Testimonials

Mike and Hannah both had different reasons for backpacking in Europe in the summer of 1971, but once they met nothing in the world would stop them from falling in love. 

The young man from California and the young woman from New York didn’t meet each other as they both sat on the same plane hurtling over the Atlantic Ocean to Luxembourg. They didn’t meet after disembarking and heading to the same youth hostel in the city. But when they finally met in a larger group of world travelers, Mike said Hannah immediately stood out. 

“Right from the get-go, I thought she was beautiful,” Mike said. 

At the time, the two didn’t know they would backpack together across Europe, fall in love, and remain married 51 years later. Despite life challenges like Mike’s cancer diagnoses, Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition has served their desire to age in place in their community of choice in Sedona, Ariz. Their life stories are just some of the many volunteers can hear while serving with VVCC. 

Back in the Summer of 1971, the two decided to travel together once they realized they had similar travel plans. They explored Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel, and many more countries during those six adventurous months. For Hannah, her love grew over time as she noticed their compatibility and similar interests. Mike popped the question when they were hitchhiking on military caravans through Israel. 

“My fear was that she was going to say — when the trip’s over, it’s over,” Mike said, laughing. “I just figured, if she’s willing to hitchhike on a military truck then she’s good enough to come to California with me!” 

Their adventure continued as they moved back to California, were married at Hannah’s parents’ home, and eventually moved to upstate New York to raise a family. They both worked as teachers as careers while raising their two daughters.

Life and aging can present complex challenges, but neither was ready for the multiple cancer diagnoses within their family. In 2017, Mike was diagnosed with lymphoma at the same time as their granddaughter Brynn was receiving chemotherapy for brain cancer. Brynn was first diagnosed when she was eight months old and passed away after her second birthday. 

“She always, always, always had a smile,” Hannah said. “People say to me sometimes, how many grandkids do you have? I always say four, because she’s still our granddaughter.”

Eventually, Mike began to need cancer-related appointments in Flagstaff and Phoenix. Hannah didn’t feel comfortable driving on the roads. Rather than uprooting and moving closer to treatment centers, they relied on VVCC’s volunteers and staff to drive Mike nearly 50 times to treatments since 2023.

“Verde Valley Caregivers hasn’t missed a Tuesday. Somebody is always here when they say they’re going to be here. It’s been wonderful, and I am so grateful,” Hannah said. “I have said a few times, we would not be able to live here without them.”

Between isolating at home due to his compromised immune system and mourning their granddaughter, Hannah and Mike have become more accustomed to staying at home. But for Mike, VVCC trips also provide him with a safe opportunity to get out and chat with a volunteer or driver. The time also provides Hannah, who has spent many years as a caregiver for Mike with his diagnoses, some cherished moments to herself. 

After 51 years of marriage, they both have distinctly separate philosophies on what has made their relationship so successful. 

“Patience,” Hannah said after some thought. “It’s important to find some space to be your own person.”

Whereas for Mike, he returns to his characteristic optimism.

“I just found the right person in Hannah,” Mike said with a grin. “It’s that simple.”

Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition Neighbor Liz has been fond of poetry her entire life, but only lightly dabbled when the mood struck her. 

But it wasn’t until she turned 79 — when some might expect her to slow down — that she decided to join a poetry group and pursue a new hobby. After living a long and filled life as a mother, therapist, and lover of Sedona’s magic, she has a lifetime of experiences to use as inspiration for verse.

She has self-published a poetry book titled, “Beyond Each Horizon.” The poems range from topics about family and friends, significant memories, the life and loss of her partner, and more. She hopes that when people read her poems, they can find comfort in hard times.

“If they identify with something — emotionally identify with it — then they’re not alone,” Liz said. “They’re not alone sitting in their house, in their room, not wanting to get dressed."

Three years ago, Liz enrolled with VVCC after she was struck by a car as a pedestrian. After the accident, she lost motor functions due to severe brain injuries. After those injuries, she lost her ability to drive, her license, and has since sold her car. 

