Commun ty Matters Farmington Presbyterian Manor
March 2015
Giving is a hallmark of PMMA’s history Generous donations and local relationships are the hallmarks of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica. We often recall the story of Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presbyterian Synod of Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community in Kansas. According to Edwin Shafer, senior vice president of development, what Mrs. Kalb basically told the Synod was: “If I give you all the money I have, will you build a home for the aging?” Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of a growing number of seniors in need of the church’s help. Kalb’s initiative led a farmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new project. The sale of that land upon his death provided the funds for the first building of Newton Presbyterian Manor. Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through community partnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving, special projects campaigns, and planned giving through wills, trusts and charitable gift annuities. Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of local fundraising campaigns. GIVING, continued on page 5
A generous nature
Resident Carol Willman’s gifts continue to brighten lives Residents and employees are looking forward to gazebo weather as springtime draws near. Last fall, a gazebo was installed near the residential care facility. It’s a gift from resident Carol Willman to Presbyterian Manor in memory of her good friend, Leroy Dalton, who lived in residential care before he passed away last August. Willman said she was looking for a way to honor Dalton’s memory, so she asked Executive Director Jane Hull if the campus had a wish list of projects. Hull spoke with other staff members to brainstorm ideas, and former Marketing Director Jennifer Williams suggested the gazebo. Willman thought it was perfect. “Leroy so enjoyed living at the manor, and he especially liked being outside on good days,” she said. “I thought a fitting memorial to him would be something outside where friends could gather.”
GENEROUS, continued on page 2