December 2009

Greetings Members, Friends and Supporters of Sunset Hall,

Over the years your support of Sunset Hall has been absolutely critical and, on behalf of the hundreds of people whose lives have been enriched by living at the Hall or through participating in the programs, please accept our thanks and deep appreciation.

Jennie, Barbara and Joyce have the ability to express themselves, and remain involved with world issues and engaged with likeminded seniors through the unique classes, discussions, social and cultural programs and events offered through the Sunset Hall curriculum at Bethany Towers. Our curriculum is based on adult models of learning. They are very successful, with a high rate of participation.

This has been another successful year in the development of new directions for Sunset Hall. In the coming year, Sunset Hall will continue to creatively serve a much larger number of seniors in our community. We are happy to announce that in 2010 we are embarking on a pilot project to sponsor classes at Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing, Triangle Square, Hollywood! We are looking forward to an exciting new collaboration to serve new friends in another free-thinking community. Watch for more information in early 2010!

During the first eleven months of the 2009 calendar year, we averaged 775 participant visits per month in the classes, discussions, social and cultural events, a total of 7,750 for the year so far. Jennie, Barbara and Joyce are only three of the many individuals who regularly participate in our curriculum. In 2009, we have added many new classes and cultural opportunities to our curriculum. Our health and wellness classes have grown to include meditation, wellness education, and we have added a Memory Fitness class. We have also successfully established a companion transport service to medical appointments for the Bethany Towers community.

Due to state and federal budget cuts, LAUSD is no longer able to sponsor most of the adult enrichment classes they once offered the community. In September, LAUSD discontinued sponsorship of the Art, Spanish, Current Events and Life Journeys classes offered through Sunset Hall. Sunset Hall remains committed to our members who participate in those valuable classes.

It was imperative that unique versions of these classes continue to be included in the Sunset Hall curriculum. They are among the most popular classes we offer. Your support will help us make this possible over the next year as we seek other sources of support for these classes.

We cannot achieve our goals without you. It is more important now than ever, as we continue to develop our programs and serve seniors at new sites, as well as sustaining our existing curriculum at Bethany Towers.

The programs and activities we have developed are truly extraordinary and constitute a significant part of life for many people; but in themselves they do not generate the money necessary to make them happen. Your support will also assure Sunset Hall’s ability to work with other intentional senior communities, including Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing, Triangle Square, Hollywood to build a network of partnerships to bring our “College Curriculum” to many others. Our task is to nourish ways for seniors to be engaged and vital, and to create an intergenerational and multi-cultural way to live right here in Los Angeles. Your financial support now will help make that happen.

Our program has been vital for 86 years because of our ability to evolve to meet the changing needs of our members. Our mission continues and is developing in unprecedented and creative ways. Your contribution is a commitment to the future of Sunset Hall’s extraordinary legacy. With your support, Sunset Hall will be here for another 86 years, and longer, for the benefit of future generations of freethinking people, and for our own benefit as we reach our senior years.

Warmest regards from all the seniors served by Sunset Hall in the past, all those to be served now, and in the future,

Fred Aronow
President, Board of Directors

Wendy Caputo
Executive Director Joyce Duca

PS: Your contribution can be given as an honorarium or memorial. It can also be given on a monthly basis throughout the year, or as a bequest through a will or life insurance policy, and is tax deductible as defined by law. Sunset Hall is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization. And your support is also welcome through volunteering, or perhaps you have a special talent that you would like to share with our community?

PS: Save the Date! Our Annual Garden Party will be held Sunday, May 2nd 2010, featuring the Fred Sokolow Jazz Quartet. Keep your eye out for program updates and information in our newsletter and on our website in the coming months!

Support Sunset Hall by Making a Donation Today (pdf)
Remit donation to: Sunset Hall 1745 North Gramercy Place, Hollywood, CA 90028