Bethany Retirement Living was voted THE BEST in five of the seven categories where we were a finalist in The Forum’s annual Best of the Red River Valley contest. Readers of The Forum nominate and vote on their favorite business in many categories. Bethany garnered the top spot in:
Best Large Employer (50+)
Best Physical Therapy Facility
Best Customer Service – Health & Wellness
Best Customer Service – Family & Community
Best Medical Facility
Bethany on University has been named a BEST NURSING HOME and earned the highest possible rating, “High Performing” as ranked by US News & World Report. Bethany on 42nd was also among the “High Performing” facilities. The two Bethany campuses are among the top 19 percent of all nursing facilities nationwide.
More than 15,000 nursing facilities across the country were rated by USNews. Nearly all nursing homes received one of five Overall ratings – High Performing, Better than Average, Average, Worse than Average, or Poor. The ratings are based on USNews’ own in-depth analysis of data from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including data not factored into CMS’s star ratings. For more information on the rating process, visit the USNews website at http://health.usnews.com/bestnursing-homes.
Shawn Stuhaug, President & CEO at Bethany, said, “The results this year are unbelievable! We are grateful for the votes cast by our residents and patients, their families, our employees and friends of Bethany. This overwhelmingly positive response attests to the appreciation people have for our employees and the care they provide those who live at Bethany. The Bethany team works very hard every day to give our residents, patients and family members a great experience; it’s gratifying to see that effort recognized.”
“This recognition of the outstanding care we provide our residents at Bethany helps us stay on-track as we continually strive to improve services for our residents,” said Dawn Hummel, RN, Senior Executive of Resident Care at Bethany Retirement Living. “We are very proud to be recognized in this way as we endeavor to enrich the lives of those who call Bethany ‘home.’ Certainly, this reflects on our quality nurses and caregivers, but it also includes dining services, housekeeping, chaplaincy, social services and countless others who affect our residents’ lives daily.”
Horace Lutheran, Horace Kindred Lutheran, Kindred Lutheran Church of the Cross, West Fargo Maple Sheyenne Lutheran, Harwood Martin’s Lutheran, Casselton
Messiah Lutheran, Fargo
Mooreton Lutheran, Mooreton
New Hope Lutheran, Leonard
Norman Lutheran, Kindred
Olivet Lutheran, Fargo
Our Savior Lutheran, Page
Our Savior’s Lutheran, Colfax
Peace Lutheran, Fargo
Pontoppidan Lutheran, Fargo
Richland Lutheran, Walcott
St. John Lutheran, Arthur
St. John Lutheran, Embden
St. John Lutheran, Fargo
St. Mark’s Lutheran, Fargo
St. Paul’s Lutheran, Tower City
St. Peter Lutheran, Leonard
Walcott Lutheran, Walcott
Zion Lutheran, Harwood
Medical Director
Board of Trustees
Paulette Amundson, Retired, Chair
Dan Beauchamp, Essentia Health, Vice Chair
Roger Olson, Tharaldson Hospitality , Treasurer
Ben Carlsrud, Network Center, Inc, Secretary
Cheryl Anderson, Retired
Jerilynn Brantner-Adams, Vogel Law Firm
John Hertsgaard, SpaceAge Synthetics, Ltd.
Laura Ness Owens, Doosan Bobcat, Inc
Beth Renner, Wells Fargo
Lianne Rockstad, Retired
Rick Steen, Retired
Leadership
Shawn Stuhaug, President & CEO
Kaye Angus, CFO
Adam Broers, Senior Executive - Human Resources & Safety
Dawn Hummel, Senior Executive - Resident Care, Skilled Operations
Joyce Linnerud-Fowler, Senior Executive - Housing & Assisted Living
Grant Richardson, Senior Executive - Development & Community Relations
Mission Statement
To provide living opportunities in a senior community shaped by Christian values.
Values
BELIEVE: We believe in the power of the individual. Every resident is unique and special; every employee has the opportunity to make a difference. We believe in the power of faith.
