JUNE 2022
Pastor Jack Price retires PPH bids a bittersweet farewell to the Rev. Dr. Jack Price, Director of Pastoral Ministries. Pastor Jack, as he is affectionately known, looks back at his time at PPH and shared some of his future plans. Pastor Jack joined PPH eight years ago, moving to Philadelphia when his wife, Kathy, took a job in Princeton, NJ at the Westminster Choir College. He assumed his current role at PPH in January 2014 after visiting some of his congregants here. He shared that he was impressed, and still is, with the atmosphere at PPH and is also struck by the friendliness. Pastor Jack has been a pastor for the past 40 years, serving in Maryland, northern Virginia, Washington DC, Kansas City and of course Philadelphia. When asked what his plans are for retirement, he shared, “I plan to continue as pastor of Bethany UCC. I have also loved teaching at Rider University and hope to resume teahcing music history and music theory or teach at one of the community colleges near where we live. I am planning to do some parttime work as a hospice chaplain near our home in Hightstown, NJ. I will continue to write and hopefully have some occasions to preach or lecture.” When asked about his hobbies, Pastor Jack shared that he enjoys taking care of his yard and considers himself a “born again farmer!” He loves to read and looks forward to indulging in science fiction books. He is also looking forward to traveling - both in the US and overseas. When asked what he will miss about PPH, Pastor
Jack has a long list. “I will miss the people most of all, including residents, staff, volunteers, and families. One of the privileges of Pastoral Ministry at PPH has been to spend my day working in the home of the residents, like being in their living room. I can walk down the hall and speak with so many people. That is a joy as well as a privilege. I will also miss the many people, residents and staff alike, who have become an extended family. Any time you share so many hours, days, and years with a community of people, those relations deepen, and it is difficult to leave them. I will miss the many opportunities I have had to share the lives of these people; the many opportunities to teach class and speak at public occasions. When people hear of my retirement from PPH, many congratulate me. And I absolutely appreciate their recognition of having achieved a milestone in my career. At the same time, I am so aware of the sense of >> continued on page 5, Pastor Jack
In This Issue... l
New Dining Director l Nurse's Week l PPH Centenarians
6401 Martins Mill Road, Philadelphia PA • www.PPHFamily.org • 215.697.8000 Facebook.com/ThePhiladelphiaProtestantHome
Family Focus PPH welcomes new dining director Tom Smith, Director of Dining PPH welcomed Tom Smith as dining services director in March. Prior to PPH, Tom worked at another senior living community, Phoebe Wyncote in Wyncote, PA. Tom attended Widener University, graduating with a degree in business management. Tom has spent 25 years in the dining industry, getting his start as a bartender in a local restaurant while in college. Tom did not think he would have a career in dining, however, he was encouraged by the management team at the restaurant group where he was bartending to learn the business. This opportunity shaped his future career. Tom describes working in the food industry as “controlled chaos.” You never know what the day will bring which makes it such a fun challenge. His favorite part of the day is when he has the opportunity to interact with residents and guests. Tom does not like to spend a lot of time in the office, preferring to be in the kitchen or walking through the dining venues. Although Tom is technically an employee of Morrision Living, PPH's dining partner, he is excited to be part of the PPH Family. Welcome Tom!
New residents at PPH Ruth Smoger
Ruth moved to PPH from nearby Oxford Circle. She grew up in Bethleham, PA and attended Liberty High School. Ruth was a bookkeeper and homemaker and enjoys reading, puzzles and Soduko. She hopes to visit our library soon. She has one son, one daughter, four grandchildren and one great grandchild (and another on the way!). Ruth shared that she is delighted to be here at PPH and especially appreciates one-floor living and the fact that she has family living close to her.
Joan Harmon
Joan moved to PPH from one of the local neighborhoods, close to the Northeast Airport. She grew up in West Philly and worked for the IRS. Joan attended Girls High and enjoys all kinds of puzzles, and enjoyed travelling in her younger days. She has one daughter and one grandchild. Joan also had a son who is deceased. Joan has already attended a floor meeting and a class run by Kathy Nucero. “I'm feeling like PPH is a great place to be!”
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Tom Smith, PPH Dining Service Director
Father's Day
by PPH resident Lawrence H. Geller There are two stories regarding the origins of Father's Day. While Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon in church on Mother's Day in 1909 in her home state of Washington, she thought it would be a good idea to honor her father, William Smart, and others like him. A veteran of the Civil War, Smart, a widower, raised 6 children on a small farm. The second story took place at Fairmount, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. Grace Golden Clayton suggested to the local church that services should be held to commemorate fathers who had perished in a fatal mine explosion nearby. Now a day honoring fathers had been celebrated in local communities throughout the nation, and many wanted to make it a national holiday, to include William Jennings Bryan, a famous orator, and presidential candidate. In 1924, President Coolidge suggested Father's Day should be a national holiday; however no action was taken until 42 years later when in 1966, President Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as the official date to celebrate. Six years later, it became officially recognized as a national holiday during Nixon's term.
