Arkansas City Community Matters September 2016

Commun ty Matters Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor

September 2016

“Two Geriatric Gents,” a sculpture

by Dr. Steve Swaim.

Arkansas City artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece winners One of the winning artists in Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2017 Art is Ageless Calendar produced by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America.

“Woods in Winter Light,” a painting

by Jean Stockton, will appear in the calendar when it is released this fall.

In addition, “Two Geriatric Gents,” a sculpture by Dr. Steve Swaim, will be featured on one of the Art is Ageless birthday cards.

Works by local winners are automatically entered into a masterpiece level competition with WINNERS, continued on page 2

Inspired by nature Ark City painter to be featured in Art is Ageless® calendar When Jean Stockton needs inspiration for her art, she just steps outside.

Jean lives on a few wooded acres near Arkansas City. She’s always on the lookout for unique patterns of light on the trees and rocks, and she walks the woods taking photographs that often inspire her paintings.

“Early in the morning and the evening is a wonderful time to take photographs of the light. Colors begin to really show their beauty at that time of the day,” Jean said.

This year, Jean entered her oil painting “Woods in Winter Light” in the Art is Ageless® juried competition at Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor.

She won first prize in the painting category, and now the piece has been chosen to appear in the 2017 Art is Ageless calendar.

Jean has been painting since she was a young girl growing up in California NATURE continued on page 4

WINNERS, continued from page 1

Happy Birthday!

Betty Stephens Helen Padden Carolyn Tucker

winning art from 16 other PMMA communities. The winners are featured in the Art is Ageless calendar and notecards.

“Each year, the judges have a more difficult time,” said Tara Clawson, marketing director. “With so many

entries, the diversity is exciting and the talent represented in the exhibit is exceptional.”

Art is Ageless, open to people age 65 and older, is a copyrighted program of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America.

For the competition, works must have been completed in the past five years.

Guard against pride

By Wayne Rector, Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor resident

One of the things a Christian must guard against is pride. That is to say, undue pride, or pride and vain glory. Proverbs 16: 18 tells us “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.” And Paul warns us in Romans 12:3 not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.

Community Matters

is published monthly for residents and friends of Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Sarah Griggs, executive director Tara Clawson, marketing director Lori Peters, activities director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact tclawson@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-442-8700 Fax: 620-442-8224 Address: 1711 N. Fourth, Arkansas City, KS 67005-1607

Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters September 2016

Wayne Rector

When we are out there on the ‘firing line’ living and witnessing for Christ and we begin to feel that we might have done some good, it is time to take stock and consider who gave us the power to witness and to live victoriously. Because of whom do we have anything to witness about? We need to give God and Christ all the praise and the glory.

On the other side of the coin however, we need to remember that we are children of the King.

John 1:12 tells us “…as many as received him, he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.” And that is something we can be proud of.

Let’s pray.

Dear God, our Heavenly Father, thank you that we can be called your children. Help us to rightly assess the good things that come our way and give you all the praise and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Senior bank accounts: Should you get one?

It isn’t hard to figure out why some banks and credit unions offer special checking accounts for customers they call “seniors.” Once they establish banking relationships this way, they can try to entice the new accountholders with savings accounts, loans and retirement accounts.

But is a “senior” checking account (generally restricted to people over 60 or 65, though sometimes available to people 50 and up) a good deal for you? That depends.

If you’re currently paying steep fees for your checking account, it may be worth your while to shop around and see whether you can forge a better, less expensive banking relationship elsewhere, says Kari Middleton, a financial adviser in Palm Desert, Calif.

“Senior accounts are aimed at older customers as an easy way to avoid find useful, such as waived fees bank fees,” she says. for out of network ATMs and free Here are three things to do to size up transactions at non-U.S. bank ATMs. So be sure to ask about all a senior a senior checking account offer and account’s perks. determine whether it’s worth your while:

1. Evaluate the perks There are usually a number of benefits to senior checking, including free basic checks, cashier’s checks and money orders; a 50 percent discount on a safe deposit box rental and interest on the checking account.

By contrast, some standard checking accounts earn interest, but they generally require higher account balances or you must pay monthly fees.

2. Compare standard accounts and senior accounts That’s the advice of Susan Tiffany, director of personal finance information for adults at the Credit Union National Association. “Senior checking account needs aren’t significantly different from other consumers’,” she says.

A 2012 Pew research study analyzed senior checking accounts from the nation’s largest banks and credit unions and concluded that if you In addition to discounted maintenance could maintain a balance of $1,500 or more, an age-focused account often fees, some senior accounts also offer had minimal benefit compared with travel-related deals that you might Like us on Facebook

Credit: Thinkstock

standard offerings. However, Pew found, customers who use low-fee senior checking accounts with lower required minimum balances ($250 or less) could save around $50 to $100 a year in bank charges.

A more important consideration is likely to be how much money you can deposit and keep with the bank or credit union. If you maintain a sizable balance — say $25,000 or more— you may get discounts and extra services regardless of your age, Middleton says.

3. Read the fine print Before opening any new account, make sure you read the fee disclosures, says Jill Enabnit, vice president in consumer products at U.S. Bank. Find out what charges you could face with the account, she says.

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NATURE continued from page 1

She studied art at Northern Oklahoma College and moved to Ark City soon after with her husband, Bob, whom she met in California while he was in the service during World War II. In 1980, after their two daughters were grown, Jean began exhibiting her work professionally. During the

1990s, she taught art for a few years at Cowley College, then became an art student there herself. She was especially pleased to be included in “Who’s Who Among Student Artists in American Junior Colleges.” “That was a nice award,” she said.

In 2011, the college featured a retrospective of her work. Today, Jean continues to teach painting in her home studio. Oils are her

primary medium, although she also enjoys watercolors, and landscapes and skies remain her favorite subject.

However, she said she may take on a new challenge soon—a portrait of her granddaughter. “When the mood strikes, you’d better move on it because it soon moves away and something else happens,” she said.

Memory Care

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Community Matters September 2016

We will focus on memory care and national memory screening day in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. What do you do to stay sharp? What tricks or tips do you have for remembering things? How has being in memory care helped a loved one?

Because this will be our November issue, we also will be sharing stories about our many veterans. If you served in the military, we want to hear your story. If you’ve got a story to share, contact Marketing Director Tara Clawson, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

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