Spring 2015
jtm-esc.org
Circle of Friends: Celebrating 50 Years of Community
This year, Episcopal Senior Communities celebrates a milestone golden anniversary: 50 years of serving seniors with a continuum of residential
and innovative aging services. ESC Foundation’s Circle of Friends campaign recognizes and builds on the generosity that has made possible our
exceptional communities and outreach services to seniors. This enduring spirit of generosity and community ensures another extraordinary 50 years.
As we begin to celebrate our 50 th Anniversary,
generosity has made a difference in the lives of seniors
– but you know that goes both ways. Every month that
my Charitable Gift Annuity payment comes in from
the ESC Foundation, it enables me to live here. I am
so grateful for that.
I know how happy my mother was
at Canterbury Woods. Since I don’t have
family nearby now, it’s important for me to
have everything taken care of and to have a
community around me. I’m leaving a gift in
my will to Canterbury Woods – to continue
the Circle of Friends.
And my legacy is that it goes to other people
when I pass and I won’t even miss it. I’m
glad that I will be able to help other people
as others before have helped
me to enjoy living here
as well.
— Jean Stallings, Canterbury
Woods Resident
— Marie Whitney,
Spring Lake Village
Resident
It’s the spirit of this
community. Those who
have been fortunate to
have had wonderful
lives want to share their
good fortune and do
something for others.
— Harry Bartels, San Francisco
Towers Resident
We know
people who
have outlived
their resources
and supporting the
Circle of Friends is a way
to help them out...Once you
are in the community, ESC
takes care of you for the rest of
your life. We are so grateful and
we wanted to make sure that we
are part of that generosity of spirit.
I am grateful
for the peace of mind
living in an ESC residence
provides me and my family. I am glad
to help other residents through the
ESC Foundation Circle of Friends
Assistance Fund.
— Nancy Sweetland, St. Paul’s Towers Resident
— Ted & Adrienne Savetnick,
San Francisco Towers Residents
Photos from the top, clockwise: Harry Bartels, San Francisco Towers; Elaine Betts, Spring Lake Village, and Kevin Gerber, ESC President & CEO; Marie Whitney and Diane
Druehl, Spring Lake Village; Frank Helmonds and Doris Rothschild, Los Gatos Meadows; Judith Creek and James Lyons, Webster House; Ellie Clarkson, Canterbury
Woods; Margaret Handelman and Peter Dunckel, San Francisco Towers; Dorothy Lind, Renee Pasternak and Eric Hubert, St. Paul’s Towers; Teru Chang, San Francisco Towers;
Dorothy Anderson, Spring Lake Village.
continued on page 2
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ESC’s Circle of Friends
(continued from page 1)
There are some people who run out of
money and all of a sudden the cookie
jar is empty. We wanted to help make
sure those life-care residents who find
themselves in such a situation know
they can stay at Spring Lake Village for
the remainder of their lives. We want
everyone to know that if you run into
dire circumstances, you’re going to be
okay. That’s the thrust of our giving to
the Circle of Friends Assistance Fund
— it’s assisting others who run out of
gas financially.
The Circle of Friends —
Community & Security
The Circle of Friends illustrates the
primary difference between a for-profit
and a nonprofit retirement community as
well as the benefits gained by residents
and the greater community.
As a public benefit, nonprofit organization,
Episcopal Senior Communities (ESC)
provides services to seniors as its primary
imperative and mission. Surplus funds
remaining after expenses are invested back
into the organization to ensure continuous
support for seniors and to develop and
expand services to seniors in our CCRCs,
affordable senior housing communities, and
home and community-based services.
– Van & Carolyn Moller, Spring Lake
Village Residents
In contrast, the goal of a for-profit is to
make a profit to pay shareholders.
Photos from the top: John Bippart, Spring Lake Village; Hella & Melvin Cheitlin, San Francisco Towers; Jerry & Norma
Sonosky, Spring Lake Village; Phyllis Holtz, Setsuko Price and Jean Stallings, Canterbury Woods; Ruby Mason,
Webster House, with Dee Ann Campbell, ESC Sr. Vice President, and Marilyn Maffly, Webster House.
As the supporting fundraising organization
to ESC, the ESC Foundation reflects the
generosity and compassion embodied
in a nonprofit focused on mission. Your
philanthropic donations to the ESC
Foundation help ESC to sustain its mission
of providing services and improvements
to ESC’s communities as well as care and
support for seniors.
A Circle of Friends Who Care – Senior Center
Without Walls
She gave me the phone number, and I called and asked for
information, which I received the next day. After making my
selections I began calling in on programs the next Monday
and have been calling ever since. When I learned that the
program was searching for a Bible Study facilitator, I knew
then what God had put together for me.
