Richard Page, a resident of Arizona retirement community The Colonnade, decided to take flowers to a fellow resident last fall after hearing the man had checked into the hospital. While such a humble gesture may not be the textbook definition of charity, it made a lasting, heartening impression: according to 82-year-old Page, the man still has the plant on his mantle today.
Staying charitable is more than an annual check to your favorite nonprofits or Arizona retirement communities; staying charitable is a commitment to your friends, family and community that you’re actively invested in their well-being. Whether you volunteer in your Arizona retirement community or you babysit for a friend on the weekends, giving within your means is an incredibly rewarding part of any well-balanced lifestyle.
Once you start giving within your means, you may quickly become hooked on helping. Page, for example, soon decided to bring flowers to another resident in the hospital. Page became frustrated as he pulled into a closed flower shop, and then the plant he bought at another store tipped over in his car.
“There had to be a better way,” said Page, who believes deeply in Christian acts of service since he was baptized at church in 1960. “And that is how the ‘Colonnade Resident Flower Fund’ was born.
“I called the local Wells Fargo Bank, asked about setting up an account and then wrote to Sun Health COO Sharon Grambow, who was serving as interim executive director at The Colonnade; and Teresa Brule, director of Resident Services, and said this is what I want to do,” Page said. “It’s faith based, and follows biblical principles. This is the residents’ fund. All I want to do is make a difference in someone’s life.”
And he has. Between November and February, more than a dozen deliveries were made to Arizona retirement community members from a local flower shop. Page, who runs the fund like a business and keeps detailed account records, was careful to point out that no privacy is being violated when it comes to finding out who is in need.*
“I find out everything over dinner,” he said. “If one person knows, half The Colonnade knows. It’s unconditional love and service.”
Like Page, you too can find a personal and innovative way to stay charitable throughout retirement while still working within your means. Moving into Arizona retirement communities does not mean retiring from service. Any ounce of support you’re able to provide your community will be paid back tenfold in self-fulfillment. Stay charitable within your means in your Arizona retirement community! Or, if your mobility or schedule is limited, donate online to Sun Health Senior Living and help fund more projects like the Colonnade Resident Flower Fund.
*Page is always looking for help and donations to support the fund. “I always say ‘ask yourself if not me, then who,’ when it comes to deciding to if you should support any worthy cause,” Page added. For more information, contact Customer Service Manager Paula Sikes at (623) 236-3700, or call Page at (623) 975-7210.
