Tenant Spotlight: Meet Donna McCarthy
Tenant Spotlight: Meet Donna McCarthy of Park Vista Apartments in El Segundo, California
Introducing our new Cadman Group Spotlight Series, where we’ll feature the stories of Cadman Group team members and our clients and tenants, in the spirit of celebrating community and those who make it richer. We are thrilled to kick off this series with one of our favorite long time tenants: Meet Donna McCarthy.
Adjacent to beautiful Recreation Park in El Segundo, California, you’ll find the Park Vista Apartments, a charming senior living facility nestled between the trees. Owned by the City of El Segundo and beloved by the community, Park Vista is entering its 32nd year of providing comfort and belonging to its residents at an affordable cost. Here at Cadman Group, we’re proud to manage this community that conveys the essence of home, which is such a core part of the heart of El Segundo, a vibrant family-friendly community with a small town feel, known by many as Mayberry by the Sea.
Donna McCarthy represents a significant part of the history of the Park Vista Apartments – indeed, Donna was the very first resident to move in. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, she left home in her early twenties and headed to California, eventually making her way to El Segundo, where she proudly raised her four children. Travel and learning about different cultures have always been a passion for Donna, and as her time as an employee for Western Airlines allowed her the ability to fly around the world, seeing places and gathering tidbits of culture. Since her retirement in 1987 when she moved in, Donna’s been busy, throwing herself into growing the Park Vista community and celebrating her beloved El Segundo, which she says has been a dream come true. Donna has led the charge at Park Vista, developing and creating programs for social gatherings, organizing a welcoming committee for new tenants, decorating for the holidays, aiding in event planning, and even fundraising. She created a monthly newsletter, which she helped to write and edit and started volunteering at the El Segundo Chamber of Commerce, the El Segundo High School library, the Joslyn Center, and El Segundo’s Dial-a-Ride. Recognizing her many contributions to the community, the City of El Segundo named Donna McCarthy 1998’s El Segundo’s Senior Citizen of the Year.
Now 93, Donna is still an active part of the community. During every holiday you will find her decorating the Rec Room with help of friends, attending Park Vista social events, and shopping El Segundo’s Farmer’s Market each week. If you happen to visit El Segundo during baseball season, you’ll be sure to run into her. Donna still loves walking across the park to the bleachers at Brett Field, where she can be found cheering on the El Segundo Little League while enjoying a hot dog from the snack bar.
Donna’s positive outlook on life radiates from her. Her love for life is inspirational and contagious and we feel lucky to have her as a part of our Park Vista family.