Wind Crest Residents Handcraft Wine Bags for a Great Cause

During National Volunteer Month, Wind Crest, an Erickson Senior Living community in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is highlighting the creativity and generosity of its residents, most notably a volunteer team whose handcrafted wine bags have raised thousands of dollars for community philanthropies.

Resident Irene Moyer, who moved to Wind Crest in 2021, helped launch the project after sharing her sewing experience with the leadership of the community’s thrift shop, the Treasure Chest. Inspired by similar items she once made for a local thrift store, Moyer proposed selling handcrafted wine bags to support philanthropic efforts at Wind Crest.

Priced at $10 each, the wine bags quickly became one of the Treasure Chest’s best-selling items.

All materials for the project are donated, reflecting the community’s collaborative spirit. Supplies include fabric, ribbon, and decorative accents. Colorado Style, a local furniture store, donates discontinued upholstery fabric for the bags.

What began as a single idea has grown into a resident-led team effort. Carol Fenster and Sue Townsend sew the wine bags, Moyer adds finishing touches, and Sandy Laney decorates each bag using repurposed jewelry and beads. The Wind Crest Sales Department purchases the wine bags as welcome gifts for new residents, turning the project into a meaningful and personal tradition.

As of April 2022, residents have sold 1,748 wine bags, generating nearly $16,000 to benefit various philanthropic initiatives through Wind Crest’s Treasure Chest including the Student Scholarship Fund, the Resident Care Fund, and the Employee Appreciation Fund.

Wind Crest offers residents opportunities to remain active, engaged, and connected through service and numerous clubs and activities on campus.

For more information, visit WindCrest.com or call 303-798-3100 to schedule a tour.