Collection of the Month
Pastor Ken Smith's Vintage Rose Bowls
PPH resident Pastor Ken Smith shared his collection of vintage rose bowls in May. In the late 19th century, rose bowls with crimped or smooth rims were made in all major forms of pressed, blown, or cut glass. They were sometimes called potpourri bowls because dried rose petals and other dried flowers or spices would be placed in them to deodorize a room. Thank you Pastor Ken for sharing such a beautiful display!
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PPH celebrates Nurse’s Week
PPH celebrated our resident and staff nurses with a fun-filled week.
PPH Nurse and CNA's of the year awards recipients left to right: (Personal Care) Jacqueline Romansky, LPN, Senquetta Kennedy, CNA, (Pathways) Heather McLaughlin, RN, Robin Chase, CNA and PPH President & CEO John Dubyk
(Left) PPH Courtney Craft, LPN and Pathways resident Frieda D'Auria (Right) Pathways resident Regina Marstellar and Pathways Director of Nursing, Kyle Ozimkiewicz
This display was created by the Recreation Therapy Dept. for National Nursing Week which was displayed in the Pathways lobby.
The theme was Creating and Nurturing Connections. The symbolic puzzle pieces represent the connection of staff and residents.
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Pastor Jack >> continued from page 1, loss and grief that I share with many of you. I will miss seeing you each day and sharing your life. Please know that you will remain in my heart the rest of my life.” Pastor Jack also added, “I would be remiss if I did not mention Clarabelle, my golden retriever, who has often come in with me to PPH and who has quite a few fans among residents and staff. I am so grateful for being able to bring her in and for the loving way that people embrace her. She loves to come to PPH, and I believe people are delighted to see her. Bringing Clarabelle to work is a true lesson in humility. I often say that, on those days, I am nothing more than the other end of the leash! Thanks to each one of you for blessing my life.” There will be a retirement reception for Pastor Jack on Thursday, June 2 from 2-3:30pm in the Fountain Room. All are invited.
PPH Auxiliary with Pastor Jack
Clarabelle on duty at PPH
Employee of the Month Marie Vincent Marie has been with PPH since June 2010 in our Personal Care department as a CNA. She is always willing to jump in and help where needed. She is caring and compassionate and serves all residents well. We are happy to have her as part of the PPH family. Congratulations Marie!
Volunteer of the Month Sister Mary Tate Congratulations go out to Sister Mary Tate, PPH Community Volunteer, who is volunteer of the month for the month of June. Ever since Sister Mary started volunteering at PPH, she has brought smiles to our residents and staff. She is bubbly and friendly to all those she meets. You can find Sister Mary helping with activities, doing singa-longs, and playing the keyboard while working with Pastoral Care. It is our pleasure to give her this honor that she truly deserves. Thank you Sister Mary, you are a wonderful blessing to our volunteer program.
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NEWS BRIEFS ★ COVID-19 protocols for visitors: Guests are now permitted to eat in the Fountain Room and dining areas. Guests are also welcome in our gift shop and the Tabor Market. PPH encourages visitors and guests to get vaccinated, to continue to practice infection control precautions, such as maintaining a healthy social distance, properly wearing a mask while visiting and performing hand hygiene frequently while on our campus. 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 machines area, located near the Wellness Center and in front of the Security office. For more information, call Tom Sexton at 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. ★ PRIDE program: Lori Schreiber, the first openly gay elected official in Montgomery County will speak on June 6 at 2pm in the Social Hall. Lori will discuss notable moments from her career, family, education and her historic position of Clerk of Courts in Montgomery County. ★ Volunteer update PPH is now able to invite junior volunteers back to the community
for summer hours. If you have children or grandchildren who need to complete hours for school or would just like to volunteer their time, please contact Carol Cherrington at 215-697-8027. The age range for junior volunteers is 13-18. Juniors MUST have documentation of two Covid-19 vaccines. They are able to volunteer through October 1.
★ PPH Auxiliary: The Auxiliary’s next meeting will be held in the Social Hall and broadcast on PPH TV channel 57 on Tuesday, June 14 at 11:30am. 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. Contact Auxiliary President Patricia Coyne at cameo1200@gmail. com or 8403 to become a member or for more information. ★ Independent Living Residents Association: The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 20 at 2 p.m. in the Social Hall (If subject to COVID-19 restrictions, this will broadcast on channel 57). * Please note there are NO meetings in July and August.
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★ TED Talks: See the June calendar. Topic: Juneteenth ★ Veterans' Meeting: The June Veterans’ meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 7 at 10 am in the Social Hall. If you have not provided your photos for the Veterans video, please bring them with you to the meeting. Please contact Bill Conaway (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 (8194) or Kathy Wersinger (8017) so we can add you to our list to ensure you receive all information and meeting notices.
★ Flag Day Ceremony – Tuesday, June 14 – 10:30 AM at the Gateway Manor Flagpole. Flag Day is observed on June 14 to honor and commemorate the adoption of the American flag which occurred on this day in 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. The United States Army also celebrates its birthday on this day.
Juneteenth by Carol Drummond, PPH resident and Valerie Williams, PPH Outreach Specialist In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million slaves living in Confederate states to be free. Unfortunately, this did not reach all areas under Confederate control. As a result, in the Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people were not free until June 19, 1865. Major General Goran Granger and approximately 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and announced that by executive decree, the more than 250,000 enslaved black people were free. This was the beginning of Juneteenth. The name comes from combining the month of June and the number 19. It is usually celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of June. The first Juneteenth was celebrated in Galveston, Texas in 1866 and in 1980, Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday. Juneteenth is an important day to celebrate freedom for the United States and to face the legacy of slavery. Juneteenth was celebrated in many states but was not recognized as a national holiday. Opal Lee, a 94-year-old Texas advocate, was a driving force to help make Juneteenth a reality as a national holiday. Since 2016, Opal Lee walked thousands of miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, DC to lobby Congress for June 19 to be a national holiday. On June 19, 2019, The U.S. Senate passed a resolution, designating June 19, 2019, as “Juneteenth Independence Day . On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which made June 19th a national holiday.
Centenarian Celebration Centenarians are the fastest growing segment of our population today. The number of Centenarians passing the age of 100 has doubled since 1990. There are about 131,000 Centenarians in the United States and PPH currently has 14 in residence. We could have 19 by the end of the year - the most in PPH history! PPH Centenarians participated (virtually) in the 13th Annual Centenarian Celebration on Zoom, hosted by the Montgomery County Office of Senior Services. There were 16 PPH residents that had their picture and bio featured on the website throughout the month of May, which is Older Adults month. The virtual celebration was held on Wednesday, May 11th at 2 pm. We had nine PPH centenarians celebrating together in the Social Hall enjoying ice cream and cupcakes. We salute our centenarians as they represent a special group of residents who have lived long and strong over ten decades.
PPH Centenarians gathered in the Social Hall to watch the celebration
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Reflections
Pastor Jack Price – PPH Director of Pastoral Ministries
We seek healing in our lives. We need healing because without healing, without peace, we are ruled by our anxiety and, to a large extent, are cut off from our true selves. To live well by faith, we must become our true selves. The true power of faith is to help us find release from the power of our fear and be our best selves even in the darkness of life. The power of faith is to step away from the seductive feelings of righteous anger and the judgment it evokes. It is to see how our attitude and behaviors affect other people as well as ourselves. That can be so hard and it is why faith is so important! Peace is the gift of being our true selves. We can only really find peace as part of a loving community. We discover it within ourselves as we choose to step into our fear and walk by faith. Ultimately, the gift you and I have to share with the world is the peace we discover in our lives through our experience of the living God, and our willingness to walk with others through their valleys of shadowed darkness. The hope we give to others is the hope we embrace ourselves that “goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and,” in some mysterious and unknown way, “we, too, will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23) — Pastor Jack
PPH celebrates resident nurses, continued from the May 2022 issue PPH resident, Lucille Hite is a graduate of The Pittsburgh School of Nursing, class of 1954. She worked pediatrics for one year and then came to Philadelphia to work at the Medical College Hospital of Pennsylvania. After five years she went on to work in the maternity unit and then on to the OBGYN clinic as head nurse. After 17 years, she then went on to work at various places in the city, including a city clinic in South Philadelphia. Lucille returned to the Medical ColLucille Hite lege of Pennsylvania and was asked to set up a private OBGYN office for physicians and stayed there until retirement in 1994 after a 43 year career.
PPH resident Margaret Simon received her Registered Nurse (RN) certification from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Philadelphia. She went on to work at St. Mary's, Jeanes Hospital and spent 18 years at the American Oncologic Hospital (AOH) now know as Fox Chase Cancer Center. Margaret enjoyed her career and most importantly making Margaret Simon people feel better.
THE PPH MISSION Guided by Christian values, the mission of The Philadelphia Protestant Home is to provide a caring senior living community that affords its residents the opportunity to achieve their highest possible quality of life. 8