Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Marie Jobling

Building Cross-Cultural Connections in the Sunset

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 “Community” is generally understood to mean a group of people who interact with one another, typically within a certain geographic area.  For Margaret Graf, that is District 4.  On January 29, 2023, the Sunset Chinese Cultural District celebrated Lunar New Year for all members of the community at the Mercantile Farmers’ Market, 37th & Ortega-Quintara,  bringing a free program off songs, dances & general entertainment including a Lion Dance.  Dubbed “Peoples’ Day” it is meant to celebrate and welcome ALL members of the community. Featured performances included SF Line Dance Troupe and the SF Jing Mo Athletic Association bringing martial arts demonstration and the ever popular Lion Dancers. Included in the entertainment were two  groups from the Irish Community:  two founders of Culann’s Hounds, an intimate yet rousing duet featuring lovely instrumentals, invigorating dance tunes and some heartfelt and possibly rowdy songs. They were followed in the afternoon with  a group of Step Dancers from the UICC, led by Michael Murphy  the intricate demonstrate steps of this traditional dance.  Senior Power was very proud to be listed as one of the sponsors of this program which seeks to entertain and unite us all.  Margaret was honored for her role with certificates from Senator Scott Weiner, Assessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres, and District Supervisor Joel Engardo. 

More Than One Warm Coat

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Coat Drive Report by Olivia Franco and Nicky Trasvina, December 13, 2022

On Thanksgiving Day, 2022 (November 24th) I commenced with the Coat Drive program. I have witnessed many families with small children and teenagers who are unaccustomed to the cold SF weather, even when there is sun. They are not expecting the temperatures to dip as low as they do and they often arrive to our programs or to school ill-prepared for the weather. I wanted to provide them with the basics to keep them warm and healthy. With my experience in multiple non-profits, I listed my contacts and put to life the Coat Drive program! Since Thanksgiving we have collected approximately 200 jackets! They will be distributed to kids from several shelters and low-income families on Tuesday, December 13th , nineteen days after the program’s inception. The list of organizations include Buena Vista Shelter, Providence Shelter, Coleman Advocates, Harbor Lights, and the Latino Task Force. Thanks is given to the following groups for their acts of generosity in making many donations: Community Living Campaign neighborhoods Sunnyside, Midtown, and the Merced Extension Triangle and their Connectors; Bay Area Community Resource; Latino Task Force; and other private parties.  

The motivation for this project, besides the obvious of helping the children, is to model to others in my organization (CLC) and demonstrate the value of organizing service projects to help others. I encourage others to do similar projects when they see people in need, especially children. I think this is a great activity for our seniors, especially those who are not necessarily in financial need, but in need of emotional connection and to fulfill their own desire to feel needed. As my colleague has indicated when we have co-coordinated other service projects, seniors do well and thrive when they are able to contribute and feel part of the process of giving, in any capacity.

On Tuesday, December 13th, we assembled at 3 pm to set up the coat giveaway at CASA AYUDA at 4834 Mission Street in the heart of the Excelsior District, the district with the highest population of kids in all of SF. At Casa Ayuda we gave away over 250 jackets in two hours!

I expected to see the look of joy on all the kids’ faces and watch them having fun trying on the jackets for their parents to see. I expected laughter and smiles as they modeled the jackets to each other and their parents. What I saw instead was a line of mostly single parents waiting with several children in a long line against the dim lit storefronts of mostly closed stores, doors away from a large construction site. The parents looked tired, but patient. The children were pretty quiet and nice. Their demeanor led me to believe they were grateful that this program was made available to them. The helpful volunteers kept the crowd moving in a time-efficient way. All this made their considerable long wait in line worth it for the sake of saving twenty or thirty dollars on a jacket their child would outgrow in a year. As a witness to this process, it made me wonder what other lines these families have to face as the week progresses, simply to attain their basic household necessities, such as the food line at the Latino Task Force site every Friday. Lines have become a way of life for many. The irony of coordinating a project that helps people is that it actually triggers a sense of sadness not lost on me. “It is better to give than to receive” is questionable as this experience brings to light the disparities many of our community members come face to face with in our own city, in our lives, and we can only impact in soft, short-term ways. Giving is two-fold. It produces pleasure in the giving but also releases pain as we can never give enough. The lesson learned is that we can never stop giving and there is nothing as being too generous.  

I want to thank CLC for their part in this project. Please look for the photos I will send so you can really feel the love! And thank you for your continued support and promotion of the programs I love bringing to CLC. 

Sincerely, 

Olivia Franco 

Over 1600 Turkeys Fly to Good Homes

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The Community Living Campaign, in partnership with Glide and a host of local organizations in the OMI, Parkmerced and Bayview neighborhoods, delivered over 1600 frozen turkeys and all the fixings to household across the neighborhoods.  In the OMI, we are grateful to Catholic Charities, who once again become the site for the distribution.  In the Bayview, thanks go to Meals on Wheels, which also supports our weekly grocery deliveries.  A special thanks goes to Deb Glen and her family in the OMI and Vernice.  And to other CLC staff who turned up to lend a hand.   

