. Also, thanks are due to Donsons, Morrison Dining Services, and Pizza Hut for their generous food donations - and to the Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA) for their generous donation of $500 to help offset expenses.

Despite a snowy winter, Holly Creek is on schedule to unveil Phase II of the community starting in July. Today, 150 active seniors are enjoying a "no limits" lifestyle at Holly Creek. By this summer, 84 additional apartment homes, some up to 1,600 square feet, will welcome many more. A model of the new plan will be open by late April.

Just a couple of the highlights of new construction …

When the new Holly Creek Town Center opens this summer, residents can invite up to 35 of their neighbors and friends to take in a movie in the new large-screen theater. Pick your favorite release, and enjoy popcorn and a private showing!

For those who want to pursue creative outlets, the art studio will provide a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Painters will have a place to work and store their materials when they're done for the day. The already-popular woodworking studio has received significant media attention due to the thousands of wooden cars that our woodworkers have crafted for children around the world.

Please stop in for a cup of coffee and see what great things are in store at Holly Creek!

Renovation is underway for several apartment homes located on the second floor of The Living Center. It's the first step in a plan to renovate the campus to provide beautiful new amenities and services for our current and future residents. The remodeled apartment homes will feature completely updated kitchens and baths, new lighting, carpet, flooring and paint. Go to www.uhillsrenovation.org to learn more about the renovation plan and timetable.

May 2008

A Mother's Day reflection for mothers and daughters

by Joyce Haberkorn
Marketing Director

It's a popular article in the newspapers and women's magazines - a familiar rendition about women who are the sandwich generation, caring for children and aging parents simultaneously. The point of most articles is to remind the younger women to pamper themselves - whether it's a regularly scheduled massage or a daily walk.

In honor of Mother's Day let's look again at the sandwich generation story from another perspective. Statistics show that women outlive men, and daughters are drawn back to mothers more intimately after their mothers become widows. We see them together at the grocery store, the doctor's office and church. They go to brunch and funerals together.

Most daughters will tell you, however, that contrary to the idea that all of this is another source of stress to be dealt with - it is an opportunity to spend precious hours in the company of one another. It's a chance to listen to stories of the childhood that molded Mom into the woman she is - to hear the joy in her voice as she talks about life during earlier years - the young woman who prayed and waited patiently for her soldier to return from a world war.

For some mothers, memories are clouded, and the opportunity is sharing whatever the day or the moment brings - the enjoyment of a flowering tree, a favorite song, or the touch of a hand.

Happy Mother's Day to the daughters who have stepped back into their mother's lives during these years, and to all the mothers who continue to face each day with courage and grace. May you learn from one another, and treasure the joy of renewed relationships.

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