ETHICS: Ethical behavior drives our daily decisions. We are open and honest with our residents, co-workers and the community.
TEAMWORK: We are a regional leader in long-term care because of the exceptional teamwork of our employees, working together to achieve our mission.
HOME: This is our residents’ home. We will treat every resident with compassion, courtesy, dignity and respect. We provide excellent care for each based on his or her individual needs. Every decision puts the resident first.
ACCOUNTABILITY: We are accountable for our conduct and decisions.
NEW: We are consistently searching for new and innovative ways to meet the needs of our current and future residents.
YOU: You make a difference! Bethany is a community of individuals living and working together, enriching the lives of residents, employees, volunteers, visitors, and families.
Vision
Bethany’s vision is to be the region’s preeminent provider of senior living services.
About Bethany
Dr. Parul Gupta
Chaplain’s Corner
“Then Jesus ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.”
Matthew 14:19-20
The Thanksgiving and Christmas season is a time I deeply enjoy. I love getting together with my extended family around a large table eating and spending time reconnecting. I’m not sure about you, but I find that I tend to eat way too much at these gatherings. I typically reach a point where I think that there’s no way I’ll ever be able to eat again. That feeling usually lasts until the end of the first football game, at which point I get up and go to the kitchen trying to decide what kind of pie I want. Isn’t it interesting that no matter how full we may get, eventually we go looking for more.
In our gospel reading, Jesus has just finished feeding 5000 and we hear that everyone ate their fill! They were stuffed full to the brim and satisfied. However, the next day they come hungering for more. Like the crowd, I wonder if perhaps we also find ourselves hungering for more. Many of us live with a sense of scarcity. It’s easy to look around and see all the things we don’t have or want to have or think we should have, while missing the abundance of things we do have. As we ask the question of what are we hungering for, perhaps we can take a moment this
year to reflect upon the great abundance in our lives rather than the fear that we don’t have enough. After all, isn’t that ultimately what this holiday season helps us to remember?
As we reflect on the abundance in our lives rather than the scarcity, let us give thanks for all the things both big and small that fill us. Let us give thanks for a roof over our heads, for a bed on which we sleep and for children who remind us of the most important things in life. Let us give thanks for friends and family who have loved and shaped us into the people we are. Finally, let us rejoice in the gift of a meal that holds us over to tomorrow, whether it comes from meals on wheels, grandma’s oven, McDonald’s or our dear Lord’s table.
May the Lord’s abundance hold and keep you all this holiday season my dear friends, know that I am thankful for you and the table where we all sit together to feast with our Lord. Amen
In Christ,
Pastor Brian Hansen
Please Consider Bethany...
Your will (or living trust) indicates your intentions, then provides the power to accomplish them. This document remains the key element in most estate plans. Bethany Retirement Living depends greatly on outright gifts and unconditional bequests so that it can faithfully serve our residents. An example of a charitable bequest favoring Bethany is as follows:
I give, devise and bequeath to Bethany Homes, Inc., a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in Fargo, North Dakota, $___________ (or ___% of my residuary estate) (or description of in-kind property) to be used by Bethany Retirement Living.
Bethany Scholarships Awarded
Patience Martinson and Gracie Such have been named recipients of the Lorraine Krenelka Nursing Scholarship at Bethany Retirement Living. They will each receive $1,000 to apply toward their nursing education costs for the 2024-25 academic year.
Martinson is a graduate of Accra Girls’ High School in Ghana and is enrolled in the Registered Nurse program at the ND State College of Science. She is currently a Certified Nursing Assistant/ Certified Medication Aide at Bethany Retirement Living.
Such is a graduate of Kindred High School and is currently enrolled in the Registered Nurse program at the University of Jamestown. Such is a Certified Nursing Assistant/Certified Medication Aide at Bethany Retirement Living.
Lorraine Krenelka graduated from the St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo before embarking on a nursing career that culminated in her service as a surgical nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Fargo. Following retirement, Lorraine was a hospice nurse for ten years. Her family established the Lorraine Krenelka Nursing Scholarship in 2007 to provide nursing education opportunities for employees at Bethany Retirement Living.
