Credits and Kudos Credits & Kudos must include the writer’s name and mutual, and will be edited for brevity. Mention of a business or service is not an endorsement or recommendation by the LW News or Golden Rain Foundation.
Mutual 2 resident Sandy Esslinger of the American Legion Auxiliary thanks all Leisure World residents for supporting the recent food drive for veterans. It was the mos t successful drive yet and the veterans appreciate the donations.
Remember When
Editor’s note: Remember When is presented by the Leisure World Historical Society. Help make history live, tell your story, donate memorabilia, join the Historical Society. For more information, call Joan Shramek, president, at 430-9090 or visit the LW Museum from 2-4 p.m. Thursdays, in Clubhouse 1.
July 7, 1976 - “Leisure Worlders Aid Fellow Residents” was the headline in The News. A group called TAX I helped fellow residents fill out senior citizen property tax refund claims. The same assistance is now provided by Golden Age Foundation volunteers.
July 2, 1986 - Leisure World residents had the opportunity to demonstrate their ingenuity in preparing healthful foods in accordance with guidelines from the American Cancer Society. The cook-off was co-sponsored by the GAF and the American Cancer Society.
July 4, 1996 - The second exercise room opened in Clubhouse 5 to replace a small room in Clubhouse 1 that had been used for five years. The exercise room in Clubhouse 5 was replaced by an even larger facility in Clubhouse 6 in 2003.
JUST A COMMENT: The Leisure World Historical Society’s Museum is open Thursday afternoons. All residents are invited to stop in, view the exhibits and ask questions. The Museum is located on the side of Clubhouse 1 nearest the shuffleboard courts.
DigiDame High-Tech Column
The News introduces DigiDame, a blog by Lois Whitman, 80, who has spent 50 years in the high-tech industry as a trade reporter and publicist. Her stories, targeted for seniors, will be occasionally published in The News.
by Lois Whitman
This is going to be one of my favorite posts. The whole purpose of DigiDame was to give people over 50 new ideas on how they can reinvent them-
selves.
Just because we are finished with one career, doesn’t mean we can’t find real purpose in another.
Enter Sarah Oliver of Sarah Oliver Handbags, an American accessories company in Northern California. All her exquisite handbags are hand knitted by seniors, a.k.a. The Purlettes + 1.
After a busy career as a homemaker raising children, Sarah decided to open her own business with a mission “to re-engage seniors in the American economy and empower them with a new found sense of purpose and passion.”
I first learned about Sarah and The Purlettes on a recent episode of the TV show “Shark Tank.”
Sarah was asking for a $50,000 investment because her business has been growing faster than anticipated. She needed to buy yarn and other supplies in greater quantity so she can keep up with orders. She also had to keep The Purlettes busy.
Sarah came up with the idea of employing seniors because, as a young girl she used to knit with her mother and grandmother.
She asked seniors at The Redwoods Senior Retirement Community in northern California, if they would be interested in working with her. The response was an overwhelmingly “yes.”
The Purlettes hand knit every one of the bags. The seniors, whose average age is 88, produce about three handbags a week.
Some say they have never been happier in their lives.
Both Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner of Shark Tank ponied up the money and now Sarah has the benefit of consulting with two major business people.
Keep knitting away, please.
Perspectives Policy
Submissions in each of the following categories may be published at the discretion of the Publications Manager.
Letters to the Editor: Maximum number of words: 250. Letters should be typed and delivered to the Golden Rain News by email (preferred), regular mail, deposited in a white GRF drop box, or hand-delivered. Letters must be of general interest to the community and may contain opinions, suggestions, compliments, and complaints without being scurrilous, libelous, defamatory, repetitive or otherwise inappropriate. The names of individual
employees, titles, and/or departments will not be permitted in letters that could adversely impact any Foundation employee directly or indirectly.
Member Column: At a maximum 500 words, columns may present an argument or opinion or information about pending issues of concern to the community. Priority to first-time or less frequent writers. Some names will be omitted to protect individuals’ privacy.
Contributor: Restaurant review, theater review or travel journal submissions welcome subject to terms and conditions in the policy unless otherwise noted.
Political: Submissions concerning political issues outside of Leisure World and the City of Seal Beach will not be published