Nancy Dodds, Treasurer, Kare Bears
We at Kare Bears are so thankful at the overwhelming response to our donation campaign that was started in March of this year. The generosity of over 1,000 residents to date has been heartwarming.
Donations are what keep Kare Bears going. We managed to stay afloat with expenses offset by donations to us on a fairly even keel up through 2018. Our last donation campaign was in late 2017.
We experienced significant financial losses during the COVID-19 years in 2019 and 2020. The annual luncheon honoring Friends of Kare Bears, Kare Bears Exceptional Service Award, and our Founder’s Community Service Award, plus our raffle featuring local businesses who donated coupons for their products and events, could not be held during those years. We came back strong in 2022 with renewed energy to help Kare Bears continue to provide services to our residents. Our bottom line improved.
For those of you who are not familiar with the expenses we must pay, here are some of the things we are responsible for on a regular basis.
Occupancy: Monthly utility bills—electricity, telephone and internet service, water, and gas; copier lease; repairs and maintenance; and household supplies.
Operating expenses: Office supplies and equipment, computer equipment and software, insurance for all the things in the building, and postage and stationery supplies for sending thank you notes to our residents for donations. We pay for landscapers to maintain the external grounds of the Kare Bear house. We pay to have the air conditioner and water tanks maintained. We pay for housekeeping and for window cleaning on a regular basis.
Services: Transportation expenses used to pay our drivers who donate their time to transport residents to and from doctor appointments, physical therapy, and outpatient surgery appointments. We help Share Bears with the weekly bingo for prizes. We keep greeting cards available and coordinator gifts for residents who may be ill, as well as sympathy platters for residents who have lost a loved one.
We have some funds in reserve for the future for when Robson turns over PebbleCreek to the HOA. Our annual report is posted at the Kare Bears House. We have our website Karebears.org, and we have a Facebook presence, as well. We are so thankful for Robson to allow us to use the house at 15383 W. Cheery Lynn Road so we can provide our services to the PebbleCreekers. You are welcome to visit us during our summer hours Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. We will expand our hours until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning in September. We are here to provide our services to you.
Thank you all so much!