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.

network

Connecting Neighbors with Tech Devices

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Church activities. Seeing your family, especially grandchildren. Spending time with friends. Taking exercise classes. Staying mentally active with community college classes. The list of reasons that neighbors want to use technology goes on and on.

That’s why we’re loaning devices like laptops and tablets to seniors over 60 and adults with disabilities who live in San Francisco.

“As active as I am in church and other activities I do, I need to know this,” said Dorothy Cook, who recently received a device. “It’s a need, not a want.”

She also runs a nonprofit preserving gospel music, but that hasn’t been working at all because she needs to learn technology better, she said. She’s also like to be better able to continue teaching children at church and get back to being more active with other nonprofits in her community.

Community Living Campaign’s Neighborhood Tech Connect program also offers training — not just the devices.

Help is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese via virtual help desks and classes as well as individually scheduled sessions.

Everything on Zoom

For Norma Block, one of her main tech challenges was not knowing how to do everything on Zoom or erase old emails.

But with her new laptop and some training, she now feels able to participate in Zoom classes offered by CLC, keeping up with email and Googling information.

“I also enjoy feeling connected to a city college literature classes and a Tibetan Buddhist organization which I belong to.”

Tech Training Classes

“I was trained by Peter Karpathakis once and found him to be kind, patient, articulate and encouraging,” Norma said.

Peter, the program manager of Neighborhood Tech Connect, and some of the other trainers go out of their way to help, said Dorothy, the church-going, gospel-loving participant.

For her, sometimes the classes have been a little too advanced for her understanding of the technology. But Liz Dunlap and Peter “have been very patient and go slow enough that I can learn. I like that they say there are no stupid questions.”

Getting these devices opens up a whole new world for some people, said Bethany Schwarz, the NTC Device and Access Project Director.

“Many seniors have watched others in the home, like their grandchildren or spouse, use technology throughout the pandemic to talk to people, play games, or watch cooking videos,” she said. “When I tell them they can get their OWN device, just for themselves to use, it’s as if, suddenly, a whole world has opened up around them. They get to imagine all the things they will be able to do. ‘I can take my exercise class? Will I be able to see my grandbaby?’

“It lights up my day to tell them, ‘Yes, you can do that. Yes! You can do that too!’”

Besides the devices and training, CLC can also help if your Internet connection is unreliable. We help participants determine the services needed and assist in applying for free or low-cost Internet service.

 

To find our upcoming tech classes in various languages, click here.

To learn more and see if you’re eligible, contact us at tech@sfcommunityliving.org or 415-821-1003, ext. 109.

Wishing Patti Spaniak-Davidson Well on Her Next Adventure

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The natural-born connector. The person who makes us smile every time we think of her. The person who takes and prints pictures of everyone like they are her family. A font of creativity and enthusiasm.

These were just some of the glowing tributes to Patti Spaniak-Davidson, our departing head of Community Connectors, before she and her husband, Tyler, moved to North Carolina.

“Do we owe it to your new neighbors to warn them their lives are going to grow and change?” Judy Goddess quipped.

Here’s more of what team members and neighbors had to say about Patti:

“Patti’s middle name should be ‘connector.’ She’s a master at connecting people and the services and programs they need. I am so grateful for her help in expanding the Always Active program to the Community Connector sites. I am also thankful that our connection became a special friendship. Keep on connecting, Patti!” —  Valorie Villela

“Patti, you have been such an inspiration to me! You are one of those rare people in the world that just exudes love and care and fun and friendship and all the good qualities of a human being! You encourage everyone to be creative, to be free, to express themselves, and you bring out the best in everyone around you. I shall miss you very, very much!”  — Juliet Rothman

“Patti has been the faithful angel who comes to my gate each week to deliver my Open Hand meals. She always brightens up my corner of Cayuga Avenue with her outfits that are as vividly colored as a 48-color crayon box.” — Paulann Sternberg

In addition, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recognized her as a catalyst to connect neighbors and a determined advocate for older adults and people with disabilities. Lauren Chung, staff for Supervisor Ahsha Safai, presented her with an official proclamation declaring March 19 as Patti Spaniak-Davidson Day.

Her team of Community Connectors across the city and the rest of the staff at Community Living Campaign will miss Patti and wish her well on her journey!

Meet the rest of us by coming to some of our activities! You can find our calendar of events here.

Staying Ready to Work! (Virtual)

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Join SF ReServe Director, Jamie Goddard, to learn what you can do now to prepare for and be ready to work during and after shelter-in-place. Find out about resources to support your job search.

To call in, dial 669-900-6833
You’ll be prompted to enter Meeting ID: 947 3509 0322, then press # and wait for the activity to start.

