Local Students Earn College Funds Serving Seniors at ACTS' Indian River Estates

VERO BEACH, FL, October 7, 2008 - ACTS Retirement-Life Communities, a not-for-profit retirement services organization and parent company of Indian River Estates, recently awarded 19 local students with vouchers ranging from $300 to $500 each for their work at the retirement community. The recipients are among 390 students who earned scholarships totaling $145,200 at ACTS Retirement-Life Communities nationwide.

Scholarship students from Indian River Estates West included: Josh Gruber, Michael Ford, Mytran Duong, Michele Imbro, Chris Norling and James McCord.

Scholarship students from Indian River Estates East included: Antoinette Lee, Tyler Cobb, Christina Brecher, Sara Blum, Blake Jones, Killin Hasselbrink, David Rice, Renee Kilbourne, Eric Moczydlowski, Devon Langford, Kaitlyn Hasselbrink, Allen Johns and Hope Carter.

Students qualify for ACTS culinary service scholarships by working a specified number of hours during a 16-week scholarship period. The scholarships can be applied to the current cost of tuition for parochial or private high schools, colleges, universities and technical schools. For more than 10 years, ACTS has awarded scholarships to students working at its 19 communities in six states. Students are hired as servers in the formal dining room and usually work the 4 to 8 pm shift.

"ACTS' Intergenerational Culinary Program has financial and social benefits. The residents love the attention from the young people, and the students form bonds with the residents, who become like family members to them, and they develop a new understanding and respect for the older generation," said Jeff Tyler, Director of Culinary and Nutrition Services.

Indian River Estates is a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Vero Beach, owned and managed by ACTS Retirement-Life Communities. Residents must be able to live safely on their own when they move into the community, which offers resort-style independent living residences with access to assisted living and skilled nursing care to meet residents' changing needs. For more information visit www.ACTSretirement.com