By JOE WUBBOLD
For The Beachcomber
I am Captain Joe, and many of you know me as the head of the Keepers of Point Robinson, or as a member of the small — and getting smaller — public at the meetings of the Vashon Park District. This is not about parks, nor Point Robinson, but about Vashon Community Care (VCC) and its foundation, for I sit as treasurer of both of those organizations.
My mother lived the last five years of her life at VCC. When she died at 95, I was asked to take a seat on VCC’s board of directors, and I remain there today. As treasurer and chair of the finance committee, it is up to me to make sure that our income equals our outgo, otherwise we cannot continue to operate. The mathematics of this was presented to you when we refinanced our mortgage, and you came through. We were able to do that last year, with significant savings in our lending costs. And now it is time to present you with the same theme, but with some new elements.
VCC exists to serve our island community. Every resident is either a neighbor, friend or member of your family, and maybe all of the above, as our mission is to provide a safe haven primarily for island residents and their families. Now we have more residents on Medicaid than ever before, and part of our commitment to the island community is that no one will be moved out to Vashon Highway when their money runs out.
One of the new elements since we came to you for the refinance is that higher number of Medicaid residents. Another is that the cost to maintain residents goes up, but the reimbursement rate for Medicaid has remained essentially the same, around half of our costs. So how have we managed to continue?
First, last year we asked for $250,000 from the island, and we made most of that goal. Second, we have a higher rate of reimbursement for some of our activities, in particular our rehabilitation programs. Third, we have been going line by line through all of our costs and have made some significant savings. Fourth, we have actively recruited employees, so as to minimize the use of overtime and agency workers. And finally — I do eventually get to finally — we have been actively seeking out every grant opportunity. Our own Granny, through her Attic, has been most generous with us in this regard. All of these cost-saving and recruiting activities go on every day, so as to capture every opportunity.
And with all of these measures, this year we have asked the community to support us with $300,000. We are more than two-thirds of the way to this goal. It became clear that this community support, which we liken to the support for the beginning of life with the schools and the middle of life with the arts, must include the end of life, Vashon Community Care. So we established the Vashon Community Care Foundation, which is now the fundraising arm of VCC. Under the leadership of Truman O’Brien, the foundation is now able to accept donations, your acceptance of that third part of island life, by payroll deduction or by monthly payments from a checking account or credit card.
This is not a “one shot and done” thing. Like with the schools and the arts, the need is ongoing. In fact, as the population ages, with many who have outlived their savings, there will be more demand for that safe haven. There is only one place like this on the magical isle, and that is VCC. When you need us, we will be there, and that “being there” must happen as a part of the island community, as important to you as your donations to the schools and to the arts. If you look at your investment in schools as an investment in the future, look at VCC as your investment in your possible need, and certainly that of one of your family members, friends or neighbors.
I have been rereading David McCullough’s biography of Harry Truman. In that masterful book, the author describes the reasoning behind the Marshall Plan, which saved thousands of lives in Europe after WWII. When asked why the U.S. should save former enemies, Truman said “because it is the right thing to do.” The same applies here. You may never need VCC, but someone you know already does, and someone you love will. So even if your need is not immediate, it is still “the right thing to do” for all of us. So now is the hour, today is the day, to join with the rest of us who support our schools, our arts programs and now Vashon Community Care.
Those of you who have taken my tour at Point Robinson Lighthouse know of my commitment to what we do out there, to use a current word, my “passion” for the place. That same commitment is woven through the fabric of my being for Vashon Community Care. VCC was there when I brought my mother here from Virginia to live the last years of her life, and the care that she received there from the loving staff gave us some really wonderful years. For that I am always grateful, and so are her children and grandchildren, all of whom visited her there. My commitment is total. I happily put my talents — meager as they are, some would say — and my time into making sure, insofar as I can, that we continue to provide the same quality of life that my mother enjoyed. To make that happen, I now call on all island residents to join me, and all of the lovely people who labor in the VCC garden, in your generous and continued financial support — and on a monthly basis.
— Joe Wubbold is the treasurer of the Vashon Community Care Foundation.