She was first restricted to an assisted living facility but was determined to regain a level of independence.

“I had to learn to do a lot of things over, because part of my brain that was affected — it wasn’t the verbal part — it was the right frontal-lobe. It was the muscle memory and reaction time,” Liz said.

Through her hard work and determination, she was able to improve her muscle memory and move back home on her own. At first, she asked her friends to drive her around for her weekly errands but quickly felt she was asking too much of them. 

Then a friend recommended VVCC. Our nonprofit's mission is to support and encourage older adults in their quest to age in place in their community of choice by enhancing their independence, promoting a higher quality of life, reducing barriers to happiness, and making the Verde Valley an attractive and sustainable retirement destination. After Liz enrolled in our services, it has been smooth sailing ever since.

“I had this medical procedure and had to go down to the Phoenix area. A VVCC driver picked me up at 4 a.m. He was down there all day, bless his heart,” Liz said. “All the VVCC drivers have been good — courteous and good drivers.”

Liz first found her way to Sedona while traveling from her home in Los Angeles where she worked as an occupational rehab therapist, marriage and family counselor, and singles group organizer. One time, when driving with a boyfriend through the Southwest on Interstate 40, they passed Sedona. 

He told her “Only New Age weirdos live there, and we’re not going there.” But in her head as they passed the exit, she thought to herself: “That’s where I wanted to go; that’s what I want.”

Some time later, she traveled to Sedona with a friend. She woke up the first morning and decided to move to here. Since then, she has worked small jobs around the city, and eventually met her life partner Lou at a Country Western Dance class. Lou died in 2017 of cancer.

“We had a close, loving relationship,” Liz said. “His was my best relationship. I was with him for 23 years.” 

More recently, Liz attended her first VVCC Social Outing in December 2024, where staff drive nearly 30 older adults to an organized social event every month. She was enthralled by the storyteller at the event with their accent and facial expressions. Liz's ability to get out of the house and socialize has awoken something within her. 

After attending her first Social Outing, she sent a recently written poem to our staff titled “What I Really, Really Want.” Here is the poem published with Liz’s permission:

As the daughter of a WW2 soldier, Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition Neighbor Nancy moved often as a child. In fact, Nancy had attended 15 schools on bases around the world by the time she was in high school.

But ask her about her childhood, and she may tell you something surprising. 

“Somebody once said to me: ‘That must have been a terrible childhood moving to 15 different schools,’ but I wouldn’t have traded my childhood for anything,” Nancy said. “If you can imagine: All the wonderful experiences and seeing the world and going to school with kids of all different cultures, it shaped my mind.”

This sense of gratefulness shows itself often around Nancy, like how grateful she is to VVCC for helping her stay in her home. But Nancy's grateful and social nature is also part of her charm. She is well known 

VVCC Social Outings take 20 to 30 people on an adventurous trip and lunch in the Verde Valley. Nancy loves seeing people’s reactions to the many social outings, knowing that some older adults struggle with isolation.

“It’s so good to see the joy in their faces,” Nancy said. “I know people all over the world. But I’ll tell you, what a wonderful group of people specifically in our social outing group.”

VVCC’s 3,900 clients have different lives and experiences, but what they have in common is they have chosen the Verde Valley for retirement.  

Before retiring in the Cottonwood, Nancy went on what she calls “Nancy’s Great Adventure.” It all started after she spent 20 years raising her kids and teaching English and history in Deer Valley, Arizona. At that time, her children had left the nest, she and her husband had just divorced, and she said she felt the need to “reinvent herself.” 

So, in a move that might not seem natural to some, she applied for an overseas teaching job on American military bases. With her childhood living on bases in Japan and Germany, she felt she could relate to children there. 

One day at her Deer Valley school, the principal announced over the loudspeaker that she had a phone call from Washington D.C. in the office. Her students erupted in celebration.

“This was before cell phones,” Nancy said. “My kids knew that I had applied. These little 7th graders, they yelled ‘Yay!’” 

A couple of months later, there I was on the plane to Aviano, Italy. I sold my house. I gave my dog to a friend. And I went over with my kitchen table and a chair or two,” Nancy said. “It was an adventure, and it lasted 12 years.”

Aviano Air Base is located an hour north of Venice. She smiles as she remembers riding the train to Slovenia for lunch and visiting Venice during the slow tourist seasons. One of her proudest professional achievements happened when she earned the Stars and Stripes Magazine’s 2002 Teacher of the Year award and met Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in Washington D.C. 

When she moved back to the states, she eventually chose Cottonwood. Here, she kept working as a substitute teacher and eventually a tutor, and yet, she still felt like she had more to give. 

At 73, she was chosen as a Citizen Liaison for the Cottonwood Police Department. She was partnered with another 73-year-old woman named Ruth. Together, the two became known around the department and Cottonwood as the Granny Squad. The two women often gave out traffic citations near the Cottonwood Walmart, but they also directed traffic, did school outreach, and transported prisoners. 

“We looked alike with the same white hair and were little, tiny people. We climbed into that Tahoe every day for 7 years,” Nancy said. 

Like many VVCC Neighbors, Nancy understands the struggles that older adults face when attempting to access medical appointments in rural areas like the Verde Valley. She recounted a recent story from a friend who was told it would cost $1,000 for a ride to-and-from Mesa, Ariz. for a doctor’s appointment. 

Because of that widespread challenge, Nancy eventually enrolled in and uses several VVCC services including our free long-distance medical transport, an emergency alert unit, and social outings. 

“I would have had to go into a home,” Nancy said. “I really thought I was going into a home, because there was no way I could get the doctors that I needed without them.”

Tears came to Nancy’s eyes as she spoke about her appreciation for VVCC, its staff, and its mission to keep people in their homes. For her, staying in her home is the bottom line. 

“Because I’m independent. Because I love my town. I love the people in my town. I love my neighbors,” Nancy said. “I want to stay in my house as long as I can.”

 It took countless flights, two marriages, and a volcano eruption for Verde Valley Caregiver Coalition Neighbor Julia to find her way back to the Verde Valley.

Julia lives alone at her apartment in Cottonwood but, like many older adults, lives with a family including her one-eyed cat Popeye and her older chihuahua Mamacita.

She enrolled in VVCC for transportation to-and-from upcoming knee and back operations, saying the injuries came from years working as a nurse and flight attendant.

She started her career as a Licensed Practical Nurse in Wisconsin, eventually moving with her military husband to Fort Benning, Georgia. After a few years as a nurse, she eventually made a switch from nursing to being a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. Despite swapping from scrubs to scarves, she said the change was easy.

“Patients, passengers — they’re all the same,” Julia said, explaining that both roles require serving and responding to the public’s miscellaneous needs. 

She lived around the country through both jobs, including some time in Oregon and a short stint in Sedona. She eventually retired after work on her birthday and decided to move to the big island of Hawaii. 

Julia lived there renting a small room as a live-in caregiver for her landlord. She would spend her mornings drinking coffee in between snorkeling with colorful fish and sea turtles. She made new friends, earned a modest living, and defragged from her years of daily work.

It was at a pet sanctuary deep in the Hawaiian jungle that she first met Popeye.

“There were like 40 cats in there,” Julia said. “Popeye came up to me, put his paw on my leg and looked up at me. He then jumped up on my lap and put his head on my shoulder. I said that’s it, and I took him home.”

But after two years of Hawaiian dreams, her luck would take a turn. In 2018, Kilauea, the neighboring volcano to the island's largest volcano Mauna Loa, erupted leveling houses and leaving hundreds without housing. 

In the weeks before, there were warning signs like daily tremors and new lava flows. The radio warned people to pack their valuables, review evacuation plans, and prepare for the worst. 

In July, the fissure broke the earth and jettisoned lava into the air and down the mountainside.  

“It was the St. Louis Arch — a spurt of lava,” Julia said, her eyes distant as she remembered hearing the land split and seeing lava shoot into the sky. “I looked above the trees, and it was orange, red, and sparks were coming off. It was actually beautiful.  But it was loud it sounded like a freight train.”

Turning to evacuate her landlord, Julia found her just starting to take pictures off the wall as the lava was flowing toward them. Julia told her landlord it was too late to start packing, so her landlord had to leave many of her belongings behind. 

After, Julia ran and jumped into her flipflops, scooped Popeye into his carrier, and stepped out of her Hawaiian home for the final time. The lava would render the home uninhabitable.

With hundreds of people displaced by the disaster, there was hardly a room on the island to rent. With no home left for either Julia or her landlord, her landlord left the island to move in with family. Because of the federally declared disaster and her past as a flight attendant, Julia eventually landed a one-way ticket to Mexico. 

There, she walked onto foreign soil with nothing but her few remaining belongings and Popeye. There, a customs agent stationed in the city of Guadalajara gave Popeye a new name — Señor Uno Ojo. 

After living in Mexico for nine months, she began to consider moving back to the Verde Valley for the rural setting, mixing of cultures, and quiet. 

She now lives in Cottonwood and enjoys her apartment for one simple reason: it’s hers. After living on military bases, countless hotels for work, renting in Hawaii, fleeing to Mexico, and choosing Cottonwood, she’s happy to have a safe and quiet space for her to call her own. 

After a lifetime of serving others, she recently relied on VVCC's handyperson services to set up furniture. And after a sudden expense drained her retirement income, she found herself needing pet food for Popeye. She called VVCC's Pet Assistance program and had replacement food for Popeye in a jiffy.

“In less than 48 hours, I got a bag of food at my door. I am so thankful for Verde Valley Caregivers,” Julia said. “Popeye had a feast that night.”

Perusing the Bashas’ produce section in West Sedona, Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition Volunteer Gail Deutsch examines the batches of red grapes.

Gail is looking for any bruises or defects to find the freshest grapes for VVCC Neighbor Maxine, 91, who is standing at the nearby shopping cart. Maxine is legally blind. 

Through VVCC, Gail manages Maxine’s grocery shopping, medical transport, medical note taking, and various errands. Maxine helps Gail feel happy and fulfilled through serving others. 

Through their time together, they have begun to call each other sisters. They act like it too. 

As Gail continues to scour for grapes, Maxine leans over as if to share a secret but says it loud enough for Gail to hear.

“By the way, she’s shorter than I am — by half an inch,” Maxine said, smiling. 

“No — a quarter inch!” Gail chirps back. They laugh together.

Most people know VVCC from its medical transport service that provides older adults access to doctor appointments. However, grocery shopping has become one of our fastest growing services. 

Neighbors like Maxine who struggle seeing the ripeness of produce or the fine print on medicine labels benefit from VVCC’s shopping with service. Neighbors with mobility challenges benefit from VVCC’s shopping for service by having a volunteer shop for them and deliver groceries to their home.

VVCC fulfills its nonprofit mission through these services to support older adults like Maxine retain their independence and quality of life as they age in their community of choice. 

“I think Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition is wonderful — amazing really,” Maxine said. “I’ve seen and heard that from so many people.”

Maxine has lived in the Verde Valley since 1991 and lived in Camp Verde for 25 years. She recently moved out of her long-time home and almost left the valley, but she chose to move to the independent living facility in Sedona Winds to stay closer to Gail and VVCC services.

“She’s the only one I’ve got for help,” Maxine said. 

Maxine said she was no stranger to living with disabilities before she lost her sight. When she lived in Kansas City, Kan. in the 1950s, she raised a family including a son with cerebral palsy. She believes society in 2024 is a kinder place for people with disabilities compared to the 50s.

She remembers people pointing and laughing at her son at grocery stores, malls, and when they were out in public. 

“They would stand and gawk and point and laugh and say things,” Maxine said.

But she always reminded her son: Never be ashamed of who you are. 

“Now, people don’t stop and stare and make fun of him like they used to,” Maxine said.

Gail supports Maxine as they shop together around the Verde Valley at Basha’s, CVS, Natural Grocers, and Walmart, depending on what Maxine needs and where their day takes them. They have volunteered together for so long Gail has become an expert on Maxine’s tastes.

“I can shop for [Maxine] without her,” Gail said. 

“She can! She corrects me a lot,” Maxine agrees, laughing.

The most common way VVCC finds new volunteers in the Verde Valley is through word-of-mouth referrals. Similarly, Gail enrolled as a volunteer after hearing about VVCC’s volunteer services from a friend. 

VVCC volunteers decide when, where, and how often they volunteer. For example, after taking many different calls, Gail eventually requested to serve just one or two neighbors. Gail had another neighbor in addition to Maxine that she cared for before he recently passed away. Now she dedicates her Wednesdays to helping Maxine. 

“It makes me feel useful,” Gail said. “I’m always happy when I can serve somebody else besides myself.”

People don’t always understand the challenges people living with disabilities and legally blind people face, but Maxine thinks Gail does a fine job. 

“I just thank God I met Gail,” Maxine said. “I do that all the time.”

Pentagon employee, homemaker, Radio Shack top sales representative, 1st woman letter carrier in Lynchburg, Va., world traveler, author, motivational speaker, craftsperson; these are the roles Shelia has had in her life. And at 80, she’s not done yet.

Shelia grew up with four brothers in Sofie, Va. She played sports along with the boys and became an enthusiastic runner. Her love of exercise hasn’t dulled, because as recently as two years ago, she ran-walked a marathon. 

After four children with her first husband of 20 years, she ended up in Phoenix. A few years later, Shelia was inspired to move to Sedona where she would meet her second husband Lance. During this time, she handmade items and travelled throughout the world attending craft shows. 

In 2018, Shelia needed knee replacement surgery. By that time, Lance was too ill to drive her. A nearby neighbor who volunteers for Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition told her about our services. Shelia became a client, and her neighbor became her driver for the medical appointments. 

“[VVCC] has been a life saver,” she said. 

During the pandemic, Lance had become so weak she did not want to risk exposure to COVID. So Shelia also relied upon VVCC services for her grocery shopping. 

After a wonderful 22 years, Lance’s recent passing was hard for Shelia. She went through a time of low energy. She kept busy crafting things out of Lego blocks. Now she is painting stones, which she will leave around the community for people to find and collect. 

Recently Shelia has started attending VVCC monthly social outings exclusively available for clients. She only wishes she found it sooner.

“This service would have really helped me after my husband passed away,” she said.

Shelia has written an inspirational book entitled “Divine Sparks” and worked as a motivational speaker. Her local living community also recognizes her talent for inspiration. In their community newsletter, they publish a “Notes from Shelia” section featuring her writing. 

Last month, Shelia wrote about the idea of embracing imperfection in your daily lives to achieve a richer sense of happiness:

“Perfection and imperfection are on the same line: Think of a ruler, imperfection is on one end and perfection on the other. Just as light and dark, soft and hard, everything has its opposite,” Shelia wrote. “Somewhere in the middle is balance.”

As high energy and social of a person as she is, spending time with Shelia is calming. She truly does have the gift to inspire.

At 96 years old, Joanne Johnson remains remarkably sharp and active as the Chair of the Planning and Transportation committees in her large homeowner’s association. And not even recent health challenges can stop her from her lifelong love of adventure and community.

Joanne’s journey began in Akron, Ohio, where she aimed to pursue a career in medicine at Western Reserve University, only to be redirected towards becoming a med tech due to gender barriers of the time. While studying there, she met and married her husband, Herk, a student at Case Western Reserve University. Their careers took her from hospitals in Akron to Chicago, but eventually, they settled in Van Nuys, California.

Joanne and Herk raised a son and a daughter, and while Herk pursued his engineering career, Joanne became a dedicated homemaker. Herk’s love for golf eventually led them to explore various golf courses in Arizona. Upon discovering Sedona, Joanne invested her inheritance in local real estate. By 1990, they retired to the Village of Oak Creek, where they built their dream home.