Click to join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/94735090322 and wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start. To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or on your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Resilient Neighborhoods During This Pandemic (Virtual)

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We all need some good news right now, and we can find it right here in our own neighborhoods! Come listen to inspiring stories of neighborhood resilience, kindness, and joy while we shelter in place.

We’ll be meeting virtually:

To call in, dial 669-900-6833
You’ll be prompted to enter Meeting ID: 947 3509 0322, then press # and wait for the activity to start.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/94735090322 and wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start. To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or on your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Holiday Turkeys and Fixings Head for Good Homes

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The most recent San Francisco Food Security Report found that one of every three San Franciscans is food insecure. If you are food insecure, you sometimes run out money before you can buy the nutritious food you and your family need. This makes for hard choices between food and other necessities. San Francisco’s high cost of living is pushing more and more people on fixed incomes into food insecurity.  

CLC has weekly grocery delivery programs that brings nutritious food to  seniors and adults with disabilities in the Bayview, OMI and other southern neighborhoods. Once a year,  we are proud to help organize a special delivery of turkeys and fixings to  1550 household. It comes with happy greetings from their neighbors.  This is possible, first and foremost, with generous support from Glide Memorial, the S.F. Department of Public Health, and A. Phillip Randolph Institute.  

In the OMI, CLC Community Connector Deb Glen and her team along with Patty Clement-Cihak help organized distribution in the OMI and Cayuga.  In the Bayview, Veronica Shepard and her colleagues in the SF Department of Health, CLC Grocery Delivery Coordinators Chester Williams and Vernice Ross and members of HPUNITI for helping bring this special holiday gift to those in need.   Chester is also a member of the San Francisco Food Security Task Force, co-chaired by Paula Jones, DPH Director of Food Security.  This Task Force works to address food inequities by helping to strengthen the food safety net and expand access to food programs. Take a look at their most recent report here.

Take a few minutes to see the hard work of the people and organizations who are tackling food insecurity during the holidays and all year long.


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St. Francis Square Community Celebrates

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St. Francis Square Co-op was the first neighborhood network, inaugurated with the support of CLC and the Board of St. Francis Square Co-op.  The Community Living Campaign Committee of the Board and network members celebrated their first ten years with a special event on December 8th.   Early founders greeted many new neighbors and remembered those who have passed on who helped create the community ties.  Music, poetry and a visit from Supervisor Valli Brown highlighted the afternoon.  A photo collage brought back memories of activities over the past 10 years that helped weave community.    Take a look below…


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Cayuga Community Celebrates the Holiday in Style

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Cayuga Holiday Potluck is an annual community gathering rich with food, fun raffle prizes, music and of course, Santa.   Thanks to Patti Spaniak and all the leaders and neighbors who pitched in to make this a grand gesture of community living.   Enjoy the pics!


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Inner Sunset Community Connectors Reflect on a Successful Year

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group photo of Inner Sunset participants

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Neighbors and Always Active Instructors celebrate one year of Inner Sunset Community Connectors

Before we opened the doors last October 22nd at St. Anne of the Sunset, we had hoped 15 people might attend our our Monday and Thursday afternoon exercise/community building program.  Instead 35 appeared, ready to enjoy the Always Active exercise program. Though most of us lived in the neighborhood, few of us knew one another. The number of participants, and our friendships have only grown from those early days. 

 
One day last summer, when 53 people tried to fit into our summer space at St. John of God, we were in the awkward position of turning away people at the same time we were committed to building community. After several weeks of this, the Community Living Campaign convinced the SF Department of Aging and Adult Services (the city agency that provides the primary funding for this program), to send a second Always Active instructor, allowing us to serve up to 60 people a session.   More recently, CLC convinced DAAS to earmark extra funding for a third day of classes.  On Tuesdays, beginning November 5, we will offer chair yoga and creative dance on alternative weeks.
 
Note from a participant

MAKING FRIENDS: “I feel healthier which is great but I feel most excited about meeting my neighbors. I don’t feel like a stranger out here anymore.” (Note from a participant)

But we don’t only exercise when we come together. About a month into the program, Marina Lazarra, the community connector from the Community Living Campaign, began offering after-exercises activities. The first classes were on gardening and healthy herbs – Marina’s interests – an ongoing memoir writing class, classes on “finding your style,” earthquake safety, how to get most out of your cell phone, a three-session series on Stroke Awareness, and an evening meeting on Loneliness and Social Isolation engaged participants and brought in new members. More than 10 of us participated in a letter exchange with the fifth graders at the SF Friends School, and were thrilled to attend the children’s dramatization of our life stories.

