FOL Winter Newsletter 2022

FOUNTAINOFLIFE

Hellofriends!

The weather has been cold for quite some time nowandtheLunarNewYeararoundthecorner!It truly seems like just yesterday when Fountain of Lifeopenedourdoors!

Fountain of Life is a nonprofit organization that was established in June 2022 to transform the qualityoflifeforAsianseniorslivingintheKansas Citycommunity.Manyhaverecognizedthesocial and emotional needs of seniors. However, Asian seniors who cannot communicate proficiently in English often face cultural and linguistic barriers in accessing and utilizing the programs and services offered by local senior centers and community centers. It was in response to this overwhelming community need that Fountain of Lifewasbirthed.

During the past 6 months, Fountain of Life has been delighted to serve as a welcoming place of belonging for Asian seniors. Some of our most popular programs include our 3-day-a-week virtual exercise group, educational Healthy Aging Series, and monthly field trips! Our Hot Pot Fall Social was also rousing success with nearly 50 seniorsinattendance!

We’re beyond thankful for the donors and volunteers who have made all of this all possible! We would like to share with you the wonderful memories that have been made at Fountain of Life this past summer and fall. We invite you to stayconnectedtoourcommunity!

LAUNCH SHOWER

Getting prepared to serve Asian seniors!

On July 23, 2022, we hosted our Launch Shower, an opportunity to share with the community about our mission and collect items needed to “launch.” We’re humbled to share that community members truly stepped up to the plate and gifted us $1,083 worth of items of our Launch Shower Wish List! Thank you so much!

Fountain of Life would like to thank our partner Emmanuel Chinese Baptist Church (ECBC) for providing their location in-kind as a gathering place for seniors AND for allowing us to use their multi-passenger van to provide transportation for seniors. Our hope is to one day have our own location and own vehicles. ECBC's support during our startup phase is truly a blessing. We warmly invite other faith communities and civic groups to partner with us in serving Asian seniors.

OPEN HOUSE FOR SENIORS

On August 29, 2022, we hosted an Open House for Seniors to kick off our fall programs and activities! The Open House was very well attended. Seniors had a great time enjoying each other’s company, playing Chinese chess & checkers, and painting! Because of the generosity of donors, we were able to gift every senior in attendance a special token of love and welcome gift a pair of stylish non slip socks, a must have in every senior’s wardrobe!

Opening our doors to the community!

FALL 2022 HEALTHY AGING SERIES

Promoting health and wellness for all Asians!

Fountain of Life's Healthy Aging Series provides an opportunity for seniors to engage in meaningful discussions about health and wellness. Our speakers have educated and empowered seniors to make lifestyle changes to improve physical and mental health Fall 2022 presentations have included:

9/27/22 Preventive Medicine for Seniors

Paul Dew, M.D. MPH

10/11/22 An Exploration of Suffering Pastor George Hsu

10/14/22 Dental Health for Seniors Haiping Sun, D.D.S.

10/18/22 Metabolic Syndrome

Paul Dew, M.D. MPH

10/25/22 Medicare Part A & B

11/9/22 Caregiving for Seniors

Steven Mak, R.N.

11/12/22 Vitamins & Supplements Part 1

Mike Cheung, RPH, MBA

11/15/22 Senior Housing Options in Kansas City Mei ling Hsu

11/29/22 Medicare Part A & B

12/3/22 Vitamins & Supplements Part 2

Mike Cheung, RPH, MBA

12/6/22 Aging & Mental Health

Paul Dew, M.D. MPH

In the spring of 2023, we look forward to presenting another Healthy Aging Series to specifically focus on mental health topics In preparation for the upcoming series, we've created an anonymous mental health survey to be completed by seniors The survey asks questions regarding current and previous experiences with depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidal ideation, family conflict, peer conflict, work pressure, and life challenges. Our aim is to offer a safe and supportive environment for seniors to explore and improve mental health.

Mental health is a topic that is often left unaddressed in the Asian community. However, experiencing high quality mental health and wellness is vital to experiencing a high quality of life. It is for this reason that Fountain of Life seeks to discuss and celebrate mental health.

The Spring 2023 Healthy Aging Series will be coordinated by Ciloue Stewart, Ph D , M S E , LMFT Dr Stewart is a native of Taiwan and is fluent in Mandarin and English

Our goal is to for presentations to be delivered in Cantonese, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and other Asian languages.

FALL 2022 HEALTHY AGING SERIES CONT'D

MONTHLY FIELD TRIPS

Experiencing the best of life!

Our monthly field trips have been by far our most popular activity! In September, we took a trip to the Jujube Orchard in Lawrence! Jujube is a fruit that originates from South Asia. It is often referred to as the Asian date or red date. The orchard also has a bountiful harvest of Asian pears which are popular in Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan! The van ride was so much fun! We also enjoyed a delicious lunch together.

MONTHLY FIELD TRIPS

CONT'D

In October, we took a field trip and enjoyed a nutritious lunch together at the Matt Ross Community Center. The staff at Matt Ross kindly gave us a tour of their facilities. Lunch was provided by the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging which provides breakfast and lunch at 7 Neighborhood Centers across the county. After having lunch at Matt Ross, we took a trip to Meadowbrook Park Prairie Village Clubhouse to check out the recreational activities! We learned that there is a drop in Mahjong group every Wednesday afternoon! How fun!

VIRTUAL STRENGTH & BALANCE EXERCISE GROUP

Our weekly exercise group began in September! We started out meeting once a week on Friday mornings. After Dr. Paul Dew shared during his presentation Preventive Medicine for Seniors how important it is to exercise at least 3 days per week, we expanded our exercise group to 3 days per week. We now exercise together Monday, Wednesday and Fridays!

The Strength & Balance Exercise Group is designed with all mobility levels in mind. Seniors who use wheelchairs and walkers can participate comfortably.

Contact hello@fountainoflifekc.org for the Zoom access information!

PAINT BY NUMBER & PENCIL COLORING ART GROUP

Painting is a very relaxing and therapeutic activity. Our "Paint by Number" canvases make p oring is also a creative outlet to process stress. Every week on red to paint and color together! Check out some of our p

HOT POT FALL SOCIAL

Out Hot Pot Fall Social in November was the most popular event of the season! Nearly 50 seniors attended! Thank you to the crew of amazing volunteers who helped make it happen. We had two amazing food shopping, preparation and set up volunteers - Dennis and Steven Mak. A group of senior volunteers arrived early to assist with more food preparation and set up! Several folks lent us their hot pots, burners and butane gas cans for the night. We had a total of 10 pots. Volunteers Sushu Wang and Christian Gin helped set up the activity tables, helped seniors get checked in, assisted with translation, and so much more. Last but not least, we cannot forget our fearless Director of Programs, Rebecca Tsang who coordinated all the RSVPs and made sure all seniors had transportation to and from the event.

HOT POT FALL SOCIAL CONT'D

HOT POT FALL SOCIAL CONT'D

HOT POT FALL SOCIAL CONT'D

UPCOMING EVENT: MATINEE MOVIE SCREENING

If you or a senior in your life is interested in learning more about Fountain of Life, we invite you to come by for a visit! We would be honored to give you a tour and share with you more information about our programs and activities as well as connect you with other community resources that may benefit you!

Please contact us to schedule a visit.

Location: 10101 England Drive Room 120 Overland Park, KS 66212 Mailing address: P.O. Box 26445 Overland Park, KS 66225 Email: hello@fountainoflifekc.org