Community Matters Newsletter – Fall 2012

This summer, 150 seniors ranging in age from 55 to 92 years young gathered at the Arizona Mills Mall for Mercy Housing’s fifth annual S.W.A.T. Team event. S.W.A.T. or the “Seniors Walking with Attitude Team,” was born in 2007 when residents from Mercy Housing’s seven Maricopa County senior properties gathered together and pledged to take charge of their health. The event has since grown to include, not only Mercy Housing residents, but also seniors from the surrounding communities throughout Maricopa County as well.

“Our S.W.A.T. event marks our senior residents’ and their neighbors’ yearly commitment to aging successfully in place by eating healthy and staying active,” explains Yvonne Cavazos, Resident Services Manager in Arizona. “This year we had a resource center hosting 15 different social service providers. They were on hand to talk to our walkers about issues relevant to a senior population, such as identity theft and preventative healthcare measures.”

The event kicked off at 10:00 am with a mile long walk around the mall followed by a presentation of Certificates by Tempe Police Officers.

“Mercy Housing is committed to empowering our seniors to take charge of their lives, maintain a healthy lifestyle and live with dignity in their own homes for as long as they are able,” says Cavazos. “This event and the ongoing resident services provided at Mercy Housing properties give our residents the tools and opportunities to do exactly that.”