January 2026

Claire Gorfinkel Retires from Board of Directors

By Susan Kujawa
Posted: 08/05/2025

It is entirely appropriate to say that retiring Board Director Claire Gorfinkel and Pasadena Village were made for each other!

Claire heard about Pasadena Village when it was being formed, way back in 2013.  Claire had spent most of her career as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations.  As she visited donors who lived in retirement communities, she grew to believe “this is the way to live as we age.”  Seeing the benefits that resulted from being surrounded by caring people in a supportive environment, she felt that her mission in life was to create community.

When she first became involved with Pasadena Village, Claire was contemplating a move to a Quaker retirement community in Santa Rosa.  Joining up with the nascent Pasadena Village was a good back-up plan.  At that time, Pasadena Village was a visionary concept rather than an organization.  There were no committees or teams, no policies, no calendar bursting with activities.  However, there was energy, vision, excitement, and most of all – there was community.

So Claire naturally got involved: “It made so much sense to me.  I loved the people I met.”  Her experience with non-profit organizations gave her valuable insight into the structural needs of the Village.  With her training as a chaplain and her work with the caring community program at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, she got especially involved in the formation and development of what became the Village Care Team.  It started with Sue Kujawa and Nancy Goodell and a project called “Staying Connected.”  As Claire explains it, “Chaplains provide a caring and listening presence, while Social Workers bring resources and problem solving.”  Together, these skill sets led to the creation of a team that offers compassionate and practical support for Village members when they are going through transitions, ranging from a hospitalization to the death of a loved one or declining physical and mental capabilities.

Claire’s skills made her a natural candidate for the Board of Directors, and she has served three terms and in different roles, as Director, Treasurer and, most recently, as Secretary.  “I enjoy the camaraderie, being part of a team, and being able to support our incredible staff.”  She is proud that she has been able to contribute to our remarkable growth and to the continuing evolution of the Care Team.  “The Care Team is always struggling to let people know it exists.  While the Village is not a social service agency, we don’t want to see anyone dropping out of activities, or falling through the cracks because they don’t know how to get help or are reluctant to ask for it.  I am so pleased that we have new members on the team who add to its mission and broaden its access.”

As we say good-bye to Claire as Director and Board member, we are grateful to know that she will continue her contributions to our growth.  She is part of a newly formed Accessibility task force and, in the fall, she will start a new resource group for people with hearing loss.

And getting back to the beginning of our story stating that Claire and Pasadena Village were made for each other: in spring 2022, Claire met Villager Michael Werner, and it turns out that they too were made for each other!