Archive for July, 2010

2010 Faith in Action Caregivers of Round Rock Water to Wine Fundraiser was a HUGE Success!

The event was held at the Water 2 Wine in Round Rock.  We surpassed our goal of $6,000 and raised over $6,400.  Thank you to everyone who attended the event and those that donated prizes for the silent auction.

This years sponsors where:

Practical Care Continuum

ResponseLINK

Central Texas EMS

Accord Home Care

A Special Thanks to our host Sharon Miller and her wonderful team at Water 2 Wine who donated 10% of their sales to the fundraiser.

Mama Lu’s provided all the tasty treats and

Miloz Jewelry brought the glitz and glamor with their hand made jewelry selection and donated 10% of their sales to the fundraiser as well.

Click on the photos below for descriptions and full images!

On April 22, 2010 I was the proud recipient of one of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce’s Texas’s Blazing Star Awards.  I am so honored to have been picked among such a group of fabulous women all across the state of Texas.  What a great Honor!

Here is the introduction as compiled by Iumi Richards-Crow, my nominator, business associate and good friend

When I first met Samantha Young she was presiding over the Women’s Chamber Growth and Innovation Council.  I observed her competence in this position and was taken by her steady professionalism and lighthearted manner.  It would take several months before I realized the breadth of her accomplishments, the hugeness of her heart, and the depth of her commitment to those she serves in her home health care business, Practical Care Continuum (PCC).  The home elder care industry has changed in the last few years, becoming more competitive as many franchises have sprung up.  Some of these franchises are being run by people who see them as little more than a financial opportunity.

On the contrary, for Samantha, home elder care is avocation. Samantha has been in this field for over 20 years. She started PCC 10 years ago and has taken it to a high level.  In her daily work, she displays compassion for the elderly who want to remain independent, and understanding for the sandwich generation of stressed caretakers.  At PCC her every action and program and policy is focused on offering solutions and support.  Because it is the right thing to do for clients, she always has licensed social workers on staff.  This, by the way, is not required, it is expensive, and it is not a common practice.  In fact, PCC is the only home care business in the greater Austin area with social workers on staff.

Samantha’s accomplishments as a business owner and administrator would be impressive enough, but she has done all of this as a single mother of two lively, happy boys. In fact she was pregnant when she started her business, and remembers going around applying for financing in a very obviously pregnant state!  In those first lean and crucial years, she often brought her sons to work.  She understands first hand the conflicts of motherhood and work, and she offers her office staff flex time.  They can bring their kids to work when needed as well.

Samantha is an innovator and if she feels her clients need something that isn’t readily available, she goes about getting it. Sometimes she creates it, sometimes she contracts to have it made, and in the case of The Ashby Memory Method, an innovative program for persons with memory problems, she went to Canada to get it.

Single mom, innovator, successful entrepreneur, community volunteer, champion of the elderly; all this would be enough to make Samantha a blazing star, but in addition, she has added another responsibility to her overflowing schedule.  Samantha has invited her elderly mother to live with her and the boys, not an easy task, and not one that would be taken on by a majority of people.  In order to make this possible, she even had to remodel her home!

Recently Samantha told me that one night she had the boys settled in for bed  and was looking forward to a little time for herself when she heard the front door slam.  She ran downstairs just in time to see her mother going down the front walk in her robe and slippers. Upon catching up with her, she found out her mother was going out for the newspaper!  It was only when Samantha promised that she herself would get the paper that her mother was convinced to go back into the house.  So Samantha got dressed and ran to the store, giving up that short, precious time  to herself. And yet she takes it all in stride.

When asked what she would consider one of her greatest accomplishments, Samantha answered without hesitation, “My son just received 2^nd place in the Regional Fair.”

I admire Samantha.  In my book she is already a blazing star.  I would like to see her get the recognition she deserves.