volume 12 • issue 6 • june 2010 phoenix resident caps ... words 6101.pdf · continue both his...

SHARING OUR STORIES

News of the American

Baptist Homes of the West

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 6 • JUNE 2010

Mature Living Since 1949

George maintained his interest in woodworking throughout a

long life of service as an Episcopal minister. In April, trains, service

and woodworking all came together when he and fellow residents

of The Terraces of Phoenix built four wooden trains and donated

them to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Just three weeks later, on

May 5, he passed away unexpectedly.

Phoenix Resident Caps Lifetime of ServiceI N S I D E

Page 3 ABHOW receives awards

from Aging Services of California.

Page 8 National affordable housing

group honors Kelly Ridge.

Page 9 Seniority Spirit shines

during the Daily Huddle.

As a little boy in Belvidere, Ill., Dick George was fascinated with the Union Pacific trains that ran near his home. He also loved work-ing with wood. “It was during the Depression, when families didn’t have much money,” he explained. “My father helped me make wooden toys.”

Continued on page 2

Dick George shares the trains he built with a patient at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

2 J u n e 2 0 1 0ABHOW Words

When he retired as Dean Emeritus of Trinity Episco-

pal Cathedral in Phoenix, George had looked for ways to

continue both his hobby and his dedication to commu-

nity outreach. With his wife, Mary, he worked for poverty

relief in Haiti and served numerous organizations. The

couple moved to The Terraces of Phoenix in 2005 and,

when the community transformed one of its casitas into

a combination art and woodworking studio, he took his

tools out of storage.

He made some small trains for his grandchildren and

then decided to go bigger. “I found plans on the Inter-

net and it took off from there,” he said in an interview

shortly before his death. “I’m former president of the

residents council, so I wasn’t bashful about asking them

to underwrite the project. Outreach is important for a

retirement community. As a clergyman, I had stressed

this — it’s important to give a percentage of your time

and talent outside the parish in the community. It didn’t

take a lot of persuading.”

Residents Tom Edwards, Jim Pyne, Bob Oliver, Joyce

Warner and Miriam Jacobs joined George in building,

sanding and finishing four 40-inch-long trains. In mid-

April, along with Director of Activities Andrea Schulte,

they took the trains to the children’s hospital.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Schulte said. “It

always does my heart good when I see those in our com-

munity really extend themselves to others, especially

when it’s outside the boundaries of our campus.”

“As we approached the playroom,” George said soon

afterward, “a little boy on a chemotherapy tree saw me un-

loading the trains and putting them back together. He came

in and he was just intrigued with the trains. You could tell it

brought a lot of sunshine into his life that day.”

Ben, the little boy, was 3, said Schulte. “It was his

third time in the hospital and even though the effects of

chemotherapy were evident on his little body, he was so

upbeat, so jovial. He had all these tubes in him, and he

just flung them out of the way so that he could play on

the floor. To Ben, being in the hospital was just a part of

his life, and he seemed to accept it as such. He touched

all of our hearts.”

George planned to make wooden trucks and cars next

and to get more residents involved in the project. Schulte

is currently looking for a woodworking instructor and

hopes the effort can continue.

What George said shortly after delivering the trains to

the hospital makes clear how much satisfaction he took

in the experience.

“At this point in life, as retirees, we have the opportu-

nity to give to others,” he said. “We’ve all been very blessed,

living here at The Terraces [of Phoenix]. In this metro-

politan area, there are zillions of opportunities to help.”

“It meant a great deal to him,” Mary George said of

the project. “It was combining his lifelong love of wood-

working with the opportunity to gift that skill and that

enjoyment to children who would also enjoy it, like little

Ben. It was a project he really loved doing.”

Train Project Continued from cover

“At this point in life, as retirees, we have the op-portunity to give to others. We’ve all been very blessed, living here at The Terraces [of Phoenix]. In this metropolitan area, there are zillions of opportunities to help.”

—Dick George

Delivering the wooden trains to Phoenix Children’s Hospital are (from left) Andrea Schulte, Jim Pyne, Tom Edwards, JoAnn Oliver, Dick George, Mary George, Joyce Warner and Bob Oliver.


