Gloria Meads is a member of the HumanGood Affordable Housing board of directors and a former member of our corporate board, who even served as its vice president for a duration of time. She also served on the Piedmont Gardens advisory board for about 30 years.
Where does such passion and dedication to HumanGood stem from? It comes from the fact that Gloria and her husband Phillip have had a total of 18 family members live in the Piedmont Gardens community in Oakland, California, over a period of more than 35 years.
It all started with Phillip’s uncle, Albert, who was a retired physician and a deacon and trustee of the First Baptist Church, Oakland. Over time, Albert started losing his short-term memory, so Piedmont Gardens, with its assisted living care, seemed like the perfect fit.
Shortly after Albert moved in, Gloria’s great grandmother, Eunice, began having health problems and her household were becoming too much for her to manage. So, after seeing Albert’s wonderful experience in Piedmont Gardens, the family helped move Eunice into the community as well. Eunice loved flowers, hence she enjoyed working in the garden at Piedmont Gardens. On Saturdays, she joined the group of residents who got to together and knitted hats and other baby items to give to charity. She loved all the outings for residents on the Piedmont Garden bus, as well.
After that, over the next several decades, a total of 16 of Gloria and Phillip’s family members moved into Piedmont Gardens, including both of Phillip’s parents and Gloria’s mother, Ruth. Ruth moved into the community because Gloria felt that she needed more social stimulation after her father died, and Piedmont Gardens was perfect because they are always opportunities to engage in group activities, such as completing jigsaw puzzles, enjoying coffee hours and playing bingo in the “friendship room,” as well as taking bus trips to interesting places around the Bay Area. She loved the other residents and the attentive staff. It seemed as though there was never a dull moment for Ruth, which Gloria greatly appreciated.
“I would recommend Piedmont Gardens to anyone,” says Gloria. “My family always said that ‘When you’re living in a HumanGood community, the community becomes your family, too’ and I would agree.”