2021 News Events

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

Shredding Event Tuesday, July 13

Mobility Aids Needs Volunteers

Battery Recycling

Raise Your Hands Event Successful

New Tax Deadline Make Tax Appointment Now

24,000 Disposable Face Masks Distributed to Church Services at L.W. Amphitheater

Shredding Event Disaster Averted by Strength of Community

All Appointments Filled for GAF Tax Help

GAF Distributes Donated Masks to Residents and Employees of GRF

AARP Tax Program

Drop Off Shredding Service is Happening March 4

The Difference Between the GRF and GAF

Shredding Service, Tuesday, July 13

GAF Shredding Service will happen in the CH 2 parking on Tuesday, July 13 with drop and go only, no waiting line.

Golden Age Foundation (GAF) sponsors a free shredding service which will be held in the CH 2 parking lot providing shredding service to all shareholders. The event will be held on Tuesday, July 13th, from 10 a.m. to noon. Since the GRF Board has allowed the reopening of amenities based on State and CDC guidelines, it is not mandatory to wear face mask.

GAF would like to remind you of the following rules in order to have a safe shredding service possible.

All shareholders are asked to drop and go.
No cardboard boxes will be allowed to drop,
Only plastic or Brown recycle bag will allow to be dropped, There will be no chairs to sit, no line will be allowed.
GAF volunteers will guard the bags until a truck arrives to shred onsite.

For a better shredding service, we would like to remind shareholders:

Remove staples and paper clips.
No electronic devices will be accepted. Contaminated bags will be turned away.

The next Shredding date will be November 2021, the date will be announced through L.W. Weekly.

Golden Age Foundation asks shareholders not to bring used consumer batteries to the Shredding site. Consumer batteries, including hearing aid batteries, can be dropped off at the orange buckets in the Building Five alley.

The Golden Age Foundation is an independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to serving the residents of Seal Beach Leisure World. Its purpose is to make our community a better and happier place in which to live. The Foundation was established in 1973 and is not affiliated with the Golden Rain Foundation.

All Golden Age programs are provided free to Leisure World shareholders. The Foundation is entirely staffed by volunteers, so all contributions go directly to meeting community needs. The generous support of shareholders, residents, clubs, organizations and businesses is the main source of income. The Foundation’s programs and projects are made possible by the volunteer efforts of so many.

Donations are welcome.
Any question, please contact Anna Derby at (562) 301-5339.

Return to TOP

Mobility Aids Needs Volunteers

The Mobility Aids program of the Golden Age Foundation (GAF) is looking for a few good people to volunteer once a week to help residents obtain mobility aids. The job entails sitting in the storeroom during the hours of 12:30-2:30. It means dealing with neighbors who need assistance selecting the most appropriate mobility aid, fitting that aid to the resident, and dealing with the paperwork. The job requirements are first and foremost to like meeting a wide variety of people while being patient with those who have a need for assistance. The ability to write clearly is a real plus, because we use a paper based system. Reliability is very important, because other people are depending on you. The room is staffed by only one person at a time. Being a good listener is a strong plus, because people sometimes come in with an idea of what they want, while you feel that something else would better suit their needs. A good volunteer knows when a suggestion of something else is appropriate and when to just give them what they want. Having a good sense of humor helps a lot, especially when a number of people all show up at the same time. Finally, having used a mobility aid yourself in the past is a natural advantage.

If you think that you’d like to help out, please call the Golden Age Foundation voice mailbox at (562) 431-9589 and leave your contact information. The Golden Age Foundation is the nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to serving the special needs of Seal Beach Leisure World shareholders. We are happy to provide mobility aids free of charge to residents.

Return to TOP

Battery Recycling

GAF Battery collection is available in the alley behind Building Five

Hearing Aid batteries can go to the GAF battery Collection Bucket located behind the alley of Building Five.

Golden Age Foundation sponsors several programs to enhance the quality of life of Leisure World of shareholders.

The Environmental Program is one of the services to collect small consumer batteries and fluorescent light bulbs to save the earth from contamination.

Post-pandemic, there is a collection bucket in the L.W. Weekly office and in the CH 6 downstairs Hospitality area for shareholders convenience, just drop them off whenever convenient.