Senior Center Without Walls, an Episcopal Senior Communities
program, makes a difference every day in the lives of sociallyisolated seniors. The program recently received this moving
letter from one of the participants:
Needless to say, my life has changed for the good. I am
excited about life again and look forward to every day,
especially Mondays when I facilitate Bible Study. Senior
Center Without Walls has saved my life psychologically and
artistically, as I am getting back to my artwork in beading
and maybe even wood carving.
February 2, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
What Senior Center Without Walls Means To Me.
Thank you God and Senior Center Without Walls for such
a wonderful program. You are the gold in my “golden years.”
Depression was at the center of my life and had been for
a long time. My faith in God and knowing He would be very
unhappy with me if I committed suicide kept me going on
with 24/7 chronic pain and being bedridden. I couldn’t do the
things I loved. I had been praying to God to do something
about my situation and to give me something to do for Him.
Janine A. Ford
If you would like information about supporting Episcopal Senior
Communities’ programs, please contact Katharine Miller, Senior
Director of Giving, at kmiller @ jtm-esc.org or 925.956.7414.
That’s when Susan at Helpline, a telephone reassurance
program in Grass Valley, California, called me on a Tuesday
afternoon. She told me about Senior Center Without Walls.
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Donor Profile: Eva Bunce, Longtime
Member of ESC’s Circle of Friends
Eva Bunce, who has lived at St. Paul’s Towers for over 17 years,
supports her community with a Charitable Gift Annuity.
When she retired, Eva Bunce decided it was
time to move closer to her family in the Bay
Area. She chose to live at St. Paul’s Towers
near Lake Merritt in Oakland because the
community satisfied two important needs: a
home where she could live the rest of her life
and a community that would provide her with
a lifetime of care, so she would be surrounded
by the people she knew and cared about.
For over 17 years, Eva has truly enjoyed
her home at St. Paul’s Towers. Living in the
community has allowed her to plan her life,
ensuring that her family can enjoy her company
with the knowledge that she is receiving
excellent support and care when needed.
produce the newsletter, “Tower Talk,” and has
since become the publication’s editor.
“Communities like St. Paul’s Towers exist in
large part because of the generosity of a Circle
of Friends who came before me,” says Eva. She
continued the tradition by creating a Charitable
Gift Annuity benefitting her community.
Come by St. Paul’s Towers on a typical day and
you might catch Eva at work knitting a sweater,
which she’s likely to give as a gift, or creating
beadwork jewelry, which she showcases at
events such as the St. Paul’s Towers yearly
crafts fair and the ESC Foundation’s annual
Celtic Cup silent auction. “It’s fun seeing people
here wear the jewelry I created,” she exclaims.
“A lot of people have given generously
to St. Paul’s Towers and as a result I’m
enjoying that,” she adds. “There is a need
for a constant influx of contributions to the
community to support programs and people
who need support. Besides, a Charitable
Gift Annuity is also a good investment.”
Eva’s passion for her community is also evident
in the work she’s done with the Resident Council.
She’s been an active member serving several
times, often taking on the role of Treasurer.
When she first moved to St. Paul’s Towers,
she put her administrative skills to work creating
the in-house resident directory and helping
Recently, Eva decided to create a second
Charitable Gift Annuity in honor of ESC’s 50th
Anniversary Circle of Friends campaign. “I’m
amazed that this organization has been around
for 50 years and that I can enjoy it — I feel
like I’m part of the continuity,” says Eva. “Pretty
amazing when I think about how many people
before me have given generously to this
community. I am a beneficiary of that vision and
my kids are in awe of how well I am being taken
care of and they appreciate not having to worry
about their mother.”
Donor Profile: Mike & Pat Lusse,
San Francisco Towers’ Circle of Friends
When Mike and Pat Lusse moved into San
Francisco Towers four years ago, they brought
with them a generosity of spirit and a love of
community. The Lusses chose to live at the
Towers because it was a home where they
could age in place and get to know intelligent
and gracious new people. The Towers also
provided them an opportunity to volunteer their
time in service to their chosen community and
Episcopal Senior Communities (ESC).
Pat, a San Francisco native, spent many years
meeting new and interesting people and
“keeping it all together” as an administrative
and executive assistant in a variety of fields
including insurance, mergers and acquisitions,
and hospitals. Mike, who originally hails from
Germany, immigrated to the United States in 1957
and spent his career working in freight ocean
transportation. The couple lived together on
Telegraph Hill in San Francisco for over 30 years.
In the four years they’ve lived at the Towers,
Pat and Mike have not only made many new
close friends they’ve also both taken on
important leadership roles in the community.