Corporate

Stories ABHOW Receives Three State Awards

Aging Services of Califor-nia honored ABHOW’s legal counsel, one of its continuing care retire-

ment communities, and an ABHOW resident with awards of excellence May 5 at the state association’s annual meeting in Long Beach. The organization represents over 400 nonprofit providers of senior housing and health care.

ASC chose Senior Vice President and General

Counsel David Grant for its Social

Responsibility Award. Grant is a

passionate champion of ABHOW’s

social accountability program, which

documents the company’s community

service programs and charitable care.

The program is a model for organiza-

tions across the country.

“ABHOW is committed to social

accountability both as a fulfillment of mission and as an

important defense in its protection of exempt status,”

Grant said. “In fulfilling its mission and preserving its

exempt status, ABHOW demonstrates its commitment

to its residents and to the larger community in which

each ABHOW retirement community exists.”

The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens in Fresno

received ASC’s Community Service Award. The

44-year-old community has long cultivated a culture

of volunteerism, and it recently created a program to

share cutting-edge principles of successful aging with

older adults and caregivers in the greater Fresno com-

munity. Through its Healthy Living Institute, The

Terraces provides education, tools and resources free of

charge to local senior networks, churches, universities

and other organizations.

“Our residents continue to give back to others and are

rewarded by the personal value that volunteering gives

them,” said Steve Case, the community’s director of life-

style enrichment. “We hope to demonstrate that through

giving we all receive pleasure that is immeasurable.”

Marian Chuan, who lives at Valle Verde in Santa

Barbara, won the Volunteer Service Award. She founded

and coordinates the Best Friends Volunteers program

so that she and fellow residents can provide one-to-one

companionship to those in The Village at Valle Verde,

the community’s skilled nursing center. A former social

worker and university professor, Chuan recruited more

than 40 volunteers to visit, chat and share activities with

residents.

“At age 83, I really understand that people can make a

difference,” she said. “For those at the end stage of life, it’s

the human companionship that’s most treasured.”

Volunteers convey that those they visit are not forgot-

ten and continue to be important and loved. Because

Best Friends Volunteers are themselves in their 80s and

90s, Chuan said, “we understand each other and we un-

derstand that tomorrow it can happen to me.”

Marian Chuan reaches out to other residents at Valle Verde in Santa Barbara.

Grant


Community

Stories Rosewood Enhances Community

While the exterior of the high-rise at Rosewood Senior Living Community

has reached iconic status in Bakers-field, Calif., the look and feel inside the community is undergoing an ex-tensive campaign of improvements to keep the campus fresh and appealing to older adults from the region.

“Everyone knows Rosewood, both because of our

longevity and because our high-rise building has stood

out for many years,” says

Ellen Renner, executive

director. “What they may

not see from the outside

is the number of large

and small investments we

are making to continu-

ally enhance the lifestyle

our residents seek. Some

of the changes are to the

physical structure of the

campus, while others are accents to the programs and

amenities found here at Rosewood.”

One of the major changes at Rosewood is noticeable

as soon as you walk inside. Rosewood recently complet-

ed a total remodel of its main entryway and lobby.

“We wanted to give the community a new and different

feel from the moment you step inside,” says Renner. “The

changes provide a welcoming reception to Rosewood, as

well as a new fireside room for social gathering.”

Rosewood has welcomed residents for 35 years as

Bakersfield’s only continuing care retirement community.

The community offers residential living, along with a full

range of quality on-site health care services. This excep-

tional environment is complemented by a social atmo-

sphere that encourages engagement and wellness.

Rosewood recently completed a brand-new bistro

café, where residents can sip coffee while discussing the

news of the day. The community is also unveiling plans

to add a new heated outdoor pool, where residents can

partake in either individual workouts or group classes

such as aqua aerobics.

“One of our goals with many of our recent enhance-

ments is to continue building on the variety of lifestyle

choices our residents enjoy, so that our community fits

the way they want to live,” says Renner. “Our dining is a

prime example. Residents have the option of grabbing

something at the new bistro, or sitting down for a de-

lectable restaurant-style meal. We are soon planning to

expand the hours we offer dining, because many of our

residents are fitting meals into their busy schedules that

have them in and out of the community participating

in their volunteer activities or attending local events.”

Rosewood unveiled ABHOW’s new lifestyle initia-

tive called Masterpiece Living, which focuses on helping

individuals reach their personal development goals. A

Masterpiece Living coordinator will work with residents

to identify things they want to accomplish in areas

such as wellness, lifelong learning or spirituality, then

Continued on back page

Rosewood’s enhancements include a new bistro café and a remodeled entryway and lobby.