In the interest of providing nursing education opportunities for the employees of Bethany Retirement Living, the Lorraine Krenelka Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund is made available through the generosity of Lorraine’s family. The scholarship is available to qualified Bethany Retirement Living employees who desire to expand and improve their skills in geriatric care.
Gracie Such has been named recipient of the Kim Marchell Endowed Scholarship at Bethany Retirement Living. She will receive $500 to apply toward their nursing education for the 2024-25 academic year.
Kim Marchell served as Quality Improvement Coordinator at Bethany Retirement Living for more than eleven years, beginning in 1993. Under her guidance, Bethany’s emphasis on quality care was focused and directed to help staff and the facility reach unprecedented levels of achievement. Kim passed away in August 2004. Through the scholarship in her name, Bethany Retirement Living provides financial support to qualified Bethany employees who are continuing their education in a nursing-related educational program. The Kim Marchell Endowed Scholarship Fund is made available through the generosity of Kim’s family and other donors to Bethany Retirement Living.
Jace Fugl has been named recipient of the Catherine Larson Endowed Nursing Scholarship at Bethany Retirement Living. He will receive $500 to apply toward nursing education costs for the 2024-25 academic year.
Fugl is a graduate of Fridley (MN) High School and is enrolled in the LPN program at North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton. He is a Certified Nursing Assistant and CNA Trainer at Bethany Retirement Living.
A native of Dwight ND, Catherine Larson graduated from Wahpeton High School. She graduated from St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo and began her career as a Registered Nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Breckenridge MN. She worked primarily in medical-surgical nursing.
Catherine became a resident of Bethany Retirement Living in the summer of 2014 and passed away in October 2018. While living in both assisted living and skilled nursing at Bethany on 42nd, she was always encouraging her caregivers to continue their education.
In the interest of providing nursing education opportunities for the employees of Bethany Retirement Living, the Catherine Larson Endowed Nursing Scholarship is made available through the generosity of Catherine’s family. The Bethany Foundation invests the funds in a diverse investment portfolio and distributes only the earnings on the investment to support continuing education of employees of Bethany Retirement Living.
Patience
Martinson
Gracie Such
Jace Fugl
Bethany to Participate in Giving Hearts Day
Bethany Retirement Living will be a participant in Giving Hearts Day on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
Giving Hearts Day is an innovative, online fundraising program made possible through a partnership between Impact Foundation, Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF), nonprofits such as Bethany that have been trained through the Impact Institute and other community donors.
On Giving Hearts Day, all donations of $10 or more made to Bethany online at www.givingheartsday.org are matched by DMF and other community donors. This 24hour fundraising event reinforces the Institute’s High Impact Fundraising Training by giving nonprofits an opportunity to use the concepts they learned to raise awareness about their organizations, identify new donors, and secure more money for their missions.
*** You can schedule your gift BEFORE Giving Hearts Day so you don’t have to remember to log on February 13. Beginning in early January, you’ll be able to log on to the Giving Hearts Day website to make your gift in advance. ***
This is the eleventh year that Bethany has participated in Giving Hearts Day. With on-line gifts and matching funds, Bethany has received more than $235,000 in charitable support through Giving Hearts Day. Nearly 42 percent of our GHD donors have been new donors to Bethany.
Mark your calendar for THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2025. During that 24-hour period, log on to www. givingheartsday.org and make a gift to Bethany. Gifts of $10 or more will be matched, multiplying the benefit to Bethany.
For more information, contact Grant Richardson, Senior Executive – Development & Community Relations, at 701.478.8910 or grichardson@bethanynd.org.
Year-End Giving (And Tax Saving) Strategies
As 2025 approaches, many friends of Bethany Retirement Living start thinking about strategies for yearend giving and tax planning. Listed below are some options to consider benefiting both you and the mission of Bethany.
