RHONDA GETS MORE HELP

Meet Jennifer Krask

You go into GM Rhonda Ciacco’s office and there, about eye-level, you’ll see a paper taped to the wall with a big red dot and the instruction “Bang Head Here”. That’s Rhonda. She’s quick to a joke about her frustrations, but then again, when you’re great at something you get more of it and Rhonda happens to be great at solving problems.

Speaking of problems, when I saw Rhonda recently she pointed out the microburst that did so much damage The Resort came on the night of July 9th and the deluge that flooded Silveridge came on August 9th. “So,” she said, “on September 9th I’m going to dig a big hole and climb in and hide.” That’s Rhonda.

But maybe, just maybe her job is going to be a bit less demanding — she just got more help, a new Assistant to the General Manager, Jennifer Krask.

Although Jennifer is new to Silveridge and The Resort, she’s fresh from ten years of experience at Tempe Cascade, a large mobile home park that was, until recently, owned by someone familiar to most residents at Silveridge and The Resort, Al LaCanne.

She only started her new assignment on August 1st, so she and Rhonda aren’t yet sure how they’ll divvy up duties, but Jennifer has moved into The Resort and will be helping at both parks.

Not only is Jennifer a Phoenix native, but so were both her parents. Other than eight years in Southern Illinois, she’s lived her life in the Valley. Her husband passed away but she has, as she put it, “Three children and seven-and-a-half grandchildren.” That’s three daughters, two of them twins. One twin is a butcher, one is staying home during the last part of her pregnancy, while the third daughter is a teaching assistant working with special needs kids.

Spending some time with Jennifer, it quickly became clear that she hates talking about herself, but I did get her to tell me the story of being a kidney donor. It was back in ‘01when she learned that her great uncle Bob was faced with kidney failure and headed for dialysis. Several family members got tested as possible donors and she was the one, the best match. She shrugged off the notion of her selflessness and said simply, “It was family. I would have done if for anyone in the family.” The surgeries were at Mayo Clinic and both recovered nicely.

Soon after, Bob’s wife, inspired by her husband’s struggles and Jennifer’s generosity, decided to open a thrift store that donated a share of the proceeds to the Arizona Kidney Foundation. While the store only lasted a couple of years, Bob lived on for another six years, till emphysema claimed him.

Here’s a photo from a newspaper story that ran shortly after the operations.

Rhonda is clearly delighted to have Jennifer onboard, saying as she hustled off for a meeting at Silveridge, “She’s already marvelous. She’s a keeper.”

It certainly had been an eventful summer! I too have been following all the news from our dear friends at our homes at Silveridge. It is hard to see what the storms have done and as many of you know, Jeff and I had damage to our home as well.

Through it all I know that God is with us and I remain grateful and hopeful.

Grateful, that no one was hurt. Structures can always be rebuilt but precious lives cannot be replaced!

I am grateful to all the kind and giving summer residents who have kept us posted with emails and photos. So many have spent hours checking on our homes and the Center. Thank you to Rhonda, Chuck Dressel, Jerry Colling and all the summer care people who have worked overtime this summer. (Now we know why we need our summer care people!)

Yes, I am hopeful! I am hopeful for the ” new beginning.” Rhonda shared with me that the ballroom and social Hall and lobby will have a new look. No more wallpaper or carpeting and a new ballroom floor! Can’t wait for the boogie nights to start! Construction crews are working around the clock to get things ready for the new season. How excited I am to see you all arriving. My ticket order list is online at www silveridge.com. Call me or Sharon anytime if you have any questions.

New beginnings are exciting. Once again we will be hearing the “sounds of construction” all over the park and my hope and prayer is that the year will be filled with excitement, a new look, and special memories. I can’t wait for our adventure to begin!

Your Activity Director,

Sue

STATUS UPDATE ON HDTV/INTERNET

This month’s update comes straight from the man heading the projects for our parks, GDS’s Chris Castro. (“Spelled like the dictator,” Chris pointed out.) He sounded upbeat when we talked to him earlier this week. Overall, Chris says that year-round residents can expect to see more of the same. “You’ll see us out working – same old, same old.”

Here’s his summary of specific progress for each park:

SILVERIDGE

“Yes, we took a hit at Silveridge, but it’s nothing we can’t overcome and stick to our schedule.”

THE RESORT

“Within two weeks we will have a major upgrade to the head-in, which is the first major step toward system stability.”

He also asked that we include his clarification on one issue with the techs working at the parks: “We’ve had residents ask the workers if they can do projects inside their homes. But the people you see working are specially trained to do the work that runs along the streets; they are not the techs who do work inside homes.”

So, if you have problems with your internet or cable TV, or you want to schedule a new set-up appointment, what do you do? Here’s the new procedure:

When needing new installs, or having trouble with cable or internet, please go to the Business Office and fill out GDS work request form. Rhonda enters your work request info into the GDS link and they will call for appointments. The GDS phone number is no longer available and Rhonda has changed the procedure and will be personally handling each request.

SPECIAL EDITION…

In case you missed it, in mid-August an online Special Edition of The Silveridge Sun carried photos of the big summer storm and an update on repairs. You can see that edition by clicking below.