To “make a difference” in a child’s life is a daunting promise. Children are affected each day by social interactions, family dynamics, and the implications of structural inequities, all which may result in them being set back academically. In fact, literacy rates in early elementary school have proven to be a foreboding indicator of a student’s success down the line in the rest of their academic career, and beyond. Fourth-graders who can’t read at grade-level are four times less likely to graduate from high school. Without a strong reading and fluency foundation, children are being faced with obstacles that challenge them throughout their school experience. And that’s where AARP Foundation Experience Corps volunteers come in.

AARP Foundation Experience Corps (EC) is a national, intergenerational volunteer-based tutoring program that is proven to help children who aren’t reading at grade level become great readers by the end of third grade. The Portland chapter of EC is housed within local nonprofit Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), whose mission is to “help people move beyond the limitations of poverty, inequity and social isolation”– and EC seeks to do just that. Older adult volunteers are placed in a neighborhood school and matched with several students identified by their teachers as struggling readers, working together for several hours each week. In addition to this one on one intensive reading time, volunteers also spend time with the other students in a classroom, all the while building rapport with students, serving as an additional positive adult in the classroom who the kids can look to as a role model. Volunteers get to see their students progress and grow, as readers and as humans, and that relationship aspect of this volunteer commitment is impactful for all. Take Pete Christelman, for example, who is a current Experience Corps volunteer at Sacramento Elementary school. His background as a mortgage originator makes for an interesting contrast between his professional and his volunteer lives. Pete works with students in second through fifth grades, so he gets to spend time with children going through all different stages of their growth and development. While Pete may not have had many experiences working with kids prior to EC, he no doubt is able to connect with them in a unique way. When asked what his favorite part of the program has been thus far, he smiled and said, “I’m not sure who is getting more out of this– the children, or myself. It’s helped me to think more clearly, and it’s caused me to be softer in my dealings with people.” Further, he is finding the power in “being useful” and hopes to impart this important message onto his students to help them become responsible and helpful people: “If you want to be happy, be useful. And you’ll find that it comes back to you, and you feel so much better about yourself.”

If you’re interested in investing in the success of Portland’s students, consider applying to be an Experience Corps mentor. By committing 4-10 hours a week, you can help students get up to their grade’s reading level, setting the foundation for academic promise in the years to come. By serving as a volunteer, you really will be able to make a difference in a kid’s life. Literacy opens so many doors, all of which will only aid students along their path. Contact Maruska at 503-290-9427 for more information

Maruška Lynch
Metropolitan Family Service
maruskal@mfs.email
503-290-9427
https://www.metfamily.org/get-involved/aarp-experience-corps/

By Sam Stites of the Lake Oswego Review

The Lake Oswego Adult Community Center is redefining what it means to be a senior center, and the leader of that effort is LOACC Volunteer Coordinator Nicolette Hume.

At the beginning of 2019 Hume took over the Living Well Talk Series, which brings speakers into the LOACC to talk about a variety of topics related to aging and senior living.

Hume decided to shake things up in an effort to reimagine what services and advice can be offered to adult populations at local senior centers.

“My first thought was, ‘why don’t we focus on things that aren’t your stereotypical senior programming and really dive into hot topics that are not age specific, that are just topics that interest any adult?'” Hume said. “Let’s get age out of it — that’s the biggest thing I tried to do.”

The speaker series strives to present fresh, innovative and enlightening topics to enrich the lives of today’s older adults.

In that effort, Hume scheduled a series of talks that were outside of the realm of things you’d typically associate with a senior wellness talk. One of those was a sex therapist who came in to talk about sexually transmitted diseases, intimacy and finding love in old age. They’ve hosted a talk on marijuana and the healing qualities of CBD. She brought in a hypnotist to talk about the benefits of hypnosis. Another speaker talked about personality traits, the nine-point enneagram test and what those mean for personal development and relationships. One speaker came to talk about retirement as a chance to re-envision yourself and go after a lifelong passion rather than simply ending a career.

“Boomers are not retiring like their parents or grandparents,” Hume said. “They see themselves as thriving, vivacious and still growing. I want to reach out to that demographic because I want them to feel comfortable with who we are as a center and what we offer. We want to destigmatize what an adult center is.”

The LOACC and Hume’s efforts did not go unnoticed. In a recent community survey they received astoundingly positive feedback to the speaker series and topics they’d chosen in an effort to shake things up.

