St. Luke's Home Newsletter December 2019      Art Exhibit Builds a Special Bond by Karen Wright  “I don’t like smiling on command.” That was the response I received when I asked George if he would be interested in participating in the Don’t Look Away Photo Exhibition. When I assured him that I would prefer to capture him naturally, George grudgingly said, “Check back with me tomorrow.” Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a wonderful experience. Returning the following day to photograph other elders, I found George in the hallway sporting a bright yellow shirt (“so you could find me”), more than ready for his turn in front of the camera. Unfortunately, his day had not started out so well, but the more we…

    St. Luke's Home Newsletter November 2019           Photo by Karen Wright Don't Look Away! Sunday, November 10 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm St. Luke’s Home Join us in celebrating the beauty of our Elders who call St. Luke’s “Home.” Remarkable photographers Kathleen Dreier, Martin Mongan, and Karen Wright share their work of honoring the grace of aging. The result is 24 Elders sharing their stories through a powerful visual composite; honoring our Mission: To provide quality-of-life for low-income Elders to age with dignity in an assisted living community. Join us for a lovely afternoon of breaking down the walls of Ageism. Please Don’t Look Away from the value, wisdom, and contributions of our Elders.        Save the Date! - Baile de Gracias…

    St. Luke's Home Newsletter October 2019            Photos by Karen Wright Don't Look Away! We are celebrating the beauty of our Elders who call St. Luke’s “Home.” Remarkable photographers Kathleen Dreier, Martin Mongan, and Karen Wright share their work of honoring the grace of aging. The result is a powerful visual composition honoring our Mission: To provide quality-of-life for low income Elders to age with dignity in an assisted-living community.  Please save the date and join us for a lovely afternoon of exquisite artwork, light refreshments, and fellowship on: Sunday, November 10 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm St. Luke’s Home       Inter-professional Education Program (IPP) Medication Safety Clinic The University of Arizona's partnership with St Luke's Home continues. Preceptors Dr. Jennie Lee…

  St. Luke's Home Newsletter September 2019          St. Luke’s Home Continues to Attract Attention of Politicians! Last month we hosted a Meet and Greet with all the Mayoral Candidates for the City of Tucson. Also in attendance was Councilman Paul Durham. On Tuesday, August 12th, Congressman Raul Grijalva and Community Liaison Cassandra Becerra toured St. Luke’s Home with Board President Michael McCrory, CEO Linda Hollis, Administrative Assistant Cass Eastham, and new Development Director Marie Reyna. On his tour, the Congressman met our resident pets, Daisy the desert tortoise and Rio. Daisy tried to follow the Congressman but found it difficult to keep up. Rio was his usual affable self. Congressman Grijalva spent time with our Elders, listened to their concerns, and offered help. He toured our…

  St. Luke's Home August Newsletter       St. Luke's Catering is Open for Business!   We are excited to announce the official launch of St. Luke's Catering which will offer the award-winning creations of Chef Melissa (above left) and her Sous Chef Selina (right) to the broader community!  This social enterprise is launched as a means not only to share St. Luke's delicious food but also to add a new revenue stream to support St. Luke's Elders. What's offered? An array of fresh, seasonal foods made to order and presented with artful beauty. Selections include chicken salad mini-phyllo cups, wraps, homemade cakes made from scratch, fresh tossed salads with arugula, spinach and seasonal vegetables and charcuterie boards including sweet and savory, a special brunch board or a more…

  St. Luke's Home July Newsletter          Summer Means (even more) Youth at St. Luke's! St. Luke's earns its stripes every day as an Eden Model Registry with programs that bring through our doors volunteers who span the generations. Engaging with people of all ages helps remedy the three plagues of aging identified by Eden: loneliness, helplessness and boredom. And this summer, as usual, students of all ages brighten St. Luke's. St. Luke's partners with the University of Arizona MedStart program that completed its fifth year in July. The students played games with the Elders, organized donations to Goodwill, washed the St. Luke's van and hosted a pizza party for the Elders (pictured above). The program serves students who have completed their junior year in school, providing first-hand…

  St. Luke's Home June Newsletter          St. Luke's Commemorates Veterans on Memorial Day   A Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony was held on Monday, May 27th to honor all soldiers who have died in service to our nation and to recognize the nearly 20% of St. Luke's Elders who served in the military George Lopez, American Legion Post 59 Commander, led the Pledge of Allegiance and presided over the flag-raising ceremony. Other special guests were the American Legion Riders who arrived on their motorcycles. The flag, donated to St. Luke's by the Legionnaires, was hoisted to full staff and then slowly lowered to half-staff. St. Luke's CEO Linda Hollis offered words of honor and respect for the fallen. Cass Eastham, a military veteran and Administrative Assistant at St.…

  St. Luke's Home May Newsletter           St. Luke's Collaborates to Expand Regional Elder Housing and Care Options   St. Luke's is working closely with elected officials, city and county housing leaders and other Elder organizations to explore and help drive solutions to the region's scarcity of housing options for low-income Elders. A second Community Forum on Affordable Senior Housing was held on April 16, 2019, at the El Pueblo Center. St. Luke's CEO Linda Hollis, moderated the panel (pictured far right in lower picture) that included Council Member Regina Romero, Council Member Richard Fimbres, Marcos Ysmael, Pima County Housing Program Manager and Keith Gregory, Interim Director City of Tucson Housing Department. The more than 50 attendees included Elders struggling to obtain adequate, affordable living and care…