Giving Back Through Gratitude

Barbara Carovano has deep roots in Northern California. Her parents met while attending University of California at Berkeley. Her husband, Martin, received his Ph.D. in economics and Barbara studied art history at Cal as well. Martin’s career took them to the East Coast, but when he eventually retired, the couple moved back to the Bay Area. Not long afterward, when Martin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, “we knew it was time to find a permanent place to live,” Barbara said.

Barbara and her husband found St. Paul’s Towers in Oakland by a happy accident. While attending a concert at Zellerbach Hall, they met someone who told them about her wonderful home at a community in Oakland. They were so intrigued that they decided to take a tour, fell in love with an apartment with incredible views, and never looked back. The Carovanos moved to St. Paul’s Towers in 2016 and became active members of the community.

“I’m on the ‘Music Committee’ and the ‘Ambience Committee,’ in addition to being involved with the ‘End of Life Committee,’ which has been very rewarding,” Barbara says. “While Martin was ill and when he passed away in 2019, everyone on the skilled nursing floor was very supportive, as were a great many people in the larger SPT community.” That support, says Barbara, is a big reason why she chooses to support the” Circle of Friends” resident assistance fund through the Front Porch Communities Foundation.