The OMI team…
And the Bayview Team

CLC Chinese Language Programs Grow

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Community Living Campaign (CLC) works together with San Francisco neighbors to build the connections, skills, and resources we all need to age and thrive. Engaging our older adults and people with disabilities whose primary language is Cantonese or Mandarin has been part of this work since we started teaching computer classes in 2008.

During the pandemic, our Chinese-language trainers, led by Chinese Community Program Coordinator Wan He (Wanda) Liu, significantly increased the number classes and types of programming
to better meet these neighbors’ needs and interests. Jin Ying (Fiona) Ren, Cai Na (Donna) Li, Amy Yu, and Jin Ting (Leon) Zhang. These classes and activities are now consistently over-booked and we are seeking funding to further increase our capacity.

 The Growth of CLC’s Chinese Community Program

CLC’s effort to serve Chinese-speaking older adults and people with disabilities has benefited from Wanda and her team’s energy and commitment. From 2008 to 2019, CLC’s Chinese language computer trainers offered training and tutoring in senior centers across the San Francisco. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, these senior centers and libraries all closed, leaving students isolated at home. Wanda and her team called their students and found that more than half did not have internet at home. Our Chinese-language team has spent the past two and half years helping individuals bridge the digital divide, a most challenging proposition as most of the students use WeChat to communicate and did not have email address or experience with sites like Zoom. The team also helped provide devices and internet access as needed. There are now over 300 Chinese-speaking neighbors who regularly participate in the over 220 hours of online training and technical assistance each month.  As they developed confidence online, this growing base of students wanted more engagement. Wanda and her team responded with new activities.  First were quarterly cultural celebrations, which computer training students showcasing their other skills in singing, dancing, and playing Chinese musical instruments.  Students so enjoyed the early celebrations and so they asked for a singing class. After reaching 150 students in one class, we added a second one to try and meet the need. As student tech skills (and the community evolved), the cultural celebrations have evolved to include more student made videos expressing joy of the season and appreciation of their teachers. Throughout, the gratitude of participants is compelling.

Piloting Additional Classes and Activities

Last Year, the CLC Board of Directors opened a Microgrant process to staff in the organization, using a donor gift to launch. The goal was to encourage staff to identify and help address issues and
create opportunities that advance CLC’s Mission. Wanda proposed a Chinese and American Language and Cultural Exchange. The Board committee was enthusiastic about Wanda’s proposal and encouraged her to start planning. The project aims to close barriers between people of different language and cultural backgrounds, bringing people together and teaching the language and culture to one another. Each group would teach the other about their language and culture, and celebrate the cultural holiday together. Wanda has recruited volunteer ESL and Mandarin teachers plus native English-speaking colleagues. Using a combination of break-out groups on Zoom and a simple curriculum, individuals are given time to learn and to practice in small groups.

The target communities were the Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) and English-speaking seniors who are interested in learning the other language and culture.  Wanda’s proposal stated her motivation for this project was “to bring the people of different culture and who speak different language together. They can learn from each other and we hope they can understand and support each other as the community”. Participants’ desire to learn the language and culture of their new home country is strong.

Wanda and a team of English tutors launched the class on Wednesday, October 12 with nearly 100 participants.  With Wanda’s leadership and support from her team of Chinese language trainers and CLC colleagues, the program gained structure and more specific topics each week. This Chinese and American Language Exchange has the potential to grow beyond its current size if we can fund additional trainers. More funding and organizing support is needed to fulfill the Chinese-language team’s vision for a range of opportunities for Chinese seniors and people with disabilities.

This additional funding would enable Wanda and her team to:

 

  • Add a part time Chinese Community Connector to coordinate in-person and virtual classes in Cantonese and Mandarin such as writing/memoir, photography and video, and other topics, as well as to ensure a range of welcoming and inclusive activities at Community Connector locations as we add back in-person activities.
  • Increase the number of people who can participants in the Chinese-English Language Cultural Exchange
  • Increase the levels of support for individuals seeking to keep their devices working and connected to the internet.
  • Grow the staffing for the Chinese language computer and technical assistance efforts to serve more individuals in person.
  • Increasing monolingual Chinese community members’ access to the Essential Trip Card, NTC Computer Program device lending, home delivered groceries, and other CLC programs through better outreach and translation.

Tunnel Top Adventure – A Microgrant Project

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Earlier this year, CLC launched a Microgrant Project, inviting CLC staff to submit proposals for ideas that would build community and strengthen existing programs.  Funding for field trips was a popular proposal and one of the first two to head out was proposed and organized by Nicky Transvina, who has shared her report below.

