Phoenix resident John Yu is an example of who Pope Francis referred to in his 2025 Jubilee Year message when he appealed to believers to care for “the sick, at home or in the hospital, and to care for the elderly who so ‘often feel lonely and abandoned.’”
Mired in deepening financial problems over a series of self-described bad decisions, Yu was bicycling to an Arizona Department of Economic Security office to seek help when he was struck and seriously hurt by a vehicle driven by an uninsured motorist.
Hospitalized with a broken leg, Yu, upon his release, confronted a “daunting” scenario: he needed rides, follow-up medical care, equipment and navigation of the legal system. He had no computer and no way to get to a public library to use one.
Then, Sarah Whitlow and the Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) entered the picture.
Founded in 1974, FSL provides home- and community-based services to people so they can “safely age in place.” One of FSL’s many programs, ACTIVATE, eases the transition from hospital to home by connecting an individual to medical resources and equipment, transportation and food and nutrition resources.
FSL is also one of more than 70 ministries, charities and organizations supported by the Charity and Development Appeal (CDA). By coming together, FSL and the CDA make it possible for those facing medical challenges, like Yu, to find hope.
Referred by the hospital, Whitlow, a patient care advocate, became what Yu described as “a Godsend” to his problems.
“He needed a walker, a primary care doctor and community support and resources,” Whitlow recalled. “We delivered him a food box, got him set up with care. We got his PT (physical therapy) scheduled by following up with the referral submitted through the hospital.”
Supplied by donations, the medical equipment available through ACTIVATE’s Kindness Closet includes many devices such as wheelchairs, shower chairs, lifts and blood pressure monitors. Yu doesn’t know where he’d be without Whitlow and ACTIVATE.
Outcomes such as Yu’s not only bring hope to individuals who are suffering, but they also have a wider benefit.
“A lot of the people we serve tend to fall through the cracks. They’re already living paycheck-to-paycheck,” explained Erica Reyes, RN, FSL’s senior director of Health and Wellness for home-based programs.
Without the support and hope provided through ACTIVATE, many such individuals face the prospect of medical setbacks, possibly leading them back to the hospital and adding to the public’s expense of helping support their care.
Reyes pointed out the hospital readmission rate nationwide is 15 percent, while in Arizona it is just three percent, held down with the help of programs such as ACTIVATE, which serves over 1,000 Arizonans a year.
“That [program] gives people hope,” she said.
Yu echoed those thoughts. “It’s going to be a better tomorrow. There are people who really do care.”
To learn more about the CDA impact, visit https://dphx.org/cda/