IRA – Qualified Charitable Distribution
Owners of qualified retirement plans such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) who are aged 70½ or older are able to make a gift of their required distribution directly from their IRA to charities like Bethany. Thus, the rollover gift will not be included in your taxable income, offering potentially significant tax savings, especially now with fewer taxpayers itemizing on their Federal tax returns. There are some very specific rules about this type of gift so contact Bethany for instructions before completing such a gift.
Outright Gift
If you are interested in retaining your liquid resources, consider gifting an appreciated asset. A gift of securities, business interests or real estate can offer savings in income and capital gains taxes. In many cases, such savings are greater that they would be for a cash gift.
If you are thinking about selling an asset, consider making a gift first. By making a gift of the asset before sale, you can use a charitable gift deduction to significantly lower – even eliminate – the capital gains tax on the sale.
North Dakota Income Tax Credit
Taxpayers in North Dakota have a unique opportunity not available in most other states. They can receive a tax CREDIT when making qualifying gifts to charities like Bethany. There are a couple of options: A) contributions for $5,000 or more to a qualified endowment fund (we have one) or B) certain forms of planned gifts are eligible for a credit of 40% of the charitable deduction allowed by the IRS. (The maximum credit is $10,000 per year per taxpayer but carryover to subsequent tax years is possible.)
If you have questions about these giving tools, please contact Grant Richardson, Senior Executive – Development & Community Relations at 701.478.8910 or grichardson@ bethanynd.org.
This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. You are encouraged to consult your financial and legal advisors before making any gift.
Grace Pointe Resident Reaches Out
Susan Scheel is a resident at Grace Pointe, the 55+ Independent Living Apartments at Bethany on 42nd. Since moving to Bethany in July of 2019, she has been involved in organizing potlucks, helping neighbors, coordinating Scandinavian celebrations, and countless other projects at Grace Pointe.
In October, following the terrible damage caused by Hurricane Helene, Susan initiated a project to provide relief to those affected in the area surrounding Asheville, NC. From contacting churches in and around the Fargo-Moorhead area to enlisting volunteers from among her fellow Grace Pointe residents to coordinating recipient sites in North Carolina to soliciting help from Thrivent Financial to arranging a truck from the Orphan Grain Train for hauling materials to North Carolina to spreading the word through scouting organizations, senior centers and other outlets to sharing her passionate (and compassionate) story in local media, Susan lit a fire among countless others and is making a difference 1,300 miles from home.
Statistically, Susan’s Relief effort looks like this:
• 55 Churches and Individuals donated items for North Carolina Disaster Relief
• 24 Adults volunteered
• 10 Children, ages 2 to 18 years, made construction paper cards. 45 cards total.
Cash donations totaled more than $3,880, of which $1,500 was used for gas for the Orphan Grain Train Truck and $2380 to purchase additional supplies. Many people wish they could do something to help. Susan’s tremendous effort to help others in North Carolina proves all you need to do is DO IT.
We gratefully acknowledge the following gifts received between July 1, 2024, and October 31, 2024. Memorials of $100 or more are listed in two places.
CURRENT GIVING
$2,500 or more
Thomas Rickard
Clarence G. Schilling Memorial Fund (FMAF)
$1,000 to $2,499
Charles & Lynda Belter
$500 to $999
Grant & Michelle Richardson
Shawn & Tanya Stuhaug
$250 to $499
Kaye & Mark Angus
Brianna & Phil Doyle
$100 to $249
Adam & Jessica Broers
Carolyn L. Freeman
Brian & Kendra Hansen
Bette M. Jordheim
Bruce & Joyce
Linnerud-Fowler
Michael Olson
Brian & Evelyn Quigley
Shane & Sarah Underdahl
Bernice M. Wadeson
Leslie & Kathryn Wolf
Other Current Giving
Paige Andel
Benetta Anderson
Anonymous
Alyssa & Richard Blumler
Kathleen Brey
Vanessa & Ryan Bryn
Ginny & Grant Carpenter
Macy Christiansen
Bon Chyn
Elizabeth Erickson
Lori Fischer
Esmeralda & Michael Franssen
Hayley Fugl
Rhiannon Garcia
Stephanie Germolus
Suzann Gross
Esther Hamby
Shannon Hauge
Jamie & Cheri Haugen
Heidi & Fred Heilman
Lexi Heisler
Susan Henderson
Rebecca Hendrickson
Ryan Higgins
Jordan & Matt Hruby
Dawn & Myron Hummel
Patty Ingemansen
Patricia Johnson
Stacy Kolb
Shawn Kreil
Erika Kyllo
Paper or...?