CLC visits Presidio Tunnel Tops November 17, 2022

On this highly anticipated day in November,  we experienced the typical beautiful clear but cold SF weather, the bright clear sky and strong sun bursts making the vistas more crisp than ever. Everyone showed up wearing lots of colorful layers of jackets, scarves, and caps. Our group consisted of members from CLC Midtown Terrace, Cayuga, and Sunnyside neighborhoods. We anxiously awaited the  National Park Service 37-passenger bus that was taking us to the new and highly acclaimed Presidio Tunnel Tops, a heavily publicized and SF’s newest tourist destination.

Everything was going according to plan. We had secured all-day parking at the church where we exercise and the local sandwich shop, Pop’s Sandwiches, delivered our lunches right to the bus driver’s door. We were ready to go as everyone arrived on time, an indication of how much we were looking forward to this special day. Our amazing group of primarily senior participants included several single ladies, a couple in their early nineties, a few more couples, a ninety-seven year old with her caretaker and a newly arrived family from Nicaragua. We also had one senior dog! We had seniors, junior seniors, a family, and a dog.
 
Our great driver got us to the Presidio in time to meet our Ranger/Host/Leader Fatima Colindres. She proved to be gifted in her job. Fatima is one of those people that when you feel her enthusiasm you realize she has the perfect job for her talents and personality. Even before we met her that day, she had been truly accommodating to ensure this would be an enriching and positive experience.  She was responsible for a superb afternoon of walking, learning about what we saw on the walk, a lot of history of the Presidio and the indigenous people who once lived and loved this land. She is an amazing story teller. And her greatest gift was making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. She is a glowing example of how well diversity can work and that it is a precious gift!
 
Fatima was born in El Salvador and conducted her presentations and Q and A in English and Spanish. At no time did anyone feel left out. She flip-flopped between her dual languages without missing a beat so that her conversations ran smoothly and efficiently and it all felt very inclusive! The Presidio Tunnel Tops is a beautiful new park atop the new Tunnel to the GGB. It was completed in July 2022. I was fortunate enough to go with the SF Public Library in July on the same National Park Service bus and decided it would be a well-worth project to get our participants to this amazing location. When the opportunity appeared for the Connectors to apply for CLC Board-generated grants, I immediately applied for one to take us on this great field trip. Everyone had a wonderful time. .We also enjoyed time socializing over lunch in the beautiful courtyard that Fatima had reserved for us.
 

One of my major objectives was to get people connected across the neighborhood groups. And that did happen. I have even had a few people from one of the other neighborhoods come and enjoy the Midtown exercise class. Everything went very well that day. I learned from my supervisors that in order for an event to look like it was easy to plan and go smoothly, that tremendous amount of planning needs to take place. I admit I worked very hard on this event and fortunately it went flawlessly. I am happy to have had the assistance of two other Connectors Olivia Franco and Colleen Piontek, along with staff  assistance from Noah Weaker and Joyce Watson.  

This field trip was not only important to strengthen the connection between Connectors and the neighbors. It also helped Fatima and her supervisor Lucien Sonder meet their goal of making this wonderful park available to local SF and Bay Area residents. Even though it is popular with tourists, Fatima made a point of telling me that the Presidio and the NPS want this space to be available and accessible to all residents from all parts of the City as well as from the Bay Area. That left a very good impression on me. As the political scene in SF is sadly changing, many seniors and disabled individuals and others on the fringe of the City’s economic profile are feeling  not only pushed aside but also pushed out. Sometimes we feel invisible and disrespected. We feel that we are fighting against the fading of our SF values of love, equality and sharing, the very things that drew many of our long-time city residents to San Francisco back in the day. When Fatima told me this in our final conversation I was truly inspired by her humanity and left feeling that things are not as bad as all that.  
 

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Ferrying Seniors to Sausalito – A Microgrant Project

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A Bay Ferry took a group of happy San Franciscan neighbors on an adventure to Sausalito, organized by Marina Lazzara.  This was one of the first activities to “launch” with support from the CLC Microgrant project.   As you can see, folks had a wonderful time.

“On a sunny, fun Monday, the Inner Sunset Community Connector’s Walking Group took a ferry to Sausalito and walked the sweet streets of the shoreline town, watching the floating boats and getting to know one another more while talking, walking and then eating a lovely fancy pizza luncheon with antipasto and wine at Taste of Rome near the Sausalito Marina. We are so grateful to the CLC board for funding this trip. For some of the participants, it was their first time on the ferry and a few visiting Sausalito for the first time, as well. Overall, it was an amazing day full of fun, yummy food and new friendships. A CLC success!!”  Marina Lazzara

Celebrating 80 Over 80

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It was such a wonderful celebration of the project to interview 80 elders 80 and older to share their stories as blog posts, podcasts and a wonderful print edition.   Kudos to Dr. Anna Chodos who persevered with the project despite a pandemic.  Through lots of volunteer help and willing interviewees, the project was completed (for now).   Enjoy the pictures and those who came to celebrate.  

Photos by Nicole  Henderson.  Come back soon.  More photos to follow.

You can also connect with the 80 over 80 website here.   More info and a place to order books, t-shirts and tote bags to commemorate.