Caring Clubs Of Trilogy - Part 1

The Trilogy communities are full of members who dedicate their time and energy to causes that are close to their hearts. For those who have recently moved to a Trilogy community – or for those who are finding that they have some extra time and would like to commit that time to volunteering – there are some amazing service clubs at your community that can help you to connect with a cause today!

Read on to discover some of the service groups at the Trilogy communities, and find out how you can join them in making a difference! There are so many caring clubs that there will be a “Part 2” of this article series published later this month.

Trilogy at Monarch Dunes
Trilogy Service Club
The Trilogy Service Club (TSC) at Monarch Dunes meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 3:00pm in the Avila Room. We currently have 70 members working diligently to meet the needs of local nonprofits through volunteering and fundraising.

Since our charter began, we have volunteered for women’s shelters in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Our first fundraisers netted nearly $35,000 for the Domestic Violence Women’s Shelter in Santa Maria. The money we raised gave the women’s shelter an upgraded security system, supplemented a remodel through a grant it received, provided new appliances, and built a new outdoor play area for the children. In addition, we collected backpacks stuffed with school supplies to help local children start the school year off ready to learn. In June we review applications from local nonprofits and make decisions, based on our mission statement, as to which ones we will support for our next year’s fundraisers. To date we have put on fundraisers for Dana Adobe, 5-Cities Homeless Coalition, SLO Noor Foundation, Captive Hearts, Nipomo Food Basket, Family Care Network, Womenade, South County Youth Coalition, and SLO Anti-Gang Coordinating Commission. The past 2 years we participated in the Pink Bows Project for the Arroyo Grande Hospital Breast Cancer Group. All of this, since 2011 has provided these local nonprofits that benefit men, women and children, with over $221,000! We are able to do all this because of the many generous residents in Trilogy. The Service Club is what it is because of our community support.

Along with our successful fundraising efforts, we also volunteer over 100 hours every year to nonprofits of interest to our members. We are about to enter into our second Adopt-A-Poll for local and national elections. Money received though our volunteering goes to a local nonprofit voted on by those working the polls.

We are always on the lookout for ways to help those in need in our larger area. For more information, Trilogy at Monarch Dunes members can visit the Trilogy Service Club page on our community website, MyTrilogyLife.com.

Trilogy at Monarch Dunes
Project SHARE
Two years ago, Trilogy at Monarch Dunes members recognized a need within our community to have an organized group of volunteers to provide services for our neighbors in need of temporary assistance. Of course, we’ve always been willing to help our neighbors in need, but we did not yet have an efficient system to coordinate volunteers and match them with those requesting assistance. From this need, Project SHARE was born. SHARE stands for “Sending Help And Relief Everyday,” and that is exactly what our group aims to do.

Trilogy at Monarch Dunes members who are recovering from surgery or illness may need temporary medical equipment or a ride to a doctor’s appointment. Others could use assistance with odd jobs around the house, such as changing a light bulb, changing batteries in a smoke detector, or picking up mail or groceries. Sometimes our neighbors simply need a sympathetic ear during a hard time. Whatever the need, as long as it is something that is doable by a SHARE volunteer (and is not a medical emergency), we are here to help.

Those who are in need of a service are encouraged to contact the Project SHARE team either by phone (805-619-0765) or email (sharemtl@gmail.com). In either case, the member can leave a message explaining the type of help that is needed, as well as his or her contact information. Our phone line and email address are available to take messages 24/7. There is a Project SHARE volunteer on call to receive these messages daily; both the email and phone line are monitored throughout the day from 9am until approximately 6pm. The on-call volunteer will get back to the member requesting help in 24 hours (or less). Our goal is to find a SHARE volunteer to provide the services needed within one to two days.

Of course, this system works best if we have many willing volunteers! If you are a Trilogy at Monarch Dunes member who would like to join the list of SHARE volunteers, please visit the SHARE page on MyTrilogyLife.com and fill out the Volunteer Form. There are a variety of jobs to be done, and you are welcome to sign up for one, or as many different jobs as you would like. Volunteer jobs may include grocery shopping, picking up a prescription, driving someone to an appointment, picking up mail, taking care of garbage cans, walking a dog, small household repairs, providing medical equipment, and more.

