By Ryan Colligan
It’s not enough for businesses to be focused simply on doing business. Your values and what you represent are even more important than what you do. Connecting our company why with how it can be used to serve our community in an impactful way is something that we think about a lot.
Safe at Home Senior Care is a non-medical provider of in-home care services for the elderly in Santa Cruz County. Our why has always been about helping people. Steve Glenn, our founder, started Safe at Home in 2006 after witnessing his aunt being forced to move out of the comfort of her home because of her inability to live independently.
It was devastating for Steve to not only see his aunt forced to leave the home she had lived in her entire adult life but also see her health deteriorate immediately following the move. We opened our doors shortly after that incident with a mission to provide quality, compassionate, in-home care services to seniors enabling them to remain safe and independent in their own homes for as long as possible.
On Saturday, September 21st we had the opportunity to participate in the 25th annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
This event was one that aligned perfectly with our values. Every day we see the devastating impact Alzheimer’s disease has on our clients.
The scary thing is that the problem is only getting worse. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, by 2050 that figure is expected more than double to 14 million. We wanted to play an active role in contributing to fundraising for research and increased awareness that can one day lead to a cure.
I am proud to say that we raised over $6,500 for Alzheimer’s research through a total team effort. Our dedicated team of caregiving staff, schedulers, bookkeeper, human resource manager, client care coordinators and community sponsors were fully committed to fundraising for such a worthy cause.
What was even more impressive was the overwhelming support we received from the community. On race day, over thirty clients, staff and community partners came out to join and support us for the 5k walk along the beautiful shoreline of seascape beach.
After the walk, Pizza my Heart, one of our corporate sponsors, hosted us at their 41st avenue location for an afternoon pizza party. There, we quickly gained back the calories we had just burned off, shared some great laughs and recognized the contributions of several outstanding employees including those of our Care Provider of the Quarter, the amazing Irialdis Jimenez Rodriguez.
Caregivers like Irialdis, who are dedicated to serving individuals in need in our community, are the reason we are able to positively impact the lives of so many people. Recognizing and celebrating our outstanding caregivers and staff is a big part of who we are.
Reflecting back on our success with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise at all. Our employees, who are the true heart and soul of our company, are people that truly care about helping others. Collectively, that is our why.
The Alzheimer’s walk on Sept. 21st was one of our hows. Aligning our why with our how resulted in a powerful combination that not only helped us serve our community in an impactful way, it made us even stronger as a team.
