GAF COVID Response

Golden Age Foundation 2nd Washable Face Mask Give Away

24,000 Disposable Face Masks to the Community, Donated by Global Specialty Services

Golden Age Foundation Works with L.W Mutual  to Help Neighbors

GAF Sews Many Masks for Community


Golden Age Foundation 2nd Washable Face Mask Give Away

Golden Age Foundation (GAF) had the 2nd washable face mask give away on Friday, June 12th,  at  Veteran’s Plaza.  To be a part of “Community Strong” program, to help shareholders to protect others from spread COVID-19 virus, GAF board had 1st mask give away on May 15th with over 650 face masks made by fellow neighbors and this is the 2nd give away with 500 plus washable face masks.

On behalf Golden Age Foundation and Diana Harrison who co-chaired with Anna Derby to come up over 1,000 face masks, would like to thank all of our 50  volunteers: sewers, fabric cutters, elastic cutters and runners to get wheels move.

One packet for one shareholder only. There were limited items and first come first serve. Event coordinator asked to honor social distancing  while in line and asked shareholders not to form line before 1:30 p.m. Anyone coming to this event had to cover their mouth by either scarf or and handkerchief if you don’t have a face mask to use. 

The Golden Age Foundation is nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to serving the special needs of Seal Beach Leisure World shareholders. Its purpose is to make the community a better and happier place in which to live. Life is measured by the good that we do for one another through organization such as this. When there is a well-defined need calling for a solution, the Golden Age Foundation will fill it whenever possible.

This washable face masks give away was a perfect project in the difficult times we’re facing with stay home and social distancing to flatten the curve of COVID-19 virus. 

Because Golden Age Foundation has been certified as a nonprofit organization by the Internal Revenue Service, contributions made to it qualify for exemption from income taxes, in most cases.

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24,000 Disposable Face Masks to the Community, Donated by Global Specialty Services

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.

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Golden Age Foundation Works with L.W Mutual  to Help Neighbors

On April 30th, GAF Board swiftly had a special virtual meeting to pass the motion to begin the community urgent project to produce face masks as many as we could by asking community to calling volunteers to help this never been before situation. 

After a couple publicity calling out those who would be able to sew, cut the fabrics or be a runner  to contribute the project and it came as a big surprise that how much our community has warm hearts to give for others. When we had over 55 volunteers responses under Diana Harrison and Anna Derby’s co-coordinating chair, we knew we would have hundreds and thousands of face masks by these 55 volunteers. 

It has been 5 months GAF had supplied to community from two major outdoor give away events in Veterans Plaza,  delivered over a couple hundred shareholders who couldn’t be in the line to get them but needed desperately , donated to CERT club, Pathways for their volunteers to make sure to protect and now to 16 Mutual leaders for homebound neighbors.  

All these distribution took about 2,500 face masks and remaining of about 2,000  face masks will be distributed to Mutual and would like to hear from them where to deliver these precious handmade face masks by our compassionate volunteers.

Once again, Golden Age Foundation would like to thank all those over 55 volunteers for their time, hearts to help our neighbors and it has been the biggest successful project in recent years.

So far, 6 Mutual has been received their shares of face masks from GAF.

Photo: From L to R: Phil Mendeville, M 11 Rep, Carol Ginthner, M 3 President; Anna Derby, President of GAF; Jeri Dolch, M 8 Pres.; Cathy Gassman, M 17 President received 100 handmade washable face masks and asked them if possible  to distribute for those who couldn’t come out to get them even if it is necessary.  

For more information, please contact Anna Derby at (562) 301-5339.

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GAF Sews Many Masks for Community

As Golden Age Foundation wraps up their newest project which began to help shareholders from protect Covid 19 virus as pandemic came like big wave to declare the lockdowns by CA Governor, L.A City Mayor and GRF Board decided to close down all our amenities and facilities from using.

Celeste Lowe, one of sewer who produced many face masks for GAF project

It was March 16, and Celeste already started to help her sister, 

She was asked by Presbyterian Hospital in Whittier to donate PPE as the hospital was in short supplies. Since she has a small dental office in Whittier, she could only donate a small amount, but offered to sew cloth masks. The materials donated by the hospital and face masks are 100% cotton plus and they added a fused layer of interfacing inside. All the face masks are washable. They also sewed scrub hats, large bags for scrub gowns, 

All those face masks Celeste sewed have an opening so that people can put in their own filters. In total Celeste thinks she sewed more than 1,000 face masks. All have been donated to different agencies, and to Leisure World

I started sewing LW masks after the newspaper article from Diana Harrison appeared in the LW paper. I am guessing late March early April.

As far as masks numbers sewn for LW, I would say around 700. The rest went to other organizations and medical centers

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