The Golden Age Foundation (GAF) Board decided to have a separate collection from the Shredding Service to avoid the risk of the mixing of shredding documents and battery collection. Until further notice, please drop off small batteries in the Building Five alley orange buckets shown in the attached photo. A GRF employee will pick up these buckets to be taken to the maintenance yard and be picked up by an outside contractor. Hearing aid batteries are welcome to be placed in the recycling buckets. No printer cartridges please.

Please keep an eye on the L.W. Weekly for a further notice of a separate battery collection event. In the meantime, GAF would like to ask everyone to use these buckets for their consumer battery discard not to throw them away in the trash bins.


The Golden Age Foundation is an independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to serving the residents of Seal Beach Leisure World. Its purpose is to make our community a better and happier place in which to live. The Foundation was established in 1973 and is not affiliated with the Golden Rain Foundation.


All Golden Age programs are provided free to Leisure World shareholders. The Foundation is entirely staffed by volunteers, so all contributions go directly to meeting community needs. The generous support of shareholders, residents, clubs organizations and businesses is the main source of income. The Foundation’s programs and projects are made possible by the volunteer efforts of so many.


Any questions, call Anna Derby at (562) 301-5339.

Return to TOP

The Raise Your Hands Event Successful

RAISE YOUR HANDS event went smoothly to come up with a colorful banner, 

The Golden Rain Foundation hosted three days of Raise Your Hands event in front of Club House 6 under the huge tent.  With community support,  in a couple days the solidarity banner was filled with colorful hand prints by shareholders, many OptumCare staff and GRF employees, therefore on Saturday April 3rd the event had to be cancelled. 

Golden Age Foundation volunteers were there to help participants to get their hands wet with Green, Blue, Red and Yellow on the first day and Burgundy Red,  Green, Blue and Orange by mixing some colors to show the richness of all the cultures the community presents. 

From L to R: Carl Kennedy, Jan Kuhl, Anna Derby, Rosemarie Da Roza and Juleen Wise.

On behalf of the community and shareholders, GAF would like to thank all of our volunteers who helped to move smoothly and steadily to get their hands soak wet to leave clear, colorful handprints.

Return to TOP

New Tax Deadline Make Tax Appointment Now

The IRS has extended the filing deadline for your 2020 federal tax return to May 17, 2021. Therefore, the AARP Tax Program sponsored by the Golden Age FoundaJon (GAF) has extended their Tax preparaJon service to May 5, 2021. They are open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. You must have an appointment. No Walk-ins are allowed due to Covid-19 restricJons.

To schedule an appointment, call (562) 596-1987. Leave your name and telephone number. A GAF volunteer will call you back. Please answer your telephone even though the calling number will not be familiar to you or may be a blocked number.

AXer you schedule an appointment, you will be directed as to where you can pick up the Intake/ Interview sheet and other documents to complete at home before your appointment. These Interview sheets will NOT be available at the Library this year.

At your appointment, you will be interviewed using the Intake/Interview sheet wearing a mask and following the socially distancing rules. This will be done on the paJo of Clubhouse 3 outside of the new Knowledge and Learning Center across from the Library. An AARP volunteer will scan all of your documents to a secure server. AXer the documents are scanned, they will be returned to you and you will schedule an appointment to return the following week to pick-up your completed federal and state returns.

Your returns will be prepared and Quality Reviewed by IRS-cerJfied Tax-aide counselors working at home using your scanned documents. Only the counselors assigned to your return will have access to your scanned documents. The electronic files will be restricted to view only. The Tax-aide will be unable to copy, print, share or download the file. All returns will be prepared using Tax Slayer Pro Online soXware over a secure Internet connecJon.

When you return, we will review the completed return with you and secure your signature on the documents that allow us to e-file your return. AXer the return is finalized, it will be e-filed that day and your scanned documents will be deleted within 48 hours aXer being accepted by IRS and the Franchise Tax Board.

Some returns do not meet our Scope guidelines and we will not be able to prepare them. We will only prepare returns for full-year residents of California for 2020. If you are married, you must file a Married Filed Joint return. We do not prepare returns with Rental Property or the sale of anything other than your California residence or stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

New Scope restricJons: We will NOT prepare any Schedule C’s for Self-employed individuals. If you have a Broker statement for the sale of stock or other commodiJes, it cannot exceed 15 pages. We will not prepare any Amended returns for 2020 or prior years. If you received a distribuJon from an IRA or reJrement plan and plan to include the amount in income over the next 3 years OR plan to repay the amount in 3 years, we cannot prepare your return.

Return to TOP

24,000 Disposable Face Masks Distributed to Church Services in L.W. Amphitheater

The Golden Age Foundation has received another generous donation of disposable face masks from Global Specialty Services. Global Specialty Services, located in Dallas, is a rapid-response contractor specializing in environmental response & disaster recovery assisting all levels of government.

This brings the total number of 3 PLY Disposable Face Masks donated by Global Specialty Services to 24,000. The Foundation has continued to work with the Golden Rain Foundation to distribute these masks to those shareholders who may have been unable to obtain masks as well as those who work behind the scene in Leisure World providing much needed services to our community.

After GAF distributed to the community front liners and behind the scene staff to keep our community safe, the last box of disposable face masks were distributed to two churches.

Leisure World Baptist Church has averaged approximately 49 members attending their Sunday morning Amphitheater Worship Service at 9:30 to 10:30 during the past 7 weeks. They place a box of the face masks so generously provided by the Golden Age Foundation for their members and others to extract from a box for their individual use. They look forward to warmer weather and the opportunity to return to inside Worship Services upon approval by GRF, where they usually experience an average of 73 to 83 attendees. They received 1,000 face masks.

Leisure World Assembly of God Church meets in the Amphitheater on Sunday at 11 a.m. Face mask and social distancing is required to attend. Chuck & Sheryl Franco are the Lead Pastors. They have average of 60 attendees. Those 800 face masks will help them a lot while gathered in the Amphitheater on Sunday service.

With this additional donation we have been able to provide masks to our Club House custodial staff and their families as well as our landscaping companies and gardeners.

We are grateful we can help to insure the safety of our community by providing masks to all those who work here.

The Golden Age Foundation extends our deep gratitude to Mr. Larry Dunn, CEO of Global Specialty Services who generously donated these masks and Mr. Michael Rettig who facilitated the donation.

Also we would like to thank Diana Harrison and Gina for placing a bridge to connect Larry Dunn, CEO of Global Specialty Services in Dallas Texas to Golden Age Foundation . Without their connection, all of these 24,000 disposable face masks to our community distribution wouldn’t have happened.

Submitted by Anna Derby, President Golden Age Foundation

Return to TOP

Shredding Event Disaster Averted by Strength of Community

The Golden Age Foundation held its quarterly Shredding Event on March 4th and it was anything but ordinary. The shredding service started at 10am and it had to stop about hour into the program due to a fire in the shredding truck. The fire created thick smoke and odors which spread very quickly.

What could have been a disaster was averted by help from:
— our Golden Rain Foundation Security which quickly responded directing traffic away from the fire
— from our GRF Maintenance Crew that quickly began to clean up a mountain of debris from shredded documents that had to be removed from the truck and dumped onto parking lot
—from our GRF Recreation Department Staff which responded by sending out a L.W Live announcement cancelling the shredding event.

All of these Golden Rain staff along with the truck driver Raul Gamez from the shredding company and clubhouse custodian Valente Gonzalez were there from the beginning and stayed until 1 p.m. to make sure the parking lot was cleaned of debris and that debris was put back on the truck.

Fortunately the Golden Rain Foundation owns a forklift which made the clean up go quickly. A big thank you to Jaime Morales, forklift driver and Steve Staley, GRF Maintenance staff who made sure all went well.

With the Mobile Shredding company’s understanding and cooperation, GAF was able to reschedule the 2nd Shredding Service on March 11 to complete the event by taking shareholders documents for those who didn’t get to bring it on March 4th.

Fortunately our second shredding event was the day after the big rain and wind storm. It was a beautiful sunny day. We had a steady flow of shareholders who were happy to bring their documents to shred.
A second day truck driver Alex Guiterrez was very pleasant, and big help.

We would like to thank our board members, Carl Kennedy, John Hlavac, Geneva Potepan, Linda Johnson, event coordinator Anna Derby and our volunteer Ren Villanueva for their help in making this event so successful. Also we would like to thank volunteers, Supara Ratanasadudi, Paul Pridanonda, Board Linda Johnson who helped unloaded shareholders document from their vehicle on March 4th Shredding event.

We would like to thank for those who generously donated as they exit. Between two separate events, GAF served total of 450 shareholders.

