Escapees September-October 2022

care

There’s NOTHING BIGGER Than THE HEART of a VOLUNTEER!

By DOLORES SPENCER #57312, CARE Volunteer

June 2022 volunteers. Left to right: Dolores Spencer #57312, Louis Crispino #169684, Nickie and Gordon Greene #175667.

Located in Livingston, TX, CARE was the special project of Kay Peterson #1, the co founder of Escapees. She envisioned a sup portive home base for Escapees members who had reduced traveling due to their age or disabilities. Current CARE residents live in their own RVs while receiving the sup port services that enable them to continue living independently. T o provide these services at a signi fi cantly lower cost than what is charged by other indepen dent-living facilities, CARE needs volunteers to assist staff by answering phones, driving residents to appointments, checking residents in at mealtime, sorting mail, cleaning tables after meals and an assortment of “honey do” requests. In exchange for their services, volunteers receive a free site, three meals a day, laundry and, during the hot Texas summers, they are compensated $100 a month for electricity. Beginning in October 2022, volunteers will also receive $50 per month (October–May) compen sation for electricity. Typically, volunteers commit to one month of service, although, some stay longer, and many return year after year. After experiencing the community at CARE, many volunteers have returned as residents (George Reznicek, Glenda Alexander, Ron Green, Carl and Marge Perry, Roy and Mary Deen, Melvin and JoAnn Staples, Bill and Maryann Campbell, Harold and Linda Bellow and Bob and Jan Graham.) One current volunteer, Dolores Spencer, did this in reverse. She and her husband, C.O.

Volunteers Jan and Bob Graham #171806.

Escapees CARE Needs Volunteers and Donations! Volunteers receive a free site, three meals per day, free WiFi in our center and more. Volunteers give 28/36 hours per week for four weeks, driving residents and taking phone calls. Donations (via www.paypal.com/giving fund, www.iGive.com, www.escapees.com/store, or through a bequest in your will) all help support Escapees CARE. For further details, call 936 327-4256, e-mail carefd@escapees.com, 155 Care Center Dr, Livingston, TX 77351 or visit www.escapeescare.org | Some of the newest residents, Bob and Jan Graham, also initially came to CARE as volunteers and decided almost immediately that they wanted to live here. Jan re fl ects that they had a sign nearly 34 years ago while on their honeymoon that they were destined to live at CARE. While driving in Washington state, they saw a rainbow that ended in the road up ahead. As they drove toward it, the rainbow didn’t move and, eventually, they drove through the rainbow. Stopping to look back, the rainbow still had not moved. Today, they re fl ect that it was destiny that brought them to CARE, located at Rainbow’s End. Come join the CARE community as a volunteer. You will be greatly appreciated, meet new friends and experience new adventures. Shaw, were residents fi rst and, after experiencing and deeply appreciating the CARE community’s support provided her while being a caregiver for her husband, Dolores became a volunteer after C.O.’s passing.

25

September/October 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine