“It was 125 degrees in my house. It was living hell.”
These are the words of Edward Littell, a long-time resident of Mesa, Ariz., who has lived in his mobile home for 29 years. He is also just one of thousands of people who AllThrive 365, a local nonprofit providing services that uphold the dignity of those who are aging, has helped.
When his AC unit broke down, Littell’s home became “unbearable.”
With no computer access, Littell was unable to complete the eligibility form for AllThrive 365’s Healthy Homes AC Program — a component of their weatherization efforts — until a team member from the organization was made aware of his situation and helped him apply over the phone.
Within a week, the AllThrive 365 team had assessed his home and ordered a 3.5-ton AC unit, replacing his old furnace with the new unit and bringing his home to a more livable temperature. The refit is something Littell says he never could have done on his own. When he saw the bill was over $13,000, completely covered by AllThrive 365, he was shocked.
“The quickness of it was unheard of,” Littell said. “[AllThrive 365 staffers] are a godsend.”
This is the kind of work AllThrive 365 is focusing on. It’s about taking care of seniors, yes. But it’s also about restoring dignity and giving people what they need to live happily and independently every single day of their lives.
AllThrive 365, founded in 1974, has already been working to restore hope for the elderly of the community, offering them purpose, dignity and community as they age. Previously known as the Foundation for Senior Living, the organization was transformed into AllThrive 365 this year as they meet the challenge presented by a demographic shift that will see a 41-percent increase in the number of seniors in Arizona by 2030.
“There’s a stigma with aging that with this new name and new brand, we’re trying to break that stigma and have everyone embrace their aging journey,” said Tami Bohannon, president and CEO of AllThrive 365.
The rebrand highlights the importance of preventative care needed for healthy aging, an area which the organization is focusing on.
What that means on a practical level is an increased emphasis on services such as improving and modifying homes to allow people to age in place. For example, one major project undertaken by AllThrive365 is to increase the energy efficiency in homes around the Valley, decreasing the cost of housing for seniors, as well as health-and-safety-focused improvements such as better air quality, ramps and handrails.
According to Elena Burr, director of communications and outreach for AllThrive 365, their weatherization work has even led to a significant drop in emergency room visits.
“[Our mission] really lives at the intersection of health and housing,” she said.
Tangible signs of hope
When the late Pope Francis declared 2025 a Jubilee Year, he set “hope” as a central theme of the celebration, with 10 particular hopes he had for the future, ranging from hope for peace to hope for greater unity among Christians.
While Pope Francis reminded the faithful that they must all remember to hope in the Resurrection and the salvation offered by the Lord Jesus, he also implored them to be “tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.” This echoes Pope Francis’ frequent calls during his papacy for all Catholics to become “missionary disciples.”
One of the 10 hopes was for “the elderly, who frequently feel lonely and abandoned.” Pope Francis called on the Christian community to bring signs of hope to the elderly and to have esteem for their wisdom, their experiences and for the contributions they have made, and still make, to society.
“It was super important to me that we embraced what Pope Francis was saying about hope and the elderly and the chronically ill,” Bohannon said.
Those same sentiments were echoed closer to home, too, in Bishop John Dolan’s 2025 pastoral letter entitled TILMA, in which he asked the faithful to consider the question: “How am I being called to accompany others who are made in the image and likeness of God, especially the marginalized, who carry these crosses?”
With innovative programs, community-focused care and a holistic approach to aging healthfully, AllThrive 365 is a cornerstone in living out the vision of Christ emphasized by Pope Francis and Bishop Dolan, showing the community how to bring hope to those in need.
“My house has gone from hell to heaven,” Littell concluded. Having lived with bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, Littell received more than just physical relief — the support of AllThrive 365 brought peace back into his home and life.
“It took me from the most heightened level down to a relaxing level I haven’t been at in years.”
