Calendar of events
August 4: Diabetes six-week workshop – Milan Room
August 18: Abrazo Tour and Lunch
September 13: Blood Drive – Palm Room
September 15: Abrazo Tour and Lunch
September 21: Kare Bears Monthly Presentation
September 29 Pathways Tour and Lunch
October 7: Hearing Tests – Tuscany Falls, Milan Room
October 11, 18, 20, 29: Flu and Pneumonia Shots – Tuscany Falls Ballroom 3
October 19: Monthly Presentation
October 21: AED/CPR class – Tuscany Falls Ballroom 1
Abrazo West Hospital tours
Kare Bears has scheduled a tour and lunch of Abrazo West Hospital, formerly West Valley Hospital, on Thursday, August 18. A maximum of 16 people can sign up.
If the August 18 date is filled you may sign up for the Thursday, September 15 tour and lunch. Stan Holm, the CEO, will be joining us for lunch.
We know you’ll enjoy this tour and appreciate all the much needed information. The hospital has undergone tremendous new construction which we feel everyone will be pleased to see.
This is the nearest hospital to PebbleCreek offering a Level 1 Trauma Center, accredited Chest Pain Center, Cardiac Arrest Center, joint commission certified Primary Stroke Center and board certified physicians.
Abrazo Hospital has the Robotic Surgical Services using the de Vinci Surgical Platform, Outpatient Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. They do offer free wellness events on Living with Knee or Hip Pain.
Abrazo Hospital is located at 13677 W. McDowell Road. We will meet at the hospital’s main entrance for the tour just before 10:00 a.m.!
Please call the Kare Bear House at 623-536-1200 to make a reservation. Your name must be on the list to attend the tour.
Nominations for Founder’s Award being accepted
Kare Bears is accepting nominations for their Founder’s Award at this time. Please read the information below for details on nominating a fellow PebbleCreek resident. The deadline is September 15, 2016.
Kare Bears established the Founder’s Award in 2001 to honor Rayma Scalzo, founder of Kare Bears. Each year this award is presented to a PebbleCreek resident who has demonstrated, as a volunteer, distinctive leadership and service qualities in any PebbleCreek organization(s) and in the surrounding community. Candidates do not have to be a Kare Bear volunteer to receive this prestigious award.
The 2016 Kare Bears Award Committee is asking clubs, organizations and individual residents to nominate deserving people who have given their time, talent and energy to the betterment of PebbleCreek and our surrounding community. This is a great opportunity to honor a volunteer and let our community say thank you to an outstanding resident.
The qualifications for nominees for this award are as follows:
1. The person nominated must be a resident of PebbleCreek.
2. The person nominated must have performed volunteer services that have benefited the residents of PebbleCreek during the current year, with additional consideration given for past years of volunteer service.
3. The award may not be presented to the same person more than once.
Procedures for nomination are the following:
1. Submission of nominations must be in writing or via e-mail. Nomination forms are available at both Eagle’s Nest and Tuscany Falls front desks, the Activities Office and at the Kare Bear House, 15383 Cheery Lynn Road.
2. Provide as much detail as possible about the nominee including type of service, nature of service, amount of time spent and other information that will give a clear picture of the contributions made by the nominee.
3. Include the name of the club, organization or person(s) submitting the nomination.
4. Send your submission by September 15, 2016 to Thelma Lindhorn, Attention Founder’s Award Committee, 14989 W. Catalina Drive, Goodyear, Arizona 85395; or email to tntlindhorn @cox.net.
We hope you will join us at the November 9, 2016 luncheon when the 2016 Founder’s Award will be presented.
Pathways tour – September 29
Kare Bears is pleased to be offering an assisted living tour and lunch at Pathways on Thursday, September 29 at 11:30 a.m.
Pathways is an Assisted Living and Memory Care Neighborhood located at 4211 N. PebbleCreek Parkway on the northeast corner of Indian School and PebbleCreek Parkway.
We’ll be meeting at 11:30 a.m. at the facility.
If are interested, you may sign up at the Kare Bear House or call the House to make a reservation at 623-536-1200.
Volunteers needed
The Kare Bears Board is reviewing our current services and is considering offering more for everyone. In addition, we also have begun a process to strategically plan for the future!
PebbleCreek has grown from 300 residents in 1995 (when Kare Bears started) to over 7,500 residents in 2016. As a 501 c (3) corporation, we rely on volunteers. We are searching for residents who wish to volunteer their expertise to help us grow. Volunteering is probably the most rewarding thing you can do. In this case, you not only get to feel good about your accomplishments, you might also help yourself meet your personal needs in the future. It is a win-win situation!
Many of you have had wonderful professional lives and have multiple skill sets which you could contribute to this wonderful organization.
Some of the volunteer positions we are looking for are as follows:
Unit Coordinators
A coordinator acts as the liaison between a neighbor in need of assistance and the services offered by Kare Bears. He or she makes a visit, lends a kare-ing ear, sends a get well card, discusses the availability of medical equipment, explains our free transportation for medical, dental and rehab appointment and provides an extensive list of resources. Coordinators also make visits to new neighbors and deliver welcome packets. The estimated time commitment is two to four hours per month.
Office Volunteer Staff
An office volunteer works in the Kare Bears House. They answer phone calls, greet visitors, loan medical equipment, schedule trips and drivers and other various services. The estimated time commitment is a three hour shift per month (or more if you wish). Training is provided.
Drivers
A driver’s responsibility is to drive PebbleCreek residents to medical or therapy appointments. Our drivers use their own vehicles. Kare Bears reimburses drivers their gasoline costs on a per mile basis. The estimated time commitment is two to four hours a month (or more if you wish).
We are also considering an oversight committee composed of people who have strategic planning experience, such as a lawyer, public relation person and a marketing/sales person.
Many people in our community do not know what Kare Bears is and how they can benefit from some of the services. Our services are not just for the elderly or sick residents.
We welcome ideas on how we can improve the services we currently offer and suggestions on other services you would like to see us offer in the future.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of these positions, or feel you can help with taking Kare Bears into the future, please call the Kare Bears House at 536-1200.
Volunteer applications are available at the Kare Bears House.
We need you!
6 week diabetes course
Kare Bears is pleased to present a six-week diabetes workshop starting on Thursday, August 4 through Thursday, September 8 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Milan Room at Tuscany Falls.
This program is being presented by Abrazo Medical Center.
The Director of Nursing Education, Christine Queval-Chung, will be the presenter.
Each class will address a different topic about diabetes. This class is sponsored by Medicare so proof of insurance is required; this is a free class!
Sign-up sheets are located in the Kare Bears folder at the Community Information Mailbox across from the Eagle’s Nest Pro Shop.
There is a maximum of 24 attendees. Another class may be offered again in October.
If you have any questions please contact Christine Queval-Chung at Abrazo at [email protected] or at 623-882-1825.
Mark your calendars! Fall luncheon set for Nov. 9
Kare Bears is pleased to announce the date for the annual Fall Luncheon. The luncheon will be on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, starting at 10:30 a.m. with lunch being served at 11:30 a.m.
Additional details about luncheon choices and ticket sales dates will be in the September PebbleCreek Post.
The luncheon will be highlighted by a presentation of the prestigious Founder’s Award honoring an outstanding PebbleCreek volunteer. Also the Exceptional Service Awards and the Friends of Kare Bears awards will be presented.
If you have additional questions, please call the Kare Bears House at 536-1200.