Hume’s Living Well Talk Series was so well received that it gained national acclaim too. Earlier this year her program was awarded the 2018 Programs Excellence Award for “Best Health and Wellness” series by the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC).

Hume will travel to Washington, D.C. with LOACC Manager Ann Adrian and Programs Supervisor Maria Bigelow for the NCOA’s Age + Action conference June 17-20 where the three will represent Lake Oswego in receiving the award, as well as give presentations on how the LOACC is changing the game.

“One of the talks I’m giving at the national conference is ‘Putting the Sexy in Senior Center,’ because it’s kind of taboo in our culture to have the word senior and sexy in the same sentence, and we want to change that,” Hume said. “We’re doing a disservice to the seniors we serve and the agencies we work for and the communities we provide these programs to. I’m trying to get people to expand their thought on what it means to bring programming to this older population.”

The LOACC was one of 15 programs nationwide to be honored with the annual recognition for innovative, creative and replicable programs for older adults. The programs are nominated and winners are picked by a NISC Committee of senior center professionals

“The Lake Oswego Adult Community Center is an important destination for older adults in the City Lake Oswego, and we work hard to keep our programs fun and educational for our members,” Adrian said. “We are honored to receive a NISC Programs of Excellence award, and hope that other senior centers across the country will be able to replicate the ‘Living Well Talk Series’ program to benefit their members.”

Hume has scheduled several intriguing talks for this upcoming season of the Living Well Talk Series, one of which will feature author Cheryl Strayed, of “Wild” fame. Strayed will present her talk, “Owning Our Stories, and Living Our Truths,” Sunday, Sept. 4 from 2-4 p.m. in the auditorium at Lakeridge High School, 1235 Overlook Dr. Tickets are $15 for residents, $20 non-residents.

View Original Article Release.
View Photo.

Nicolette Hume
Lake Oswego Adult Community Center
nhume@ci.oswego.or.us
503-675-6394
https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/acc

Portland, OR –The Springs Living has promoted Lisa Maynard to the position of Chief People Officer (CPO). In this role Maynard will develop human resource strategies focused on recruiting, training, developing and retaining the best employees for the company’s senior living communities located throughout Oregon and Montana.

“Lisa has helped shape The Springs Living into what we are today, especially our focus on where the real magic happens: the interactions between our employees and the seniors we serve,” explained Jay Leo, President of The Springs Living. “Not only does Lisa embody the very best of our employee culture, she has helped prioritize significant investment in our employees, which directly contributes to the quality of our communities.”

Maynard joined The Springs Living in 2002 and has held a number of management positions at The Springs at Clackamas Woods in Milwaukie, OR and at the Home Office in McMinnville, OR. Most recently Maynard was Director of People and Processes, overseeing the implementation of the company’s Shine Training and Development program. This effort focuses significant resources toward employee training, leadership development, and recruitment. She also encouraged a company-wide effort to continually strengthen our internal culture, embrace active employee communication, and expand career growth opportunities.

A graduate of Oregon State University’s Health Administration program, Maynard will earn her masters in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University this fall.

Maynard’s education, proven leadership skills and tremendous experience make her a natural choice for Chief People Officer at The Springs Living. She will be responsible for creating a people-focused team to oversee payroll, benefits, performance management, labor and legal compliance, while also moving forward with the Shine Training and Development program. Her leadership will continue to inspire healthy dynamics within the Team Springs employee culture.

Last month the Great Place to Work Institute honored The Springs Living with certification as a “great place to work.” The certification process considered more than 1,000 employee responses, evaluating more than 60 aspects of work-life. Maynard’s years of human resources leadership and implementation of employee growth programs contributed greatly to the widespread, positive work environment.

“Identifying our first-ever Chief People Officer strengthens our commitment to our employees and builds on our purpose, mission and plan to change the way people experience working in senior living,” said Leo. “Lisa’s leadership as CPO is an investment in our most valued competitive advantage—our employees.”

View Original Release.

About The Springs Living
The Springs Living is a locally owned senior housing company headquartered in McMinnville, Oregon and founded in 1996. With a purpose to change the way people experience senior living, The Springs Living offers independent living, assisted living and memory care within most communities. For more information visit

Media Contact:
Joyce Richter
The Springs Living
(503) 435-2323
jrichter@thespringsliving.com
www.TheSpringsLiving.com