Áegis Living ‘Transform a Life’ Program Receives Prestigious CALA Elevate Award
November 6, 2018
SEATTLE–Áegis Living, a national leader in senior assisted living and memory care, is honored to announce its Transform a Life program has been chosen from hundreds of entries to receive the California Assisted Living Association (CALA) Elevate Award. This top award recognizes an assisted living, memory care, and CCRC provider who creates and implements a program that elevates residents’ and staff members’ quality of life while engaging the community.
“For its impact on individuals in need and organizations that serve them, CALA is pleased to recognize Aegis Living’s Transform a Life program as this year’s Elevate Award recipient,” said Jan Trofino, vice president of Workforce and Professional Development, CALA.
The Transform a Life program challenges employees to change the life of an individual in a positive way, with an underlying goal to encourage staff social responsibility. Teams of senior management from all Aegis Living locations receive an initial $500 company contribution toward a service project they determine, often fundraising or contributing themselves. The blank canvas sparks a collaborative conversation and bond of purpose.
Most activities focus on solving root causes of people’s problems, rather than a quick fix. This past year, nine Transform a Life teams addressed a wide range of needs including: contributions to San Diego-based Kitchens for Good, helping a family that lost their home in the Napa fires, and supporting a former foster child and several at risk youth. The recipients of the program benefit from strangers investing in them; the hope is that one day they, too, will give back to someone in need and make a difference in someone’s life.
“A big part of our job is ‘giving’ every day, but this is an opportunity to reflect on the larger purpose of our lives and the power we have when we come together,” says Dwayne J. Clark, founder and CEO, Aegis Living. “Participants report it is the most emotionally draining yet rewarding program they have ever been a part of, with the camaraderie built within teams a recipe for improved team work and staff retention which ultimately benefits residents in our communities.”
Results are shared at Aegis Living’s annual EPIC leadership event (Empowering People, Inspiring Consciousness), a non-business focused program that inspires participants to be the best they can be. Transform a Life results are also featured on a wall in Aegis Living’s Home Office, reminding staff and visitors of the company’s foundational culture of corporate philanthropy and the importance of helping others.
Áegis Living is a national leader in assisted living and memory care. The privately-held company founded in 1997 is headquartered in Bellevue, WA, and operates 30 communities in Washington, California and Nevada.
