91: Tony Kliener

Retired Physician

During the year 2020, Anton was the President of the Residents Council at The Highlands Retirement Community, where he and his wife live. This position gave him the opportunity to assist residents and staff at the facility.

With him organizing the council, they assisted residents in ways such as: fund raising to buy PPE for the staff, pulling together a group of people who could sew, and making 400 masks for residents who needed them. They stayed in contact with those in isolation by seeing to their needs both physically and emotionally (a minimum of a weekly check-in with each of them.) They organized food delivery services to meet the daily needs of the residents (other than prepared meals). Anton and the volunteers met regularly (virtually) to see to the residents in these and many other ways.

When the vaccine became available the council organized the distribution and immunization of nearly 100% of the residents. Then to spread their good fortune (of the vaccine) around, he reached out the surrounding community and organized a vaccination site on the grounds of The Highlands. At that site, they vaccinated an additional 4000 community residents.

Remember, this was all happening from a retirement community, the type of facility that in most cities around the world was hit the hardest by illness and death. This location and group of people are a shining example of how to handle this safely.

Anton’s wish for the future is a safe and just world for all.