Some stories from the Early Days of Givens Estates

Jane L. Golden, Givens Estates' second Resident Services Coordinator, began her work in 1984, when we were a young community. She emphasized resident services, community outreach and service, linkage with the local churches, and developing meaningful relationships between residents and with the wider community. In February, 1988 she received the Human Services Director of the Year National Award in San Francisco, California, from the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries. It was stated that she had helped create a pacesetting model in the field of resident services. Jane was a motivator, an encourager, and a connector. She believed that Givens was a community where neighbor helped neighbor, and she helped initiate outreach programs to benefit the greater community. She helped form what some say is the foundation of the Givens Community Spirit. We thank Jane for sharing the stories of those early years contained in this collection. These stories are her interpretation of Givens Estates' history. After graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne College, Jane was selected for the Danforth Fellowship program at Penn State where she trained with Elton Trueblood to work with Campus Student Christian Fellowships. She retired from Givens Estates in 1991. Jane was the spouse of a United Methodist Pastor, Jake Golden. Jake was the Senior Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Asheville, a superintendent of the Waynesville District, a superintendent of the Asheville District and he served on the Givens Board during our formative years. Jane and Jake's daughter, Anne, lives in the WNC UMAR Home on the Givens Estates campus.