Aaron Lamb
Shilo Larson
Victoria Lohmann
Nathaniel McDonough
Anna & Ryan
McGillivray
Amanda McIntosh
Katie Monk
Connie Niemi
Alexandra Nord
Jatara Norris-Jones
Heather & Chad Ogdahl
Maria Olson
Marlene Ptacek
Jane Radig
Ashleigh Rauscher
Krista Renneke
Lisa & Kyle Renner
Maren & Roger
Samuelson
Allison Schendel
Kelli & Ryan Seeger
Shelby Siems
Maj Sunjic
Carman Swenson &
Kelby Stoner
Raven Sylvia
Kathleen UlsethTenold
Amy Thorsteinson
Jennifer Weifenbach
Tammi & Cory Weiss
Krista Wick
Breanna Williams
IN-KIND GIFTS
Muriel Aljoe
Some of Bethany’s friends enjoy receiving the Crossroads newsletter in print form (like this issue, for example.) Increasingly, though, readers of the newsletter prefer to receive and read the newsletter on their computer, tablet or phone. It’s convenient for the reader, they can take it with them should they want to refer to something and it can arrive more quickly.
Coca-Cola Bottling
Co.
Rich Lindstrom
Martin’s Lutheran
Church, Casselton
Kevin Moser
Terrance R. Nelson
Barbara Rheault
Sandy’s Donuts
Tracy Selders
TRIBUTE GIFTS IN MEMORY OF…
Shirley Berg
Jeannine Galbreath
Maribeth Bokinskie
Wendelin & Michelle Burgard
Linda & Mike Neppl
Janice & Bruce Nereson
Bruce & Roberta Quick
Lu Vitalis
Alice Jondahl
Lilah Jondahl
Ruby McCann
Gary Bolton
Thomas Dooley
Margaret Kensok
Nancy & Virginia Martinez
Marie Moe
Lianne Rockstad
Darrell Moser
Harriet Greuel
AnnaLea Locken
Kevin Moser
Janice Oestriech
Bette M. Jordheim
Greg Toutges & Marilyn Gravgaard
Robert & Helen Peterson
Mary H. Schmitz
Lois Rickard
Thomas Rickard
Don Schur
Bernice Wadeson
TRIBUTE GIFTS IN HONOR OF…
Pastor Brian Hansen
Carlyn Freeman
Heather Ogdahl
Family
Leslie & Kathryn Wolf
Shawn Stuhaug & Bethany
Leadership
Brian & Evelyn Quigley
From Bethany’s perspective, sending the newsletter electronically saves printing and postage costs and can reach readers in a more timely fashion.
If you would prefer to receive the Crossroads newsletter by email rather than by mail, please contact Grant Richardson at Bethany (701.478.8910 or grichardson@bethanynd.org) to make the switch.
Bethany Retirement Living
201 South University Drive Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701.239.3000 www.bethanynd.org
ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED
Do You LIKE us?
Bethany retirement living is taking advantage of social media to tell our story, share information about activities at Bethany, enlist employees and volunteers, provide health information and feature employees and residents. We post something interesting nearly every day to both Facebook and Twitter. We just recently added Instagram to our menu of social media options.
Among the most popular posts are profiles of some of our residents. The short videos (also available on YouTube)
provide a glimpse into the personality, background and likes of some of our residents. There are some amazing people residing at Bethany. You are encouraged to “like” us on Facebook or “follow” us on Twitter and Instagram to get the latest information from Bethany.
http://www.facebook.com/BethanyND https://twitter.com/BethanyND bethany_nd on Instagram
