Thanks to the generosity of the Hu Family and Dr. Char Hu (our former Board Member at A Gift of Time), YOUR GIFT can be doubled! Please give by October 5, 2021, and your donation will be matched up to $5,000.

The Hu Family are longtime residents of Georgetown and founded a family of companies which include: the certified dementia community, Georgetown Living, Georgetown Living Home Health, and Tranquility Hospice. They embarked on this journey of founding several companies because of an intensely personal experience caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Hu family believes that providing education to families on Dementia and how to care for a loved one living with dementia keeps families safe and strong while residing in their homes. The funds will purchase books, educational materials, and technology to host the caregiver's support group sessions.

To donate, go to our website at https://agiftoftimegeorgetown.org and click on the donation page and select Hu Family $5,000 matching donation. You can also mail a check to A Gift of Time P.O. Box 427, Georgetown, TX 78627. On the memo of the check, write the Hu Family matching donation.

What is a caregiver support group? A caregiver support group allows for caregivers to share their journey with other caregivers. Caregivers develop a support network and exchange information on caregiving challenges and possible solutions. Caregivers also learn about community resources.

To join our monthly caregiver support groups.
Our caregiver support groups are held on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 pm -7:30 pm. All are welcome to attend. To register, send an email to: education@agiftoftimegeorgetown.org. Thank you so much for being so supportive!

What is a Dementia Friend? Dementia Friends is a global movement developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom and now underway in the United States. The goal is to help everyone in the community understand five key messages about dementia, how it affects people, and how we can each make a difference in the lives of people living with the disease. People with dementia need to be understood and supported in their communities.

We want to thank our friend Jennifer Brackett, MS Gerontology at UT Health San Antonio for the Caring for the Caregiver program for training Josie Zamora to become a Dementia Friend Champion! A Gift of Time will be offering Dementia Friends Virtual Informational Sessions starting this fall. There are currently 1,294 Dementia Friends in Texas. We want to expand those numbers by being part of a global movement to help remove the stigma of Dementia.

What is an Information Session? An information session is a 90-minute virtual session run by a Dementia Friends Champion(s). The session covers five key messages everyone should know about Dementia through activities and discussion, but the session is not formal training. We encourage businesses, neighborhood associations, community clubs, nonprofits, and the faith-based community to participate in these sessions. Those who attend are asked to commit to a dementia-friendly action and can become Dementia Friends. Each person will receive a Certificate of Participation after completing the session. Information Session classes will be posted on our website: www.agiftoftimegeorgetown.org

As part of our mission to serve the community at large, the informational sessions are offered at no cost to individuals or groups. The best way to help our neighbors and friends living with Dementia is to understand the disease and how we can support them. Thank YOU!

Sharing Our Stories

Dear Friends,

We want to thank all of you who participated in the mid-year surveys about Camille’s Memory Café and the Living Well with Dementia Education Series. We are deeply moved by the responses from caregivers and their loved ones that feel A Gift of Time programs have helped them connect and build a strong sense of community. The programs also brought us new friends, right here in Georgetown!

We appreciate our four dedicated Camille's Memory Cafe volunteers: Vic Figurelli, Reg Rowe, Helen Cordes, and Judi Stanfield who recently participated in a brainstorming session on new activities to add to Camille’s Memory Café.

We enjoy hosting Camille’s Memory Café as much as you enjoy participating in the social gathering. We enjoy hearing your stories about your lives together, your children and so much more. Our volunteers have come up with a new project called, “Sharing Our Stories.” We will use a subscription service called Story Worth to help us collect stories from a loved one which are turned into a beautiful keepsake book.

Please click on the link to learn how it works: https://welcome.storyworth.com. We want to know if you are interested in participating in our new activity called, "Sharing Our Stories" which is part of the Storyworth services.

Camille’s Memory Café will purchase the subscription for one year. An email will be sent to those who want to participate once a week from StoryWorth. You can decide how many stories you want to share. At the end of the year, the stories will be made into a book titled “Camille’s Memory Café - Sharing Our Stories.” Each participant will receive one free copy of the book.