The reinvigoration of the Salishan neighborhood is

evident in the spirit of its diverse blend of residents, who

represent many ethnic groups and multigenerational

households. ABHOW will play an important role serving

older Salishan neighbors and their families by provid-

ing housing with floor plans that address the special and

unique needs of seniors.

Additionally, the neighborhood will have easy access by

foot and public transit — a high priority included in the

master plan. The community will also have laundry facili-

ties, an expansive multipurpose room, an exercise room, a

library, a computer learning center, and a patio area.

Salishan Gardens will be ABHOW’s second senior

community in Tacoma, joining Harbor View Manor, and

fourth in the Puget Sound, including Judson Park in Des

Moines and Shepherd’s Garden in Lynnwood.

Community Stories

New Affordable Housing Community Breaks Ground in Tacoma

A groundbreaking ceremony for Salishan Gardens, ABHOW’s newest affordable

housing community, was held May 24 in Tacoma, Wash.

The new community will feature 54 apartments for

low-income seniors and is scheduled to open in the spring

of 2011. The community will be open to low and very low

income seniors age 62 or older.

The $11.7 million project is being built by ABHOW and

co-developed by the Seattle-based Beacon Development

Group, a highly respected affordable housing developer with

multiple developments in the Pacific Northwest.

The project received $8 million in federal support and a

$2.25 million grant from The Washington Housing Trust.

Salishan Gardens will be a key component of the

Salishan HOPE VI Revitalization, an ambitious $225

million residential and commercial transformation of an area

built during World War II to house soldiers and civilians.

“We are hon-

ored to be part

of the Tacoma

Housing Author-

ity’s nationally

acclaimed Salishan

HOPE VI develop-

ment through our

sponsorship and

development of Salishan Gardens,” says Ancel Romero,

ABHOW’s senior vice president for affordable housing.

“ABHOW has been actively providing quality affordable

housing in Tacoma since 1996 and we are humbled by this

opportunity to expand our mission of service.”

The celebration begins as (from left) Paul Purcell, president and founder, Beacon Development Group; Nick Sam Sseba, board chair, Salishan Senior Housing; Mary McBride, regional director, U.S. Department of HUD; Dan McCoon, assistant director, Washing-ton State Department of Commerce; Scott Winship, board president, United Way of Pierce County; Dr. Marcia J. Patton, ABHOW board member; Marilyn Strickland, mayor of Tacoma; and Michael Mirra, executive director, Tacoma Housing Authority, break ground at Salishan Gardens.


Resident

StoriesHillcrest Gardens Resident Survived China’s Cultural Revolution

In 1968, when Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution caused violent upheaval in China, Clara Chan and her four chil-

dren found themselves left nearly destitute in a portion of the large house in Guangdong province that had been their family home. Her husband, a comic actor with an opera company, was taken to a concentration camp.

“The Red Guard came and took everything from us,”

recalls Chan, a native San Franciscan who had moved

from the U.S. to Guangdong on China’s southern coast

to get married in 1947. She now lives at Hillcrest Gar-

dens in Daly City, Calif. “Nine groups of Red Guards

came to our house. The last group took our clothing,

our furniture, everything. They left us three sets of

underwear and three sets of summer clothes. By winter-

time, we didn’t have anything. They took all our money,

our savings, everything.”

Her oldest son, then 18, stayed in the dormitory at

his school, but the three younger children slept side-

ways on the one bed the Red Guard left behind. Chan

herself slept on the dining table. For about four years,

the family struggled to get by. They had to attend daily

meetings — “we were brainwashed,” Chan says — and

they could wear nothing but gray or blue pants and

jackets.

“After 1972, it got better. We were poor, but it was

not as bad as at first when nobody wanted to talk to us.”

Even after the Cultural Revolution eased, the family’s

possessions were never returned to them. Chan’s hus-

band, her children’s father, died in the camp.

She suspects the family was targeted because her

husband was well known as an actor and they were

wealthier than some. But, she says, “We’re not the only

ones that were hit hard. Anybody considered well-off

was hit hard.” The worst of the social and political cha-

os was over by the early 1970s, and as soon as President

Richard Nixon normalized relations with China, Chan

began trying to return to the U.S. with her children.

