One late-summer morning here in the Santa Ynez Valley (about 125 miles due north of Hollywood), the light scent of lavender reaches me as I sit with my tea and enjoy the early breeze washing over the fields near my home. During moments of calm like this, I often find myself thinking of my father. It's been two years now since he passed away at the age of 96. He came to live with us after the death of my mother, and had been living at Luvland with me since 1994, when he was still fairly alert and healthy.

Throughout that time, I was privileged to receive a great gift: a glimpse into what life is like as an elderly person who needs assistance with many of the mundane tasks that we younger folks often take for granted.

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"I was privileged to receive a great gift: a glimpse into what life is like as an elderly person who needs assistance with many of the tasks that, as younger folks, we often take for granted."
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Between my experiences with my father and efforts to assist my older friends who had taken me under their wings in the early part of my career, I realized it was time to do something for the elderly in need in this country. For several years I had been looking for a way to repay the people who had given me support and who had made me a household name.

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"I had done what I set out to do: become one of the entertainment industry's most successful television reporters. Now it was time to start giving back to those who had helped me get there."
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Please join me in raising our voices to speak for those who have worked all their lives to enjoy their golden years, and are now becoming victims of a failing support system. There is already a crisis in our ability to care for our aging population in our communities and our country, and it is only going to get unimaginably worse if we do not take action. 

Your financial donation to the Rona Barrett Foundation will not only touch lives, it will literally save lives. Your support will make a difference today, and together we can help enact the changes needed to ensure quality of life for all of our vulnerable seniors.

Sincerely,
Rona Barrett
  

 

Rona with her Dad

In 2008, Rona Barrett will be honored at events benefiting non-profits serving seniors in coordination with the Garden Court Endowment in Santa Barbara, and nonprofits in Austin and Beaumont, Texas. _______________________ Aside from being the Founder and CEO of the Foundation, "Miss Rona" also spends her time talking to groups around the country about aging and caring for the elderly, as well as sitting on the Board of her local community hospital whose doors were once threatened by closure for lack of funding. Today, that threat no longer exists. _______________________ If you are looking for more information about Rona's entertainment reporting career, click here.