Blog archive
March 2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Bruce Christensen - BEYOND THE VILLAGE
By Blog MasterPosted: 04/23/2022
BEYOND THE VILLAGE with Bruce Christensen
It was Bruce Christensen’s volunteer work that introduced him to the Pasadena Village. Bruce is a volunteer at the San Gabriel Valley LGBT Center. He is in charge of organizing the weekly gatherings for seniors at Pasadena’s Michillinda Park where they enjoy coffee & donuts or sack lunch and each other’s company. As Bruce explains, “Our issues are very different than younger people who identify as LGBTQ. The younger people are more concerned with social justice. We are too, but we’re also dealing with aging issues and just having community!”
Kären Bagnard reached out to the San Gabriel Valley LGBT Center on behalf of the Village. It was at one of the Michillinda Park gatherings that Bruce met Pasadena Village members Wayne April and Jeff Gutstadt. Wayne and Jeff regularly joined in with the group, and eventually invited Village member Karen to go with them. Bruce found they all had a lot in common, enjoyed each other’s company, and soon he had become a member of Pasadena Village.
Bruce grew up in Yucaipa, CA, the son of a Mormon Bishop. “I was in the closet, convinced I was broken.” He attended Brigham Young University, graduating with a degree in Marketing. He was also a Mormon Missionary for 2 years in Santiago Chile. During his college years he took advantage of study abroad programs to go to Paris France, Guadalajara Mexico, and Hawaii. Seeing more of the world broadened his view of human nature and helped him understand himself better. But it was not until he was an adult, in therapy, that he “came out of the closet.”
Even though his family more or less eventually accepted him as a gay man, he has always been trying to build his “family of choice.” Bruce is drawn to a quote from the gay writer Armistead Maupin who wrote in his memoir “Sooner or later, no matter where in the world we live, we must join the diaspora, venturing beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us.” This makes Bruce a natural connector. And once Bruce makes you part of his family – you are in for life!
As an example, Bruce has been coordinating a games group that has been meeting for over 30 years. The group of people worked together at a large insurance company. Bruce got involved 10 years ago and organizes weekly dinners for the group of former employees, including his supervisors. The members of the group are now in their 60’s and 70’s, and, with Bruce’s leadership, they support each other – even through disease and death.
During the pandemic Bruce learned of a librarian in Utah who was organizing “The Good Book Club” which was directed to appeal to former members of the Mormon religion. She arranged for some of authors to appear on Zoom to discuss recent books. Bruce helps coordinate that group by hosting the Zoom portion of the meetings. “We have a Facebook group of about 90, and 20-25 regularly show up for our book discussions.”
He also organizes a twice yearly beach party for people who have been members of high demand religions. It’s the Inter-faithless Family Beach Day picnic and around 100 people gather at Bolsa Chica State Beach for a barbeque featuring racks of spare ribs and a potluck. All of the people there have lived in a community that places enormous pressure on you to believe and conform. “It is cathartic to be here”, says Bruce, “we all have a similar story of having been cut off from family and friends.”
Perhaps it’s not surprising that when Bruce joined Pasadena Village he quickly signed up to be a volunteer driver, one of our most needed services. Bruce is a willing driver who does much more than take a Village member from Point A to Point B. He recently made a trial run to LAX in order to ensure that he would be able to park and escort our member into the terminal. He helps members who need rides to coordinate their appointments so that they can better manage their days. And he is, of course, already welcoming the members into his “logical family.”
Bruce Christensen is an example of someone who understands the strength that comes from “inter-dependence”, and his life experience has prepared him to create his circle of support, sometimes from family, but also from the myriad of people we meet in our lives who all have something to give – and something they need.