Whether you are in need of assistance or you wish to help your neighbors in need, we hope to hear from you soon!

Encanterra Country Club
Community Service League
The Encanterra Community Service League was formed in the summer of 2014 by a group of members that were interested in giving back to the local community. Over the last two years, we have organized a number of events that have raised both goods and services for non-profit organizations. Some of our larger projects include Fashion for a Cause and a Glow Golf Tournament. Fashion for a Cause was comprised of a dinner, a fashion show, and a silent auction. In 2015, proceeds were given to a local battered women’s shelter, and in 2016 we will be raising money for a new K-9 for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department. The Glow Golf Tournament is a nighttime seven-hole golf tournament that also includes a silent auction and happy hour event. Proceeds from the golf tournament will be donated to First Tee of Phoenix.

In addition to these projects, each year we organize a school supply drive, a Christmas ornament donation tree, a food drive, an Alzheimer’s Walk, and more. The project we are most proud of is the establishment of Helping Hands, a group that is made up of many individuals in the community who provide meals and run errands for Encanterra neighbors who may require assistance due to medical events or other challenges.

Membership in the Encanterra Community Service League is open to all residents of Encanterra. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 3:00pm in La Cocina. We hope you will join us!

Trilogy at Redmond Ridge
Pat Harris Trilogy Guild for Seattle Children’s
Seattle Children’s provides care and treatment for any child, regardless of their ability to pay. Our Guild, and the more than 400 Guilds in Washington, supports and raises funds for Uncompensated Care. We were also declared a “Research Champion” by Seattle Children’s for the second year in a row, due to the money we donated for research.

Our Guild is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2016! We are also celebrating the fact that we now have 80 Guild members, and had over 1,800 volunteer hours this past fiscal year! While raising money for Uncompensated Care and Research, we try to do it in a fun way, and include our wonderful Trilogy at Redmond Ridge community. Our activities include 3 Bingo events each year, Oktoberfest, a Quilt Raffle (with a quilt donated by a talented Trilogy at Redmond Ridge member), Purchase-a-Miracle, Seattle Children’s calendar sales, and our signature Ho-Ho Brunch.

This past year, we made 20 fleece blankets and several hundred Therapy Dolls for the children. We also collected small toiletry items and 57 swimsuits to be used for pool therapy. At our monthly meetings, we try to have a guest speaker (such as a Research Physician) or go on a field trip (such as taking a tour of Seattle Children’s or the Research Center).

We are proud to be a part of the Seattle Children’s Guild Association, which is the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the nation! We look forward to serving another 10+ years.

For more information, Trilogy at Redmond Ridge members can visit the Seattle Children’s Trilogy Guild page on MyTrilogyLife.com.

Trilogy at Redmond Ridge
Trilogy for Kids
Trilogy for Kids, a 501(c)(3) organization, was originally created by a small group of women to support a state-assisted facility for at-risk boys. With the completion of build-out in our community and an increase in club membership (over 100 members), our mission changed to “enhance the lives of children in need throughout Greater Seattle” by supporting multiple service-based community organizations that provide services meeting the needs of boys and girls.

In addition to membership meetings at 1:00pm on the 3rd Monday of each month, we hold a number of fundraising activities during the year. Our events for 2016 will include a Spring Luncheon and Raffle, Summer Home Garden Tour, Happy Hour and Auction, and a Holiday Home Tour and Auction. The local financial, real estate, and business communities help sponsor these events with financial contributions and our members are wonderfully generous in collecting and putting together raffle baskets and auction items. Over the past 12 years, Trilogy for Kids has donated over $175,000. This year, we are proudly donating over $25,000 among 5 different organizations all nominated by members: a summer camp for medically-needy kids, a children’s literacy program, two different residential centers for at-risk youth, and a therapeutic horse-riding center.

We also sponsor direct involvement in our community with a diaper drive for National Make-a-Difference Day, a Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas stockings at one of the residential centers, a Holiday Giving Tree with 200 gift tags for needy families at three local elementary schools, and a Back-To-School backpack project. It is only through the generous and continued support of the residents of Trilogy at Redmond Ridge that Trilogy for Kids can succeed in its mission.

Thank you to all of our amazing Trilogy volunteers! Learn about more Trilogy service clubs in Part 2 of the Caring Clubs series later this month.