
Meet Helen Shafran, Development Director, who has a long career of helping a number of non-profits in California, Oregon, Michigan and Virginia. She’s worked for the Oregon Bach Festival, the Caltech Alumni Association, the Boys and Girls Club, Albion College and the American Diabetes Association. In her personal life she just ran her 11th marathon and participates in many local and regional distance running events. What a busy lady who has lots more to tell you on page 3 of the newsletter.
Shari Ridings, Resident Services Coordinator for Jason Lee Manor, provides resources, referrals, education and assistance to help residents to live independently, safely and with dignity. She graduated from Chemeketa Community College and Corban University and is passionate about providing education for seniors to help them age well both physically and mentally. She will also tell you on page 3 that all you have to do is ask and she’ll happily share pictures of her first grandchild.
Page one of the newsletter you can see pictures of our annual celebrations such as the Carnival and the Tea Party. Each event shows in light-hearted and memorable ways how fortunate we are at UMRC to have a built-in capacity to connect our senior residents, children and family members with one another on a daily basis and especially at fun events held throughout the year.
Meet Ray Lutz who tells us in the “Resident Focus” section of the newsletter that he retired from teaching at Harvard and Portland State University for over 35 years. He also tells a wonderful story about hitch-hiking all over Europe, despite traveling on a wooden leg! He lost his leg in a farm equipment accident when he was 13 but that didn’t stop him from doing the things he wanted to do. This included visiting Russia just after it was opened to tourists from the West. At the time it was required to travel with an approved tourist group so he ended up joining a group of hog farmers from Iowa. After a lunch where the Russians and Americans made goodwill toasts where a shot of vodka was downed with each toast Ray says, “By the time lunch was over, they were all pretty toasted”!
So many stories and memories abound in the halls at United Methodist Retirement Center with all the seniors and children. Read a few quotes in the “Learn and Pass it on” section on page 4. Click here to download a .pdf of the entire Fall 2014 issue of our newsletter.
Would you like to help us continue to make memories and help generations continue to learn and grow together? It’s easy to support us simply by clicking on the “DONATE” button on our home page. We are deeply grateful for every dollar given to us.