 
It’s all coming together, the way we had hoped. The Always Active exercise program and the after-class workshops have led to the development of new friendships. People arrive before class and stay after to exchange gossip. The more able-bodied members look out for those of us who move slower or are less steady on our feet. We are no longer strangers working out, we’re becoming friends. Thanks to this program, retirement and aging are taking on new meaning in the Inner Sunset.  
 
Want to help? Right now, we have a matching gift of up to $10,000. Please donate now to double your impact!
 
(Enjoy a few pictures from the November 4th Anniversary Celebration and Thank You Event)
 

Good Neighbors Gather To Celebrate and To Honor

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The Annual Good Neighborhood Event brought together an even bigger group of leaders on Saturday, June 8 as we gather at the ARC. Each year, staff and participants in each of the CLC programs picks a community member who has gone above and beyond to help their neighbors and provide leadership to the community. We are pleased to present this year’s list of honorees. They include:

  • Mary Crenshaw, Bayview
  • Deb Padilla, Cayuga Community Connectors
  • Esselene Stancil, Computers & Access
  • Marlene Olivencia , Inner Sunset Community Connectors
  • Reiko Hatakayama, Merced Extension Triangle Community Connectors
  • Evernease Cook, Midtown Terrace Community Connectors
  • Guido Van Rijn, Miraloma Community Connectors
  • Leroy Lindo, OMI Food Network
  • Judy Goddess, Community Catalyst
  • Rose Sharkey, St. Francis Square Network
  • Alice Guidry, Sunnyside Community Connectors
  • Michael S. Silver, Vision & Hearing Program 
  • Robin Evans, SF ReServe / Senior Beat 

See these and other “good neighbors” in the photo album below. 


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Weaving Support Across Neighborhoods with Food and Kindness

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CLC’s Food Networks in the OMI, Bayview, and beyond into Parkmerced and Visitacion Valley were recently honored with the “Keeping the Spirit Alive” Award.  We want to tell you why.  

Committed Leaders

Team leaders Deb Glen, Chester Williams and Karen Holt have built teams of drivers and loyal volunteers who care about the well-being of their neighbors.  They show this with regular “check-in” phone calls and weekly delivery of fresh fruits, vegetables and staples to their homes. We know that these regular connections are an antidote for isolation and loneliness.  They let individuals know they are appreciated and that their health, well-being, and history of helping others is important. Over the past year, they delivered 9,000 bags of groceries, made 7,800 visits, and provided 890 hours of support to 205 neighbors in the Bayview, OMI and Parkmerced neighborhoods.

Regular Connections Reduce Isolation

And the regular contact with almost 200 people weekly helps volunteers know when someone needs more help – from more formal services or just from a neighbor who brings the garbage can to the curb or helps change a lightbulb. 

As good neighbors, it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure older adults and adults with disabilities receive the care and support they need to age with dignity in their own homes and communities. But what is really remarkable is the commitment of these neighbors to be a kind and reliable source of connection – no matter what.  This program was started by Deloris McGee in the OMI in 2008 and expanded as a model for other neighborhoods – Parkmerced (2011) and Bayview (2013), has not missed a single delivery.  Personal health challenges, the death of a loved one, bad weather and all the other things that could have gotten in the way did not.  They have pulled together so that no one misses their delivery – no matter what – ever. 

A Successful Partnership

The Dept. of Aging and Adult Service, in partnership with the San Francisco and Marin Food Bank, has looked to this model program and funded similar efforts in other parts of San Francisco.  Because it is about more than just the food.  A survey last year of the recipients reported that:

  • 94% of recipients say the food they receive helps them stay in their homes,
  • 97% have more access to fruits and vegetables,
  • 81% feel they can get help when they need it, and
  • 91% feel less isolated.

Everyone benefits from Having  Good Neighbors

 A sense of purpose and belonging is also key to successful aging.  Deb Glen underscored this when CLC and the Grocery Delivery Teams received the “Keeping the Spirit Alive Award” from the Recreation and Park Department.  Deb stated “Not only do we have a responsibility towards our fellow human beings, but it is our privilege to bring blessings and joy to those around us to make a difference in the lives of as many people as possible.  It’s extremely beneficial to the volunteers as well because they also have the opportunity to be active with a sense of community fellowship”.  Chester Williams stressed how in the Bayview, the organization HP UNITI offered their resources and took up the challenge in a big way over the years.  Their committed team of drivers and volunteers has grown to meet the task as more and more neighbors in need came to learn about the benefits of this program. With expansion to the Visitacion Valley/Geneva Terraces areas, the host site at George Davis Senior Center has supported a wider delivery distribution network. They reach both seniors and people of any age with a disability that prevents them from standing in food pantry lines. This expansion reaches other 10-20 participants in those communities and provides a greater source of balanced nutrition.

We are so proud of this home-grown, neighborhood-based effort that continues to serve under-served communities in San Francisco.


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