Here are key things to know:

• The book is a collaboration of our participants in Camille’s Memory Café - Sharing Our Stories.

• You can contribute as many stories as space allows. Some do weekly stories and others do less.

• This project will help preserve those special memories and treasured experiences with your loved ones.

• One book per caregiver is free. Family members can purchase additional books.

• We can order the books in black and white for $39.00 or in color for $79.00 each.
  If you would like to participate, please send an email to: education@agiftoftimegeorgetown.org no later than August 15th. 

We can start gathering stories in late August. 

Please click on the link to learn how it works: https://welcome.storyworth.com.

Thank you!

Josie Zamora, Founder and Executive Director

education@agiftoftimegeorgetown.org

Friday, June 25, 2021, from 10:00-11:30 am

Presenter: Josie Zamora, Founder, and Executive Director
“When you are a caregiver, you know that every day you will touch a life,
 or a life will touch yours.” — Unknown

A Gift of Time is growing as we continue to expand our programs and impact throughout our community. To help sustain this expansion, we are in the process of seeking new volunteer Board members. Our Board is committed to our Mission of positively impacting the lives of persons living with mild to moderate memory loss and their families and caregivers and share in our goal of establishing Georgetown's first Dementia Day Program. You may not have considered serving as a board member for a nonprofit before and maybe unsure what all is involved. The most important qualification of a Board member is to have the compassion and commitment to serve persons living with Dementia, their caregivers, and their loved ones in our community.

You are cordially invited to join me as I host a virtual town hall meeting to answer your questions about A Gift of Time's programs and to learn more about how you can be part of this rewarding experience. If you are interested in supporting A Gift of Time Board of Directors but the timing isn’t the best for you right now, there are other ways you can support our mission. We will also discuss these options on our call, which can include serving on an Advisory Committee or on an event planning committee, or as a volunteer.

I have included the link below for the Zoom link for the meeting; I hope you can join us. I look forward to a conversation with you on how to take part in this extraordinary volunteer opportunity, and to address any questions you may have. To learn more about our organization prior to the call, use this link to our website www.agiftoftimegeorgetown.org. 

Topic: Townhall Meeting
Time: Jun 25, 2021, 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96993851332
Meeting ID: 969 9385 1332
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I'll see you soon,

Josie Zamora

Gift of Time is pleased to announce that we have met the match requirements for a $10,000 grant from the Anderson Charitable Foundation in support of our educational programs. When we received the invitation from the Foundation earlier this year, we were given one year to raise the money, but raised the funds in 7 weeks after the grant announcement was made! This means that we received $1 from the Anderson Charitable Foundation for each $1 donated by the Georgetown community! THANK YOU.

Our plan for these funds is to hire a part-time bilingual Dementia Education Coordinator. This position will be a permanent part of our profession staff, ensuring our ability to serve Spanish speaking families. Those individuals with memory loss, their caregivers and the entire community will be the ultimate beneficiaries when this staff person is on board.

The Anderson Charitable Foundation, with their principal offices in Austin, funds programs in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas that provide for needs of children and youth; programs that improve or enhance the quality of life for seniors; and programs that improve or enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities.

While the Anderson Foundation learned about us three years ago and has been monitoring our growth and progress in the community, this was the first grant opportunity provided to A Gift of Time by the Foundation. When Josie Zamora recently provided the Foundation with the required documentation supporting the match fulfillment, the Foundation’s Grant Manager Cate Sitton’s email acknowledging receipt of the documents stated: "Thanks, Josie, and congratulations!  I feel like 2021 is going to be A Gift of Time's year".

While the grant and the matching funds comprise a significant portion of the financial requirements needed to support the first year of this new staff position, additional dollars still need to be raised to cover the staffing costs. If you would like to support A Gift of Time’s fundraising efforts or learn more about our programs and future plans that continue to improve the lives of those with mild and moderate memory loss, please contact Josie Zamora, Founder and Executive Director at 512-688-6497 or visit our website at www.agiftoftimegeorgetown.org.

Thank you for your support of those with memory loss and their caregivers in our community