“I had to apply from 1973 or something until 1980,”

she says. “I applied five times. In 1980 I came back over

with my younger daughter. My sons didn’t have the

money to buy their airline tickets yet. My parents and

all my brothers and one sister and other relatives were

Continued on back page

Clara Chan remembers China’s Cultural Revolution.


Community Health Advocate Merry Montgomery

knows what it’s like to be blindsided by a diagnosis.

When Montgomery learned she had stage three breast

cancer seven years ago, she had no job and no health

insurance. She turned to the Women’s Cancer Resource

Center for support. The Oakland nonprofit helped

her arrange for a second opinion and the surgery she

needed. Now she helps the organization with outreach.

“We try to help people through the diagnosis of

cancer,” says Montgomery. The nonprofit also pro-

vides support groups and individual counseling. Most

women learn of the organization through word of

mouth. That’s why health fairs are so important, says

Montgomery.

Broadmoor Plaza resident Anita Leet collected a

large stack of pamphlets from the fair. She already uses

East Bay Paratransit, but she hadn’t heard of many of

the other organizations.

“I think most of the services they were offering I’m

not ready for,” Leet says. “But I’m going to keep the

information for future use.”

After Maxine Roberts suf-fered a stroke last summer, she was fortunate enough to have a niece who could

help with her day-to-day care. Roberts recovered, but the Broad-moor Plaza resident learned to stay informed about the services she might need one day.

Roberts attended her San Leandro, Calif., commu-

nity’s Senior Health and Resource Fair on April 28 and

spoke to most of the 17 organizations present. She and

other seniors learned about free or low-

cost aid offered by such groups as Pathways

Hospice, ComForcare, Lifeline, the Lavender

Society and East Bay Paratransit.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize the

services that are available,” Roberts says. She

picked up the information materials the ven-

dors handed out. She planned to give some of

it to friends and to keep some for her files.

“I take magnets and put them up on my

refrigerator so I’ll have them when I need

them,” Roberts says.

Susan Ruan, administrator of Broad-

moor Plaza, says these health fairs are a way

to bring services to those living in afford-

able housing communities. Two of the most

requested services are legal assistance and

transportation.

The afternoon was also a chance for the organiza-

tions to connect with residents about issues they could

face someday.

Community

StoriesBroadmoor Plaza Reaches Out to Neighbors During Health Fair

Maxine Roberts picks up pamphlets at the Broadmoor Plaza health fair in April.


Open for less than a year, Kelly Ridge, an ABHOW affordable housing community, is

already being noted for its excellence by peer trade groups.

The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition

(AHTCC) recently announced that the South Lake

Tahoe, Calif., community received an honorable

mention in the senior housing category for the orga-

nization’s 16th Annual Charles L. Edson Tax Credit

Excellence Awards, which celebrate the best in afford-

able rental housing.

“It is an honor to receive an award as prestigious as

this,” says Ancel Romero, ABHOW’s senior vice presi-

dent for affordable housing. “These are the Oscars of

the tax credit housing industry.”

The field from which Kelly Ridge was chosen was

a narrow one — 41 entries from 22 different states, of

which only six first-place finishers and nine honorable

mentions were chosen. Kelly Ridge investor Merritt

Community Capital, which provides equity capital for

affordable housing projects throughout California,

entered the community in the national contest.

“Residents of Kelly Ridge are provided numerous sup-

portive services, allowing them to live a more independent

Community

Stories Kelly Ridge Wins Prestigious Award

and active lifestyle while receiving the care necessary to

ensure their physical well-being,” says Victoria Spiel-

man, executive director for the AHTCC. “Kelly Ridge was

selected for this award because of ABHOW’s commitment

to providing safe and affordable rental housing to the

senior community, allowing them to age in a place with

dignity and community support.”

The latest award comes on the heels of another honor

for Kelly Ridge; it was named Best Affordable Housing

Project in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s 2009

“Best in the Basin” awards.

Romero says he is excited about adding another

feather to Kelly Ridge’s cap.

Kelly Ridge is named for David Kelly, president of

the Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled

and a tireless champion for affordable housing.

