Don’s journey to Villa Gardens is marked by a deep connection to the city. After living in Pasadena and the surrounding area for over 45 years, Don moved to a retirement community in Orange County. However, following the passing of his wife, he felt a strong pull to return to Pasadena, a place he considers home, and settled at Villa
Gardens.

Don’s generosity extends beyond Villa Gardens. He also supports various other organizations, including the Old Mill Foundation, Huntington Library, Colonial Williamsburg and The Smithsonian. His diverse philanthropic interests reflect a commitment to enriching the cultural and historical fabric of his community.

At Villa Gardens, Don’s donations are driven by a passion for enhancing culture and life enrichment. “I like to bring additional programming to Villa Gardens, particularly more music programs,” he said, envisioning a community enriched by the arts.

Don’s story is a testament to the power of community and the impact one individual can have. His three years at Villa Gardens have been marked by a desire to give back to a community that resonates deeply with him, a sentiment that inspires many. His contributions to the Front Porch Communities Foundation and other charitable organizations demonstrate a deep commitment to enhancing the quality of life for those around him, making Don a true pillar of his community.

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Several years ago, the community opened Summer House, a memory care neighborhood serving residents with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and began offering Truly Yours, a program that brings personal assisted living services directly to residents in their homes at Vista. The community also recently enhanced resident amenities, including a new resident lounge, refurbished and expanded dining room and an outdoor patio.

In 2022, the Foundation partnered with Vista to pilot video touch-screens that tell resident and community stories, provide information about the campus, and showcase the community’s compassion through charitable gifts to the Foundation.

Vista del Monte residents have a zest for life that matches the vitality of the entire Santa Barbara area. Some residents explore their creative sides, in groups like the Vista Voices Choral Group and the Vista del Monte Players theatre company. Others stretch their minds with lifelong learning classes taught by outside experts as well as by residents.

Vista del Monte has always been a generous community. Through gifts from residents, the community has been able to make numerous enhancements to its campus, including the opening of Summer House. Joanne Freeman, the chair of the VDM Philanthropy Committee, made a gift through her Donor Advised Fund (DAF) to support that project, and also regularly donates to the Employee Scholarship Fund. “When I was a child, my family had a practice of giving back to others,” Joanne said. “I’ve kept this practice throughout my adult life and love giving to programs that serve people in my local community.”

Joanne’s friend and neighbor Jeanne Giacobine chairs the Scholarship Committee, a role she took on because “it’s a cause that means a lot to me.” But Jeanne’s charitable giving did not stop there. She has also donated to the Foundation’s Resident Assistance Fund for her community, to assist those neighbors who, by no fault of their own, have outlived their resources. “I look at residents who have been here for a long time and think how scary it must be if they ran out of money,” Jeanne said. “The Foundation elevates Front Porch and this community from just being a business to something bigger and greater. I’m happy to be part of that greater good.”

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After they settled into Vista in 2019, Roxana became president of the Resident Association and currently serves as its past president. She was also a member of Vista’s Philanthropy Committee, which helps guide how donations to Vista del Monte through the Front Porch Communities Foundation will be used.

The couple recently made a generous gift to the Foundation from Fred’s individual retirement account. The gift was made as a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), one of the savviest ways for those over 70½ to use their IRAs to maximize their charitable impact and realize tax savings. Fred, a retired university professor, and Roxana,
a retired librarian, have a particular affinity for the Foundation’s scholarship funds, which awards cash
grants to qualified Vista employees and also to their children. Scholarships benefit those who attend traditional two- and four-year colleges and those attending trade schools, pursuing certificate programs (like nursing programs), continuing education or GED studies.

“We donate to the Foundation because Vista is our home, and it’s our way of supporting an organization that we admire,” Fred said. “The staff here takes good care of us so we want to be generous to them in return,” Roxana added.

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Rita LaForce, 81, was lonely before being matched with her friend, Austen Creger.

“Although I have good friends, I don’t have many,” said Rita, a San Francisco resident. “I was feeling really shut in.”

Rita and Austen have spoken weekly for the last three years, and the conversations have improved their quality of life.

“I can’t tell you what Austen has done for me,” Rita said. “She encourages my creativity. I read my poems to her, share my projects. I am much more outgoing. Austen has made me want to make a real contribution to the world.”

Austen feels the same way.

“It’s so inspiring to talk to Rita,” said Austen. “She never ceases to amaze me. We talk about her past, present, and future, and it’s incredible to see the world through someone else’s perspective.”

Rita and Austen are two of 450 people in Northern California, and more than 1,100 nationwide, who participate in Social Call. Front Porch Community Services staff matched participants with a high level of detail, including shared interests, values, and needs. The matches are diverse, with 70% being intergenerational and 30% peer-to-peer.

“The beauty of the relationship is that both people in the match are offered the chance to feel seen and heard,” said Katie Wade, the senior director who oversees Social Call. “It builds lifelong friendships and increases vitality.”

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Canterbury Woods, a Front Porch community nestled in Pacific Grove near Monterey, CA, has a rich history steeped in the spirit of compassion that is a hallmark of Front Porch. The land was gifted to the Episcopal Church in the late 1800s by Margaret Tennant to honor her brother John, and the John Tennant Memorial home for the elderly was built. In the first half of the 20th century, the buildings and land were used as a girls school and then as a clergy holiday home, with the basement reportedly serving a role during Prohibition as a waystation for “rum-runners” plying their trade along the coast.

In 1965, a newly-formed nonprofit purchased the land from the church and Canterbury Woods was built as the first retirement community of Episcopal Homes Foundation (a Front Porch predecessor). The Rev. Darby Betts, an Episcopal priest and the founder of Episcopal Homes Foundation, had a strong interest in architecture as a way to build community and led the design and building of Canterbury Woods as well as four more Northern California retirement communities.

The Episcopal diocese then donated the purchase price of the land back to Episcopal Homes Foundation to care for retirement community residents who outlived their resources. This tradition of generosity has been passed down through the generations of Canterbury Woods residents. Sallie Brun grew to care about Canterbury Woods when her parents resided there. When she moved to the community, she committed to making improvements for current residents and the next generation by making a gift to the Foundation to enhance the landscaping and gardens.

“I have this community in my heart,” she said. “It’s so meaningful to me to be able to provide support for Canterbury Woods through my time and gifts.” Paul Cartier and Teresa Palmer, the son and daughter-in-law of Canterbury Woods resident Francis Cartier, recently made a gift through Front Porch Communities Foundation to purchase equipment in honor of Dr. Cartier’s 100th birthday. “We are so aware of the need to create an environment where those who are getting older have a great quality of life,” Teresa said. “Attention to detail, both in the social realm and in the realm of personal care-giving, is the secret. Our dad taught us a lot about what is important in life. He feels known and understood in his community. Staff and community at Canterbury Woods have been the key to his quality of life for many years now. We, his family, want this quality to continue, and we want to support it.”

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