The Golden Age Foundation is very grateful to the community for its continued support of GAF events. The Golden Age Foundation looks forward to the next shredding event, which should be held in July. the date will be announced through L.W. Weekly.

For more information, go to GoldenAgeFdn@org. By Anna Derby

Return to TOP

All Appointments Filled for GAF Tax Help

The AARP Tax-Aide Program sponsored by the Golden Age Foundation (GAF) begins Monday, March 8. Volunteers will prepare and e-file returns on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. 

All appointments have been filled. More than 260 appointments were made, fewer than in a normal 10-week tax season. This year, the program is only six weeks long, due to factors related to COVID-19, and there are fewer free programs being offered in the area, so the GAF tax program was swamped with calls. 

For residents who received appointments, your tax return documents will be scanned when you arrive, and you will return the following week to pick up the completed return.

 For a full overview of the process, see the tax articles in the LW Weekly on Feb. 18 and 25. 

You must be a full-year California resident and, if married, file a Married Filing Joint return. 

The program does not prepare returns with rental property or the sale of anything other than your California residence or stocks, bonds and mutual funds. It will not handle Schedule Cs for self employed individuals or amended returns. 

Broker statement cannot exceed 15 pages. Residents who were unable to get a GAF appointment can file taxes for free at IRS.gov. Click on the “File Your Taxes for Free” icon and follow the prompts. 

Return to TOP

GAF Distributes Donated Masks to Residents and Employees of GRF

February, 2021

The Golden Age Foundation has received another generous donation of disposable face masks from Global Specialty Services.   Global Specialty Services, located in Dallas, is a rapid-response contractor specializing in environmental response & disaster recovery assisting all levels of government.  

This brings the total number of 3 PLY Disposable Face Masks donated by Global Specialty Services to 24,000.  The Foundation has continued to work with the Golden Rain Foundation to distribute these masks to those shareholders who may have been unable to obtain masks as well as those who work behind the scene in Leisure World providing much needed services to our community. 

With this additional donation we have been able to provide masks to our Club House custodial staff and their families as well as our landscaping companies and gardeners.

We are grateful we can help to insure the safety of our community by providing masks to all those who work here.

The Golden Age Foundation extends our deep gratitude to Mr. Larry Dunn, CEO of Global Specialty Services who generously donated these masks and Mr. Michael Rettig who facilitated the donation.

Submitted by Anna Derby, President Golden Age Foundation

Return to TOP

AARP Tax Program

The AARP Tax Program sponsored by the Golden Age Foundation (GAF) will open on March 8, 2021 subject to BOD approval at the February 23rd board meeting.  We plan to be open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings through April 14, 2021.  You must have an appointment.  No Walk-ins are allowed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The program will work a little differently this year.  After you schedule an appointment, you will be sent an Intake/Interview sheet and other documents to complete at home before your appointment.  These Interview sheets will NOT be available at the Library this year.  

At your appointment, you will be interviewed using the Intake/Interview sheet wearing a mask and following the socially distancing rules.  This will be done on the patio of Clubhouse 3 outside of the new Learning Center across from the Library.  The AARP volunteer will scan all of your documents to a secure server.   After the documents are scanned, they will be returned to you and you will schedule an appointment to return the following week to pick-up your completed federal and state returns. 

Your returns will be prepared and Quality Reviewed by IRS-certified Tax-aide counselors working at home using your scanned documents.  Only the counselors assigned to your return will have access to your scanned documents.  The electronic files will be restricted to view only.  The Tax-aide will be unable to copy, print, share or download the file.  All returns will be prepared using Tax Slayer Pro Online software over a secure Internet connection.  

When you return, we will review the completed return with you and secure your signature on the documents that allow us to e-file your return.  After the return is finalized, it will be e-filed that day and your scanned documents will be deleted within 48 hours after being accepted by IRS and the Franchise Tax Board.  

Some returns do not meet our Scope guidelines and we will not be able to prepare them.  We will only prepare returns for full-year residents of California for 2020.  If you are married, you must file a Married Filed Joint return.  We do not prepare returns with Rental Property or sale of anything other than your California residence or stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.   

