Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer
Helpful Village logo
Add me to your mailing list
Youtube channel Instagram page Facebook page
Header image for Pasadena Village showing nearby mountains and the logo of the Pasadena Village
Villager Log-in
Donate

Blog archive

November 2024

Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024

Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024

Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024

Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024

Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024

Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024

Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024

President's Message
11/21/2024

The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024

Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024

Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024

Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024

Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024

Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

Susan Carr and Adria Navarro - BEYOND THE VILLAGE

By Blog Master
Posted: 01/06/2021
Tags: bios

BEYOND THE VILLAGE

- Sue Kujawa -

 

When Susan Carr’s husband, Jim, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she turned to Alzheimer’s LA for help. As a Public Health Nurse who had worked for 40 years in the field, Susan knew how to find resources, and she found both resources and support from the staff and volunteers at Alzheimer’s LA. “They supported me on my six year journey. When I learned of his illness, I felt so alone. I realized it’s good to have someone to turn to who has been in the same situation and could guide me through the difficult decisions I faced.”

 

Susan became a strong advocate for her husband, and for others suffering from cognitive illnesses. She became a volunteer advocate for Alzheimer’s LA and focused on helping people in her community uncover resources to help deal with the many challenges that come with this disease. She co-founded Dementia Friendly Montrose, a community group based on a nationwide initiative that aims to improve the lives of those suffering with dementia.

 

After Jim’s death two years ago, Susan began building on the relationships she had formed with Alzheimer’s LA and with USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH). She shared her story with hospital executives and told them about the many people in the community who were reaching out to her for assistance. As a result, USC-VHH proposed the creation of a Community Resource Center focused on helping older adults.  As Susan explains, “The hospital wanted to do something for the community. I was only the catalyst.” In early 2020, with a generous grant from Navigage Foundation, the Community Resource Center for Aging (CRCA) became a reality.

 

During the days of dreaming and planning for a resource center, Susan often consulted with her friend and colleague, Adria Navarro. The two had collaborated on Dementia Friendly Montrose. Adria, a professor at Azusa Pacific University, had years of experience working with the Huntington Hospital’s Senior Care Network. Adria had also been a Board member of Pasadena Village and is now a member. It was a great stroke of serendipity when Adria was hired to be the Program Manager of the newly created CRCA.

 

Adria has always had a strong commitment to community. She finds great satisfaction in helping people navigate the system to access resources. Says Adria, “Our community resources can be so fragmented. I am thrilled to be able to go back to my roots, helping people seek support to meet their needs. USC-VHH has created a support network for older adults in our community at a very critical time."

 

Susan and Adria are examples of people who understand the value of community and the power of working together to achieve a larger goal. They bring expertise and experience that benefit our Pasadena Village. They receive friendship and support and practical help from the Village, and they go out into the world committed to making it a better place. We are grateful that they are examples of our impact “beyond the Village”.

Tagged as Bio
Blogs Topics Posts about this Topic