My brother, Kyle Phillips, and sisters Liz Phillips and Stacia Phillips Miller, and I are launching a new project. We are opening an assisted living facility in Lincoln, CA. Yesterday I submitted a 178 page licensing packet -- not including a 200-page operations manual -- to the Community Care Division of the CA Dept. of Social Services.
We do this in memory of my father, Wayne E. Phillips, who died while living with Alzheimer's Disease last year. With two pastors, a registered nurse, and "Action Jackson" Liz Phillips, we were fortunate to be able to support dad at home. Not all families are able to do this.
This experience informed our decision to provide a setting for seniors whose families lack the means to support their mom or dad at home.
Friends who know us know that the four Phillips kids are fierce advocates for community, for the Neighbor Love Ethic, for not turning one's backs on those who are unable to care for themselves -- for whatever reason.
Each of us brings something valuable and unique to the project. We also share one important trait in common.
Liz recently told me, "Phillips's just don't fail." Stacia is tough as nails. Kyle has looked down the barrel of a gun, both literally and figuratively, in support of his parishioners. I know enough to just keep showing up until the job is done.
"You eat an elephant one bit at a time," my father said. We all learned that lesson well.
Kyle has observed that the service economy will continue to have a significant role to play for many years to come. As technology and "AI" increasingly take over jobs in manufacturing, finance, engineering, transportation, agriculture and more, work that involves one human being touching the heart of another will remain a job that only a caring human being can do.
Caring about others is something we do well.
And so, we the Phillips' kids have formed a new corporation, "The WayMar Legacy Group." WayMar is a portmanteau that combines the names of our parents, Wayne and Marge. Our hope is that our parent's legacy will live on through the work the WayMar Legacy Group will do in the support of others.
So I hope you will wish us luck. And say a prayer for us. We are blessed to be a blessing. And a blessing is what we intend to be.