“This award would not have been possible without

the contributions of Kelly Ridge’s guiding light, David

Kelly,” Romero says. “Nor could the project have been

completed without the support of the city of South

Lake Tahoe, its redevelopment agency, Merritt Com-

munity Capital and ABHOW.”

“Residents of Kelly Ridge are provided numerous supportive services, allowing them to live a more independent and active lifestyle while receiving the care necessary to ensure their physical well-being.”

—Victoria Spielman, executive director for AHTCC

Celebrating the Kelly Ridge honor are (from left) Karen Smyda, acquisitions director, Merritt Community Capital; Charles L. Edson, after whom the awards are named; Ancel Romero, ABHOW’s senior vice president for affordable housing; and Brittan Specht of the Of-fice of Congressman Tom McClintock, whose district includes South Lake Tahoe.


Corporate

Stories Seniority Launches New Initiative

Every morning at 9:30, members of the Piedmont Gardens and Grand Lake Gardens sales teams hud-

dle for 15 minutes to discuss the pressing issues of the day.

It’s a time to catch up on industry trends, share a com-

mon education topic and be inspired. The Daily Huddle

is part of a program

called Seniority Spirit,

a new hospitality and

culture formation

initiative that debuted

in December.

“Every Seniority

team member receives

the same message

every day,” says Teri

Conklin, vice presi-

dent of Seniority. “It’s

part informational,

part educational, and

part inspirational.”

Daily Huddles are held

in each sales office and

Seniority-managed community seven days a week, 365

days a year.

An e-mail containing the Seniority Spirit Daily Con-

nection is sent out each day at 3 p.m. for the next day’s

huddle. The Connection includes an educational topic, a

foundational highlight that reinforces the organization’s

service commitment, community announcements, birth-

days, and a quote of the day, with insights from leaders

ranging from Gandhi to George W. Bush.

Seniority, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABHOW,

provides management, sales, and development consult-

ing to senior living communities throughout the United

States. Seniority manages sales and marketing for all of

ABHOW’s continuing care retirement communities,

which include Grand Lake Gardens and Piedmont

Gardens, both located in Oakland, Calif.

When the group from Piedmont Gardens and Grand

Lake Gardens meet for a huddle, it’s a chance to make sure

the teams are on the same page.

“It’s expanded our lines of communication between the

two communities,” says Alison Tobin, director of sales and

marketing at Grand

Lake Gardens. “We

were already com-

municating well, but

this has definitely

enhanced it.”

The daily practice

has also minimized

voice messages and

e-mails because team

members know ex-

actly when they’ll see

each other.

On Fridays the

group shares a “Stellar

Story,” which features

a Seniority team member who has gone above and beyond

the call of duty to help a resident. Recently, they discussed

how Jena Jenkins, community relations manager at Valle

Verde in Santa Barbara, Calif., assisted a resident who

needed help by driving her across campus.

“This is a really great touchpoint,” says Robert Stivers,

director of sales and marketing at Piedmont Gardens. “We

can talk about any issues and encourage each other.”

Sales team members (from left) Emily Carrion, Alison Tobin, Robert Stivers,Teri Conklin and Jan Rudolph huddle at Piedmont Gardens.


Corporate

Stories ABHOW Staff Mark Major Milestone

Four ABHOW staff mem-bers celebrated a quarter century with the company this year. On May 5, Aging

Services of California honored their achievements with Silver Stars at a luncheon at the nonprofit trade association’s annual meeting in Long Beach.

Both Judy Lopez, a housekeeper at Plymouth Vil-

lage in Redlands and Gwen Hamilton, a housekeeper at

Piedmont Gardens in Oakland

came to ABHOW through family

members.

Hamilton, who is originally

from Savannah, Ga., moved

to California in the 1980s and

learned about Piedmont

Gardens through a sister who

worked there. She came to the

community in 1984 as a private duty nurse serving

residents.

“I wanted to get into housekeeping,” she recalls. She

took a position in that department in 1985. She enjoys

coming to work, she says, and she especially likes the

close relationships she has built with residents who

share their stories and their histories with her. Joey

Chui, her supervisor, says Hamilton is “well known and

well liked by all residents and staff.”

Lopez, born and raised in Redlands, was introduced to

Plymouth Village by her mother, who is now retired from

that community’s housekeeping department. “I love it

there,” Lopez says. “I enjoy working with the residents and

the workers. It’s a nice place to work.”