New Scope restrictions:  We will NOT prepare any Schedule C’s for Self-employed individuals.  If you have a Broker statement for the sale of stock or other commodities, it cannot exceed 15 pages.  We will not prepare any Amended returns for 2020 or prior years.  If you received a distribution from an IRA or retirement plan and plan to include the amount in income over the next 3 years OR plan to repay the amount in 3 years, we will not prepare your return.

Return to TOP


Drop Off Shredding Service Happening March 4

GAF Shredding Service  in CH 2 parking on Thursday, March 4th, with drop and go only, no line to wait, 

Golden Age Foundation (GAF)  sponsors free shredding service and will be in the CH 2 parking lot to help shareholders with shredding, on Thursday, March 4th, between 10:00 and noon. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we’re experiencing, social distancing is strictly enforced and shareholders must wear a face mask when they drop off their shredding materials.

GAF would like to remind all that the following rules are in order to have shredding service possible. 

All shareholders are asked to drop and go.

No cardboard boxs will be allowed.

Only plastic or brown recycle bag will be allowed.

There will be no chairs on which to sit, no line will be allowed.

GAF volunteers will guard bags until the truck arrives to shred onsite. 

For better shredding service, we would like to remind shareholders:

Remove staples and paper clips.

No electronic devices will be accepted. 

Contaminated bags will be turned away.

Recycle Batteries

Golden Age Foundation also sponsors small battery disposal. Bring any consumer used batteries to the shredding event for disposal.

No printer cartridges, hearing aids batteries please.

The next shredding date will be in July 2021 and will be announced through L.W. Weekly.

The Golden Age Foundation is an independent nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to serving the residents of Seal Beach Leisure World. Its purpose is to make our community a better and happier place in which to live. The Foundation was established in 1973 and is not affiliated with the Golden Rain Foundation. 

All Golden Age programs are provided free to Leisure World shareholders. The Foundation is entirely staffed by volunteers, so all contributions go directly to meeting community needs. The generous support of shareholders, residents, clubs organizations and businesses is the main source of income. The Foundation’s programs and projects are made possible by the volunteer efforts of so many. 

Donations are welcome. 

Any question, please contact Anna Derby at (562) 301-5339.

Return to TOP


Learn the Difference Between the GRF and GAF

Despite having very similar names, the Golden Age Foundation (GAF) and the Golden Rain Foundation (GRF) are two completely separate organizations.

The Golden Rain Foundation is the non-profit corporation that manages the shared property of Leisure World. This corporation has employees; an executive director, Randy Ankeny; and a board of directors that sit on numerous committees, such as recreation, physical property, finance, communications and security, among others.

Every resident of Leisure World is a member of the GRF, which is why residents are called shareholders. The Golden Rain Foundation is funded by a portion of your monthly carrying charge.

The Golden Age Foundation, on the other hand, operates separately from the GRF.

The GAF is, legally speaking, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It has a small board of directors. Every person in the organization is a volunteer with no paid staff.

Our mission is to make the community a better and happier place in which to live. The GAF’s funding is dependent on contributions. When we get a large bequest, which happens occasionally, it usually is designated for a specific project.

The next time you are at the gym, take a look at the plaque on the wall next to the elevator. The gym equipment was mostly provided in 2013 by a bequest from Jack Schiffler funneled through our organization. Because the GAF doesn’t have employees, it works with the Golden Rain Foundation, who pays the staff that makes the gym run smoothly and efficiently.

When we don’t get a large bequest like the one for the gym equipment, we still strive to make life better using the other donations that we receive.

Programs like the Hospitality Center in clubhouse 6, the tax preparation program, the paper shredding program, the battery recycling program and the mobility aid program are all examples of GAF’s efforts. All of these programs are provided to residents free of charge, with the GAF picking up the tab.

The driving force for the Golden Age Foundation is in the mission statement to improve life in Leisure World.

The GAF is always accepting donations, both large and small. If you’re making your will or trust and want to help make LeisureWorld a better place, consider including the GAF. We appreciate every donation because every gift helps us achieve our goal.

LWers are invited to consider becoming members and helping GAF make Leisure World better. Nothing happens in our organization without the dedication and effort of our volunteers. They are the heart and soul of the Golden Age Foundation.

The Foundation’s Tax ID is 23-7273105; it can be reached at P.O. Box 2369, Seal Beach, CA 90740

For more information go to www.goldenagefdn.org or leave a message at (562) 431-9589.

Return to TOP