Escapees March/April 2016

Give YOURSELF The Gift of

• to rest • to recover • to recuperate Continuing Assistance for Retired Escapees When you come, you’ll get to see the newly painted dining room and hallway in the Escapees CARE Center, as well as new À oor coverings in the dining room made possible by a bequest. You can also shop in the new Thrift ’n Gift open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Its grand opening was in December 2015 and is the result of a proposal brought to the board by the residents. This was made possible by a bequest from Marion and Art Bourke, former CARE residents. The two main reasons for this shop are to provide meaning- ful, ongoing activities for CARE residents and to provide monthly funds for the facility. It will be operated primarily by CARE residents, but other Escapees members who live at Rainbow’s End are wecome to volunteer. It’s also a community outreach. CARE has converted four volunteer sites into resident sites to accommodate our growing waiting list. Due to ef- ¿ ciencies, we have reduced the need for volunteers to four teams with each team enjoying two days off each week. We also have an agreement to rent sites in the park if we need to accommodate an Escapee in need of a temporary visit for knee or hip operations. Russ Johnson #96114 Escapees CARE Director “CARE is people who love each other and look out for one another.”

CARE Fair 2014. Photo by Anita Hickman #41291.

CARE needs Volunteers! Volunteers receive a free site and three meals/day for one month in exchange for 24/32 hours/week (a $760 value). For summer months (June— September), electric costs are reduced by $100. Please call 936-327-4256 for more information. You will enjoy volunteering at Escapees CARE! The new CHI St. Luke’s Health Clinic is thriving. CHI personnel were impressed with our health fair in 2014. Dis- cussions ensued and the clinic opened in September inside Pearl’s Place on our campus. It is open two days each week (Monday and Wednesday) for all Escapees, travelers, lot owners and CARE residents. Appointments are suggest- ed, but walk-ins are welcome, so stop by when you are in Livingston, Texas. Escapees CARE—A Magical Place Escapees CARE is people who love each other and look out for one another. If someone needs a hospital or nursing home, they are not forgotten. Our nurse, staff and residents visit them. If a resident’s spouse passes away, other resi- dents are right there to help. CARE resident George Bowden went to the cardiologist recently and was told he had leaky heart valves. The doctor asked him if he exercised. George said, “Yes, I walk 2.7 miles around the park three times a week.” The doctor said, “How do you do it!” Someone with leaky valves is not sup- posed to be able to do that type of activity! That represents the “can-do” spirit of CARE residents. Our annual health fair is a tradition from the ¿ rst year that CARE opened. Its purpose is to provide low-cost health screenings to Escapees (like a blood draw with full lab results for less than $90). It is always held in the last full week in March to accommodate the snowbirds heading north. We also have seminars on important health issues. The health fair is a major fundraiser to help pay for neces- sary equipment. Last year’s fair raised enough funds for a much-needed transit van with a wheelchair lift. This year our health fair starts March 20 with a soup-fest social, and it ends March 25. Please visit www.escapeescare.org for more details, or call 936-327-4256.

Escapees CARE Needs You! You may provide your support through PayPal Giving Fund, www.iGive.com, www.escapees.com/store/CARE, or a bequest to CARE in your will. You can set up automatic do- nations, starting at $10 per month, directly from your bank account or credit card by calling us at 936-327-4256. WWW.ESCAPEESCARE.ORG

68 . ESCAPEES | March/April 2016 | www.escapees.com