Mike is Secretary of the Resident Council
and Pat is both on the House Committee
and Chair of the Health Committee.
As a long-time volunteer with the Episcopal
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Pat has a deep
understanding about helping the less fortunate.
Recently, she was also appointed to the ESC
Foundation Board of Directors. “I’m excited to
expand my interest in volunteering and to help
others in another very important way.”
In addition to being generous with their time,
Pat and Mike are also donors to the ESC
Foundation. After making the important decision
to call San Francisco Towers their new home,
the Lusses faced a challenge common to
many new residents. The condo in which they
had lived for many years had appreciated
significantly and they were now subject to
capital gains taxes. “A representative from
the ESC Foundation spoke with us about our
Thank you to ESC Foundation’s
generous volunteer Board of Directors!
We welcome inquiries from Community residents
who would like to be considered for membership
on the ESC Foundation Board. If you are interested,
please feel free to contact Karen Huff at
925.956.7448 or khuff @ jtm-esc.org.
Photos: Gordon Case (Chair), Sally Coates, Rob Gieselman, Margaret
Handelman, Patricia Lusse, Diane Schoenrock and Joanne Sheehy.
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Mike and Pat Lusse are an integral part
of the San Francisco Towers community.
options,” says Mike. “He suggested a Charitable
Remainder Trust – we had heard of the concept
before and it wasn’t a big sell.” Pat adds, “This
was a great way to join the Circle of Friends at
the ESC Foundation. We had a strong desire to
donate to charity and we benefit as well from
the annual income the trust provides for us.”
For information on how a Charitable Remainder
Trust or a Charitable Gift Annuity can offset
taxes and create fixed income for your lifetime,
contact Katharine Miller, Senior Director of
Giving, at kmiller@ jtm-esc.org or 925.956.7414
Spring 2015
2185 N. California Blvd., Suite 575
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
In this Issue:
Celebrate
50 Years With Us!
Circle of Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Circle of Friends Who Care – SCWW . . . . . 2
Join us in celebrating your local community anniversary and
Episcopal Senior Communities’ 50th anniversary! More details
coming soon to your local community.
The Circle of Friends – Community & Security . . 2
Donor Profile: Eva Bunce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Donor Profile: Mike & Pat Lusse . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Thank You ESCF Board of Directors . . . . . . . . 3
Celebrate 50 Years with Us! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4th Annual Celtic Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Welcome to the New Executive Directors . . . . . 4
Presidio Gate Apts
April 14, 2015
Oak Center Towers
July 17, 2015
Webster House
September 23, 2015
Spring Lake Village
April 17, 2015
Jennings Court
July 22, 2015
St. Paul’s Towers
November 5, 2015
Canterbury Woods
May 8, 2015
Senior Resources
throughout August
2015
San Francisco Towers
November 6, 2015
Los Gatos Meadows
June 16, 2015
ESCF: The Circle of Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Canterbury Woods: A Community of Distinction 4
Look for your invitation,
Lytton Gardens
coming soon!
September 23, 2015
Canterbury Woods:
A Community of
Distinction
Title Sponsor
Join us for ESC Foundation’s fourth annual
Celtic Cup Golf Tournament and Fashion Show
Luncheon, featuring Nina McLemore’s spring
line. Monday, June 8th, 2015 at the Moraga
Country Club. We’ll celebrate ESC’s 50
years of providing programs and life-changing
services to isolated and low-income seniors in
our Affordable Senior Housing Communities
and through our Senior Resources programs.
Register online: jtm-esc.org/escf/celtic-cup
or call Dafna Kapshud at 925.956.7393
Canterbury Woods, ESC’s first CCRC,
is a truly exceptional community. This
longstanding service to seniors was
officially recognized in March by the
Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce.
At its 94th Annual Membership Luncheon,
the Chamber presented Canterbury
Woods with an Award of Excellence.
Congratulations to Executive Director
Norma Brambilla, staff members and
all our friends at Canterbury Woods!
Providing Life-Changing
Support for Seniors
Welcome to the New Executive Directors
ESC would like to extend a warm welcome to Mary Linde, new Executive Director at
St. Paul’s Towers. We also congratulate Christopher Ichien, who continues his long
career at ESC as the new Executive Director of Los Gatos Meadows.
ESC Foundation: The Circle of Friends
We welcome your support in continuing ESC’s tradition of generosity for the next 50
years. ESCF is a nonprofit, non-denominational charitable foundation. For information visit
www.jtm-esc.org/escf or contact Katharine Miller, ESCF Senior Director, at 925.956.7414
or kmiller @ jtm-esc.org.
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Canterbury Woods Executive Director Norma
Brambilla displays the Award of Excellence.