Meet Our Newest Members

The new members featured this month have deep roots in California. Evelyn traded New York City for California in her 20's and never looked back. She and her late husband were educated and raised their 3 daughters in the Sacramento valley. Evelyn still lives in the West Sacramento home they moved to 34 years ago. JoAnn is a second generation Californian who knew nothing about Cohousing when she heard about Washington Commons on CAPRadio in November, just 2 months ago! Read their own fun and interesting accounts of their journey to Cohousing below.
 
Welcome, Evelyn and JoAnn!  We are excited to be building community together!

MEET JOANN
A second-generation Californian from the Los Angeles area, JoAnn moved to Sutter Creek with her late husband 30 years ago. Now she’s eager to uproot for transplanting to Sacramento, long a focus for her writing about women’s participation in gold-rush history. She claims to easily visualize Old Sac’s early days, teeming with emigrants from around the world making a new home in a new place.
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JoAnn, knowing nothing about cohousing, captured in her journal the day she learned about Washington Commons: 

Tues., Nov. 9:
Kept hearing a sponsor on CapRadio is Washington Commons. Had no idea what that was, so Googled it. Spent the day imagining the consequences of this unexpected discovery…. Solves all my concerns about cat sitters (several ‘members’ have cats); travel access (walk to Amtrak, bus to airport); and isolation (built-in community with the advantage of aging among peers seeing after one another). Great location near the river, Old Sac, the Crocker, theatre and restaurants. No downside.

Wed., Nov. 10:
Called Shelly….
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Thurs., Nov. 11: 
Shelly emailed files on unit plans. I’ll write a check as soon as they let me.

“I knew instantly,” JoAnn says. “I sense a kind of foresight and certainty for a decision when it’s absolutely right for me. And I couldn’t be more excited to be part of a new community making a new home together in a new place, just like the gold rushers.”

MEET EVELYN
I love the idea of promoting peace through community involvement and have been a member of many communities during my life. Washington Commons is my next adventure in a new community.

When my late husband and I were raising our three daughters while attending college, we lived in married student housing at CSU, Sacramento. It was my first exposure to a shared living experience where each family had their own apartment and we shared caring for children, potluck meals, athletic activities, and supporting each other as we pursued our educational goals. We were born and raised in New York City and this was a very different way of living. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to achieve an affordable education in a supportive community.

After 10 years as a part time student I achieved a BS and MBA with emphasis on general management.  My career goal was to create organization culture, policies, and practices bringing fairness and equity to the workplace. As an educator, management advisor and employee advocate, I facilitated bridging the divide between employees and management in developing the skills, knowledge and experience needed to create a cooperative partnership leading to successful performance.

My community involvement has included being a member of Community Advisory Boards including UC Davis Health System, CSUS College of Business, Saint Francis Parish Council, Francis House and other organizations related to health, education and families.

I was a member of US Servas, a non-profit organization affiliated with Servas International that originated in Denmark in 1949. The mission is to promote peace and understanding one friendship at a time. Becoming a traveler and host in the international community, I have had many wonderful home-stays with Servas hosts and have had visitors from around the world stay in my home.

​My three daughters, three grandchildren, extended family and friends are the center of my life. Traveling, Renaissance Society, home design projects, gardening, singing, hiking and sharing life’s adventures all contribute to the harmony and peace I aspire to in this “Elderberry” stage of my life.