2020 News Events

Select the 2021 News Event You Wish to Review by Clicking the Name of the Article Below

Circuit Training Presentation

Help GAF while grocery shopping

KAA Contribution to GAF

Drive-through Shredding Event

GAF Presents $75,000 to GRF for Circuit Training Equipment

GAF President Anna Derby (front right), president of the Golden Age Foundation, with GAF Vice President John Hlavac (center back) handed over a $75,000 check for new circuit training equipment at the completely refurbished Fitness Center in Clubhouse 6. Accepting the gift was GFtF President Susan Hopewell with Recreation Director Terry DeLeon (far left) and Recreation Manager Tommy Fileto (far right).

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Help GAF While Grocery Shopping

The Golden Age Foundation (GAF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to making the Leisure World Seal Beach community a better place to live.

The LW community has been asked to stay home and social distance due to COVID-l9. The pandemic has caused rnore people to eat the food they buy at grocery stores instead of going out to eat. Now, there’s way to help to donate to The GAF without any additional payment.

The Ralphs rewards program helps LWers donate to GAF while they shop at no additional cost. Those interested  in participating will need their Ralphs Reward Card number to register or the phone number associated with their account. People can call the Ralph’s Reward registration phone number at (800) 443-4438 or go to www.ralphs.com. Make sure to give GAF’s ID number, FS 519, to complete registration.

Ralphs announced it committed to give $2 million during the next year through its Community Contributions program.

GAF currently has about 425 people who have signed up for Ralph’s Reward program, which generates around $1,545 every quarter and almost $6,000 a year.

Ralphs Reward program provides points for each shopper. By doing their regular grocery shopping and using their reward card, residents are helping GAF give back to the community.

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Korean American Association Contributes to GAF

Korean American Association (KAA) presented its annual donation of $1,000 to the Golden Age Foundation. The KAA has been a consistent donor since 2015. Because the pandemic affected many people in Leisure World and the country, it has, been difficult for community organizations such as the GAF to find donations to help them continue to do their community work.

(I-r) Yong Pyun, chairman of the Board , Sharon Yang, VP; Anna Derby, president of GAF; Won
S. Ryu, treasurer; Wook J. Cho, president of KAA.

The GAF appreciates KAA’s generosity to support the programs it has set up during pandemic to help shareholders who are in need.

The purpose of the KAA is to foster fellowship, create Korean cultural activities, promote the principles of good citizenship and encourage community services.

The KAA was established in May 2016. As of September 2020, over 450 residents with Korean ethnic background are registered as members.

The KAA meets quarterly every year, but has had to cancel the meetings due to COVID-19. The group keeps in touch with its members through monthly newsletters, phone calls and emails.

For more information about KAA, call Won S. Ryu at (714) 982-7793.

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Drive-through Shredding Event Sees Large Turnout

By Anna Derby & Linda Johnson, LW Contributors

The Golden Age Foundation’s drive-through shredding event on Nov. 5 was a huge success. The community’s willingness to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing was the main contributor to the event’s success.

Since this was the second drive-through shredding event the GAF has put on, most shareholders knew the drill to wait in their car until they arrived where GAF board members and volunteers waited to pick up their plastic or paper bags from their cars without contact.

The seemingly never-ending line kept moving from 10 a.m.-noon, and everyone was able to drop off their documents to be shredded.

Golden Age Foundation board members and volunteers saw 250 shareholders and helped
fill over 40 barrels of documents to shred at its latest shredding event.

The gracious mobile shredding truck driver, Raul Gamez, came in an half hour early to help shareholders load bags to be shredded.

Close to 250 shareholders showed up to the event, and the certificate of destruction, the company issued, said 40 barrels were filled. The group usually fills an average of 25 to 28 barrels, making it seem as if shareholders have been doing some deep cleaning as COVID-19 restrictions stay in place.

GAF also collected a little over two buckets of batteries instead of its average one bucket per event.

Shareholders who missed the opportunity to discard old and used batteries can goto the alley behind Building 5 to drop off their batteries in a bucket labeled “Old Batteries”at any time.

The GAF would like to thank its eight volunteers, Carl Kennedy, Linda Johnson, Ren Villanueva, Geneva Potepan, Rosemarie Da Roza, John Hlavac, Supara Ratanasadudi and event coordinator Anna Derby, for their help in making the event run smoothly. It would also like to thank Paul Pridanonda, who jumped in to help when he saw a huge pile of shredding bags that needed to be carried.

The GAF is grateful to the Leisure World community for its continued support of GAF events. All donations support GAF programs and events, including Mobility Aids.

During the pandemic, Mobility Aids program director, John Hlavac, and phone volunteers have been able to supply the community with needed wheelchairs and walkers. For information regarding a mobility aid, call (562) 4319589 and leave a message.

The next shredding event will be held sometime in March2021.

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