Despite initially focusing on homemaking, Joanne's adventurous spirit led her to explore new interests. 

Her most unexpected venture came when she joined Volunteers in Protection, a volunteer deputy group formed by the sheriff to support law enforcement in Big Park. Overcoming her initial fear of guns, Joanne underwent rigorous training with the local SWAT team. She became a respected member of the group, patrolling neighborhoods and assisting sheriff officers as needed. 

During the last couple of years, Joanne has developed some health challenges including a leg operation that required multiple medical appointments per week. While she continues to drive locally, the appointments are far and frequent. Joanne relies on Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition and cannot think of any other service that would have seen her through that time.

“I couldn’t exist without them!” Joanne said.

When asked what of her experiences have been most interesting, she spoke of planning and completing the median planting in Verde Valley School Road. She was also involved in the development of Interstate 179, helping to organize the median planting there. And don’t forget her participation in forming the Big Park Region Coordinating Council and her work on the first board of Big Park Domestic Wastewater Improvement District, she said.

Joanne’s dedication to community service and her resilience in facing personal challenges serve as a testament to her remarkable spirit and unwavering commitment to making a difference throughout her life.

As a child in Vienna, Austria, Henni began skating with her brother at age 8. When she was 18, Ice Review came to Vienna and recruited Henni and four other girls to skate for Ice Capades. This was an exciting adventure. They traveled to America on the Queen Elizabeth I. August 11, 1959. From New York they travelled by train to Atlantic City where they began training for the ice shows.  

Their responsibilities extended beyond the ice shows. Henni was one of the girls chosen to model at Macy’s to promote the ice shows. They travelled by train from one City to another. When travelling they had to wear dresses and high heels and behave professionally. She skated for 13 years.  

Then she became a skating school director in Southern California where she was training her daughter, Christina. From there she moved to Phoenix where she Opened Metro Skating Arena in the new Phoenix Metro Center. 

 While skating she had been married and then divorced.    She was living in Scottsdale when she married again and moved back to Phoenix. Her husband later died of a heart attack. In 1998 she met and married her current husband, Donald. 

They were travelling around the west in their mobile home when Donald became seriously ill while staying in a mobile home park in the Verde Valley. Henni learned about VVCC in a magazine. She called because she does not feel confident to drive because of failing sight. Donald was the driver and mechanic for their aging Mercedes. With him incapacitated VVCC has been their only way to get to doctors’ appointments. “Every driver is super,” says Henni, “and the ladies [in the call center] are wonderful!”

On one trip to Prescott, the driver went by way of Jerome. Henni thought it was a beautiful drive and she felt secure because the volunteer was such a good driver. On the way back they stopped at Arizona Botanical Gardens, which was a special treat. 

Below are photos from Henni's collection.

Debbie has been a VVCC neighbor for the past six years. Originally from Brooklyn, her career was teaching kindergarten in Queens. After she retired, Debbie moved to Arizona and eventually settled in Cottonwood.

Debbie is living with stage three kidney disease, macular degeneration, and cataracts. She faces constant pain and severe arthritis in her knees, legs, and back. She is also dealing with bipolar disorder. Debbie has not driven for the past decade and depends on VVCC for essential transportation services to medical appointments and grocery shopping.

Living on little more than $1000/month, Debbie has found community support. Local food banks and food boxes from Manzanita Outreach help with nutrition. As well as transportation, VVCC has provided technology coaching allowing her to use her android device with confidence for communication. NACOG helps with housekeeping. She also plans to join VVCC’s monthly senior outings.

Debbie is dedicated to maintaining her physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to having regular healthcare, she participates in NAZCARE wellness programs, enjoying activities like yoga and attending a bipolar support group three times a week. She regularly visits the Cottonwood Library for books to read. Her parakeet, Sweetie Pie keeps her company.

With her determination and the caring network surrounding her, Debbie continues to embrace life with resilience and appreciation.  Of VVCC Debbie says,  "I love it! I am very grateful for Verde Valley Caregivers. They make me feel like family."