2014 Toys For Tots US Marine Corp Toy Drive

This year AEC Living again joined forces with the US Marine Corps for the 2014 Toys For Tots Toy Drive. Elders Inn, the Lodge, and our corporate office all participated. Residents of the Lodge even scheduled a group outing to Target just to shop for toys to give.

Family, friends, residents and nearby neighbors all shared the love and the joy of the holiday season by donating new toys for children in need, and this week the Marines came to pick up the overflowing boxes.

 

Catch the Holiday Special.

Call and arrange a tour today! 

An Attitude of Gratitude

The holidays can bring out a lot of positive feelings and emotions in people, and they’re induced by much more than just turkey! In a recent article in LiveScience, Tia Ghose examines the wealth of scientific literature linking gratitude with improved health and wellbeing. Some of the benefits of expressing gratitude include:

• Improved sleep quality and duration
• Healthier levels of cholesterol and blood pressure
• Lower lifetime risk of anxiety and depression
• Higher rates of adherence to dietary and medical regimens

An interesting caveat of this power of gratitude is that it works better when focused on others. In a recent paper published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, it was shown that keeping a diary of blessings boosted happiness significantly more than recalling a sense of pride in one’s own accomplishments. Acts of kindness and gratitude towards others tend to be reciprocated or passed on, providing fuel for a virtuous cycle of good vibrations. On behalf of all those affiliated with the AEC Living community, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and hope that everyone has the opportunity to pass on a whole lot of happiness with a little bit of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year again, and we want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

From our house to yours, we are thankful for all of you!

Giving Together

Yesterday, AEC Living, Residents of the Lodge, and the Rotary Club of Alameda combined forces to start the season of sharing. As our way of giving back to the local community, and sharing some of the benefits we've been lucky enough to reap, we gathered for lunch at the Lodge and spent the afternoon putting together care packages for homeless youth around the Bay Area. 

While the subject is heartbreaking and the need is real, we had an enjoyable afternoon working together to hopefully bring a bit of brightness into a troubled youth's day.