NEWS BRIEFS

★ COVID-19 protocols for visitors: Due to the recent surge of COVID19 cases around campus, our mask mandate will be temporarily reinstated for ALL residents and visitors throughout our PPH campus. The mask mandate is a minor inconvenience, but we must mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and we must act now. We appreciate your cooperation. Please advise your guests to refrain from visiting if they feel sick or have been exposed to COVID-19.

★ Food Collection: The PPH Food Drive — a 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Project — will continue indefinitely as long as PPH's neighbors are in need of food. Food will be collected the last week of the month, and then will be delivered the first day of the following month. There will be two collection sites: the vending machine area, located near the Wellness Center and in front of the Security office. For more information, call Tom Sexton at ext. 8368.

★ Trips:  Fees for trips are now added to each resident's monthly bill (NO CASH). If you'd like to cancel, you must call the Business Office (8010) to have the trip fee removed.

★ Independent Living Residents Association:  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 17 at 2 p.m. in the Social Hall.

*(If subject to COVID-19 restrictions, this will broadcast on channel 7)

★ PPH Auxiliary: The Auxiliary's next meeting will be held in the Social Hall and broadcast on PPH TV channel 7 on Tuesday, April 11 at 11:30 a.m.

Membership in the PPH Auxiliary is open to PPH residents, staff, and community supporters (only $5 per year). Dating back to its origins as the PPH Ladies Aid Society in 1889, the Auxiliary continues its initiatives to support the heart of PPH's fundraising mission, Benevolent Care, as well as supporting staff/ resident gratitude activities.

★ TED Talks: See the April calendar.

★ Veterans’ Meeting: The April Veterans’ meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 4, at 10 a.m. in the Learning Center. If you have not provided your photos for the Veterans video, please bring them with you to the meeting. Please contact Bill Conaway at ext. 8194 with any questions.

★ Calling all Veterans: It is important to PPH that we identify all veterans living in our community. We want to make sure you are receiving the meeting notices, ceremonial invitations, and other veteran specific information. If you are new to the community and/or you have not completed the May 2021 veteran survey, please contact Bill Conaway at ext. 8194.

★ Volunteers Needed: Volunteer cashiers are needed for Tabor Market, Cafe, and the Gift Shop. We will train you on the register. If you are interested, please contact Carol Cherrington at ext. 8027 for more information.

★ The Mysteries of History: Herb Kaufman, a Historian that possesses a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Temple University, will be on our campus on Tuesday, April 4, at 2:00 p.m. in the Social Hall. Come to this event to experience the mysteries of history! Contact Kathy Nucero at ext. 8505 for any questions.

★ Phillies Opener: Please join us on Thursday, April 6 at 3:05 p.m. in the Social Hall for the Philadelphia Phillies season opener!

★ Dining Services: April 12 and 26, The Continental, featuring fresh pastries, bagels, yogurts, juices, fruit, and coffee, will be available for purchase and will take place in the Fountain Room from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

April 5 and 19, the Farmers Market will take place in the Fountain Room from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

★ Dining Credit: If you go away on vacation, you may receive credit on your dining plan. Please contact Gwen at ext. 8041 prior to your vacation to see if you quality for this.

★ Gift Cards: Dining Services sells gift cards for the retail areas! Please contact Lisa at ext. 6640 or Gwen at ext. 8041 for more information.

>>>Women of the Environmental Movement, continued from page 4

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental and a political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization focused on the planting of trees, the environmental movement, and women's rights. In 1984, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for changing the Kenyan ecological debate into action for reforestation of the clear cut lands. As an academic and the author of several books, Maathai was not only an activist but also an intellectual who has made significant contributions to ecology, land development, and African cultures.

Greta Thunberg, born in 2003, is one of the world‘s youngest environmentalists. She first heard about climate change at age 11. She became disturbed and angered by the lack of action of world leaders. To demonstate her commitment to her cause she became vegan and gave up flying to lower her family‘s carbon footprint, and impact on the environment. In 2018, Thunberg started the school strikes for climate change action, and gave climate change speeches which led to her becoming an international icon for climate change activism. Prior to attending school in 2018, she demonstrated outside the Swedish General Elections Office demanding the elected officials reduce carbon emissions as they promised by signing the Paris Accord Agreement. To this day Thunberg is a shining light in the fight to get world governments to honor their environmental commitments. She has spoken at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, at several European parlimentary sessions and recorded a TedTalk, entitled The Disarming Case to Act now on Climate Change.

Dr. Elaine Grose has a doctorate in Environmental Toxicology, worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and was a professor of Environmental Studies at Neumann University, Aston, PA. As such, she was immersed in researching and evaluating environmental issues.

>>>National Volunteer Month, continued from page 1

Volunteering at PPH has no age limit, as any resident who wants to spend their time brightening up our campus is welcome to volunteer. There are many volunteer opportunities, including cashiers and baggers in our gift shop and Tabor Market. If you are worried about not having the right skills, there is training for any volunteer position at PPH. Volunteering has also led to new friendships being formed, learning new talents, and the chance to get out of your apartment and socialize.

"Our community is really lucky to have them", says Carol.

Volunteers are rewarded for their hard work and dedication in several ways. At the end of the year, a volunteer is recognized as the Volunteer of the Year, and awarded a certificate and gift. This occurs in the Social Hall. They are also recognized as Volunteer of the Month in every issue of REACH as well as being recognized on PPH channels 2 and 4. If a volunteer works three hours in a day, they receive a voucher for Carol Cherrington lunch.

There will be a Volunteer Show featuring PPH staff members on Wednesday, April 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in the Social Hall, where they will perform a skit for the volunteers. The theme of the show will be "PPH Celebrates 'A Blast from the Past'". This will be the first time the show will be performed in front of a live audience in three years.

To observe National Volunteer Month, make sure you thank a volunteer for their hard work. Do you want to make the community better? Consider volunteering today. As you may have already experienced, volunteers bring love and a giving spirit to our community.

To our hard working volunteers, thank you for everything you do!