About Us

The Washington Association of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (WACCRA) is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization. It is led by a board of directors elected for two-year terms at the annual meeting by the voting members. For 2023, the directors (and officers) are:

• Nickie Askov – Mirabella (Contact Nickie)
• Rick Baugh – Skyline (Contact Rick)
• Carlos Caguiat – Emerald Heights (Contact Carlos)
• Monica Clement – Timber Ridge (Contact Monica)
• Jim Crim - Emerald Heights (Contact Jim)
• Donna Kristaponis – Emerald Heights (Contact Donna)
• Laura Saunders - Hearthstone (Contact Laura)
• Kim Hickman - At Large (Contact Kim)
• Rocky Higgins - Skyline (Contact Rocky)
• Barb Horrell - Timber Ridge (Contact Barb)
• Barbara Knight - Horizon House (Contact Barbara)

The current officers are:

• President – Donna Kristaponis (Emerald Heights)
• Vice-President - Laura Saunders (Hearthstone)
• Secretary – Nickie Askov (Mirabella)
• Treasurer – Jim Crim (Emerald Heights)

According to the WACCRA bylaws, the president must also be a director of the association. Other officers may be, but do not have to be, directors as well.

WACCRA was incorporated as a Washington nonprofit association on September 16, 2016: The Articles of Incorporation. The Bylaws of the Association were restated in 2020 and accepted by the membership at the Annual Meeting on October 14 of that year.

As is explained in the “Short History of WACCRA”, the organizers of WACCRA wanted to pursue legislation to provide greater protections to residents of CCRCs. In order to pursue that goal, they decided to seek recognition from the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(4) “Social Welfare” organization (not as a “Public Charity”). The IRS accepted WACCRA’s application in July of 2016. It is important to note that contributions to Social Welfare organizations are not deductible from individuals’ federal income tax.

We’re in the midst of another strange year and continue to ask, “Is this the new normal?”  Maybe yes, maybe no, but we’ve now learned how to negotiate a quarantine, the importance of vaccines and masks, and how to stay connected via Zoom. Read more...

 If you aren’t a member of WACCRA, consider joining now