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Caring Hands Newsletter - First Quarter 2006
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2006:
4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter
7th Annual Appreciation Dinner
On February 23, Caring Hands celebrated seven years of providing "matches" between community volunteers and area seniors who need a helping hand. The milestone was marked with a festive appreciation dinner at John Muir Medical Center.
Groups of volunteers who served 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 hours were acknowledged at the event. Mimi Broderick, an office volunteer who has personally contributed more than 1200 hours, was given top honors for her tremendous dedication.
A caregiver and her care receiver, Alexandria Lacayo of Bay Point, and Lula Miller of Pittsburg, shared with the group how Caring Hands has enriched their lives. 
Alexandria, 20 years old, shared how she and Lula spend their time baking dumplings and watching movies. "We have so much in common," she said. "I definitely get more than I give." Lula agreed saying, "I love Alex. She is the most caring person I know...I can't wait until she returns." The pair shares a deep friendship that has been a dividend of their Caring Hands relationship.
A Caregiver's Reflections
By Myra and Molly AdamsIn December of 2004, while attending my weekly women's Bible study I learned about the Caring Hands program from its Program Manager. She spoke about the matching process along with the great need for people to be a part of the lives of the elderly.
A real excitement overcame me as I sat in my chair contemplating becoming involved in the life of someone who could benefit from a friendly face once a week. Two friendly faces actually because my 4 year old daughter is home with me each day. I have always felt very comfortable with the elderly and felt that God had given me this gift. That in itself made me decide to become a volunteer. In March 2004, I was matched with Pat.
Pat is a lovely, kind, Godly woman - every Wednesday we spend a few hours together. She has traveled to many other countries while her husband served in the military. I love to talk with her about our country's history and hear of stories from the WW II era. We usually make time for meaningful conversation during lunch or coffee about family, God and life. In getting to know Pat, I have really grown to respect her and feel she has truly become a part of my own family. We were blessed to enjoy Thanksgiving together at my home with 20 other family members and fellowship on Christmas Eve. My children, Austin and Molly, love to see Mrs. Kimes and play with a special set of dominos and other toys she has set aside for them when they visit with me. Molly accompanies me most weeks and always seems excited to visit with Mrs. Kimes.
It is my feeling that since Pat and I have gotten to know one another, we have developed a close friendship. I enjoy asking her advice and just talking as she has Godly wisdom and great life experience. We share our thoughts about God, the Bible and Christian values as these are important aspects to each of us. I look forward to Wednesdays and trust that God has great things in store for our friendship. This is a friendship I will always treasure.
I am thankful that through Caring Hands, God has given me a friend!
Special Thanks to Our Generous Donors
As a community-based program, Caring Hands relies on the financial support of our neighbors. We recognized those donors who contributed more than $1,000 in 2005 at our Appreciation Dinner. Those who were able to attend included:
Front Row: Barbara McNair, CCC Area Agency on Aging; Scott Danielson, CCC Area Agency on Aging; Dan Stanton, Security Pacific Real Estate; Larry (and wife, Barbara, not pictured) and Hannah Schuh
Back Row: Greg Tantum, KGO Radio; Dolores Van Doren, Saint Matthew Lutheran Church; Mayor Kathy Hicks, City of Walnut Creek
Caring Hands Volunteer Caregivers Program
Celebrates 2005 Milestones
A letter from Program Manager, Carol Louisell... I have had the pleasure of being part of Caring Hands nearly four years. Each year it is so rewarding to see how our program has grown, and this past year was no exception.
In 2005, Caring Hands trained more than 100 volunteer caregivers, and for the first time served more than 300 seniors. We also had a record breaking year for volunteer service hours (18,801) and raised more than we ever have through our fundraising efforts.
These achievements could not be possible without you - our volunteer caregivers, our volunteers who serve in leadership roles, and our donors who give so generously. Looking towards the future, Caring Hands is in a strong position to continue to expand our services to those seniors most in need. Our Congregational Coordinators are organized and sharing our message with their communities. We have increased our social work hours to support our existing care receivers even better, and we created a new "Hispanic Outreach Coordinator" position to help bring our services to an even wider audience.
These are just a few of the goals we achieved in 2005. Our program is blessed to have so many motivated, community minded people involved, including our dedicated Caring Hands staff. Thank you for a wonderful year!
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