Lopez is “a very good worker and very attentive

to the residents—that’s her main concern,” says Irma

Fernandez, her supervisor. “She works wherever and

whenever we need her. She never

says no.”

Thomas Du, lead cook at

Plymouth Village, and Sindy Lee, a

housekeeper at Piedmont Gar-

dens, also received Silver Stars on

May 5.

Du has received other rec-

ognition in his long service at

Plymouth Village, but he doesn’t like the limelight, says

Executive Director Keith Kasin. “Everyone knows when

he has prepared the meal because of the extra attention

to detail and sprinkling of love that is somehow present,”

Kasin says.

Piedmont Gardens’ Chui says

Lee is extremely devoted to the resi-

dents at the East Bay community.

“She takes care of residents like she

takes care of her family,” says Chui.

Jeff Glaze, ABHOW senior vice

president and chief operations

manager, praised the recipients for

their dedication and hard work.

“Our employees never cease to amaze me,” he says. “I

am so proud of these four employees who have served

ABHOW and its residents for so many years and I am

honored to have them on our team.”

Hamilton

Lee

CORRECTION

The May edition of ABHOW Words incorrectly stated the password for the communications box. The password is box2010.

Lopez


ABHOW, National and State Web Sites: ABHOW: www.abhow.com

American Association of Homes and Services for

the Aging: www.aahsa.org

Aging Services of Arizona: www.azaha.orgAging Services of California: www.aging.orgAging Services of Washington: www.agingwa.org

“American Baptist Homes of the West, as an expression of Christian mission, seeks to enhance the independence, well-being and security of older people through the pro-vision of housing, health care and supportive services.”

Published by the Strategic Planning and Communications Department Kay Kallander, Senior Vice President e-mail [email protected] ABHOW Communications Box: http://www.abhow.com/about/communications_box (username: communications; password: box2010)

American Baptist Homes of the West 6120 Stoneridge Mall Rd. 3rd Floor Pleasanton, CA 94588 phone: 1-925-924-7150 or toll-free: 1-800-222-2469 fax: 1-925-924-7232

Sign Up for ABHOW E-News at www.abhow.com

Clara Chan Continued from page 6

assist in finding the resources necessary to make

those goals happen.

“Maybe someone always wanted to learn to

speak Spanish, but they never could seem to fit it

into their life or didn’t know how to get started,”

says Renner. “We’ll work with them to identify the

proper path, which could be finding a computer

program they can use privately in their own apart-

ment or taking a class at a local college. Masterpiece

Living is centered on personal fulfillment and devel-

opment at any age.”

While much of the focus has been on improving

Rosewood’s campus and lifestyle, the community is

also investing in its continuum of care. Rosewood

is upgrading its assisted living and skilled nursing

areas with new flooring, new staff work areas, and

new paint colors that create a warmer environment.

“For someone who knows Rosewood only from

seeing our building while passing by, there are a

lot of surprises awaiting them on the inside,” says

Renner. “We get people walking through here each

day saying, ‘I never knew this was such an attrac-

tive and active community.’ Our recent investments

only extend our commitment to surpassing people’s

expectations.”

This article originally appeared on www.rosewood-

retirement.org.

Rosewood Remodel Continued from page 4

all living in the U.S. My brother gave me airfare,

and I lived with him when I came over.” By 1981,

her other daughter and her two sons joined her.

Though the family was reunited, they still faced

considerable challenges. Chan’s English was rusty,

and she had not taught her children the language

because it was forbidden under China’s communist

regime. Because of the political climate, she had

been unable to find anyone willing to hire her in

China, so she lacked work experience. The best she

could offer a U.S. employer was the five years’ work

she had done at a San Francisco insurance firm

before she left for China in 1947.

Finally a niece found her a job cleaning apart-

ments in Oakland. Chan later worked in fast food

and as a sales clerk before retiring in 1988. When

she moved to Hillcrest Gardens in September 2008,

she says, “It was just like I won the lottery.”

She had happy times in China before the Cultur-

al Revolution, and she seldom looks back at the dif-

ficult years, she says. “If you’re sad, it doesn’t help.

You just have to see the bright side of everything. I

was not the only person affected at that time. Now

I’m happy here, and that’s the main point.”

volume 12 • issue 6 • june 2010 phoenix resident caps ... words 6101.pdf · continue both his...

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