Wichita Presbyterian Manor
Presbyterian Manor nurse feels compelled to give back SEPTEMBER 2021
Independent living resident offers laughter as a service “Why was the kangaroo mother sad when it rained on Noah’s Ark? “Because her kids wanted to play inside.” That’s just one of Virgil Strong’s Noah’s Ark jokes. It’s fitting that a Bible story about God’s Donna and Virgil Strong in faithfulness would serve as the backdrop for many of Virgil’s jokes. The independent living 2010. resident and his late wife, Donna, were both baptized in their late 20s. It was a turning point in his life. “The Lord laid his hands on us both and said, ‘It’s time to stop acting so foolish,’” Virgil laughed. He and Donna met at the age of 18. Their mothers were best friends and introduced them — although Virgil says his mother-in-law didn’t think it would last more than a year. She was wrong: The Strongs were married 64 years before Donna passed away eight years ago. “I don’t know how she put up with me that long,” Virgil joked. The couple spent a great deal of time in service to others. Donna, a speechlanguage pathologist, served as the chair of the mission committee at Wichita’s Covenant Presbyterian Church for 10 years. She and Virgil made four trips to the Gulf of Mexico to do relief work in the years following Hurricane Katrina. They also traveled to Indian reservations in Utah, Arizona, Nebraska and Montana to help with repairs. Virgil volunteered for Meals on Wheels and the Kansas Food Bank. Another meaningful volunteer experience was providing Christian counsel to incarcerated men at the El Dorado Correctional Facility for Prison Fellowship, a ministry founded by Chuck Colson. He even turned one of his volunteer gigs into a full-time job. The first year Virgil and his fellow
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Each payday, a small amount of money is deducted from Teresa Scoles’ check. Those funds benefit programs at Wichita Teresa Scoles Presbyterian Manor. Though she has been giving for some time, Teresa hasn’t always been a regular donor. The first time she lent financial support to PMMA’s mission was during the Christmas season when each community has an “angel tree” to encourage community and family members to donate to the Good Samaritan Program. Those funds help provide for Presbyterian Manor residents who have outlived their financial means through no fault of their own. It ensures that residents will have a lifetime home. That was at Sterling Presbyterian Manor, where Teresa worked before transferring to Wichita seven years ago. In May, the registered nurse celebrated 25 years with PMMA®. Teresa’s donations also support the PMMA Employee Education Fund, which provides financial assistance to Presbyterian Manor employees who further their education in their field. She has enjoyed watching “CNAs turn into CMAs, CMAs turn into LPNs and down the line.” “When I was director of nursing, I encouraged that, and several employees took advantage of the
Give back – continued on page 4
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at WichitaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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Celebrating Kansas by Car – Big Brutus By Stephanie Bergmann, Independent Living sales and marketing director Big Brutus is, hands down, my favorite Kansas attraction. Photos don’t do it justice: Until you drive to southeast Kansas and stand in its massive shadow, you cannot begin to appreciate its size. Big Brutus is the largest electric shovel in the world and was used to mine coal in the 1960s and ’70s. Now retired, it’s a 16-story-tall museum parked outside the town of West Mineral. Miles before you reach the site, you can see the top of the shovel on the horizon. One bucket load could fill three railroad cars, about 150 tons. Just looking at the monstrosity from the outside is impressive, but climbing inside will elicit more oohs and aahs. Narrow stairs take you up five flights into the belly of the beast, where giant gears, transformers and cables operated the shovel. Visitors can even take a turn in the driver’s seat and imagine what it would be like to have such power at your fingertips. Admission to Big Brutus is $8.25 for seniors, and the museum is open every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Big Brutus, a 160-foot-tall mechanical shovel, is truly one of the great wonders of Kansas.
As an added incentive for the trip, you can have lunch in nearby Pittsburg and pick the winner of a legendary fried chicken war. Rival restaurants Chicken Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s sit less than a block apart and have earned mentions from the Food Network, the BBC, and the New Yorker. Both restaurants were started by miners’ wives to make extra money. Decades later, their chicken is still drawing a crowd. Just two and a half hours from Wichita, this is a trip every Kansan should take at least once. Missing Big Brutus or the big chicken debate would be a — you guessed it — BIG mistake! u
Located in southeast Kansas are two famous chicken restaurants.
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Community Matters 316-942-7456 ◆ Fax: 316-941-3806 4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
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is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: awatson@PMMA.org Amy Watson, life enrichment dir. Courtney Wolfe, executive director Stephanie Bergmann, marketing dir. Cherree Hudspeth, health care sales and marketing
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2021
Ten local artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece level winners Ten artists in Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition were awarded at the masterpiece level Art is Ageless competition sponsored by PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®).
“Texas Country Shelter,” a painting by Necia Rillema
“Contemplation,” a painting by Skip Kreibach, “Contemplation,” a painting by Skip “Texas Country Shelter,” a painting by Necia Kreibach Rillema, and “Christmas Bells,” a Christmas entry by Mark Ward, will appear in the calendar when it is released this fall. Works by local winners are entered into a masterpiece level competition with winning art from 14 other PMMA® communities. More than 160 entries were received for this year’s masterpiece competition. The winners are featured in the Art is Ageless calendar with pull-out postcards and greeting cards.
“Christmas Bells,” a Christmas entry by Mark Ward
“How is My Wing Span,” a photograph by Chester Bernat, “Birch Forest,” a drawing by Duane Hanson, “Field of Flowers,” a quilt by Nancy Kreibach “Blue Herons in Love,” a painting by Cheryl Myer, and “Keeper of the Plains,” a Mixed Media/Crafts entry by Noah Welsch, will be featured on the pullout postcards. “Bob’s Black & White,” a quilt by Karen Funcheon, “Field of Flowers,” a quilt by Nancy Kreibach, and “Behind the Front,” a mixed media/crafts entry by Cassandra Smith, will be featured on greeting cards.
“I continue to be impressed by the high level of creative talent at Presbyterian Manor and in the “Behind the Front,” a mixed media/crafts “How is My Wing Span,” a Wichita area,” said Stephanie Bergmann, entry by Cassandra Smith photograph by Chester Bernat independent living sales and marketing director at Wichita Presbyterian Manor. “Their work proves that great artists come in all ages.”u
“Blue Herons in Love,” a painting by Cheryl Myer
“Keeper of the Plains,” a Mixed Media/Crafts “Bob’s Black & White,” a quilt “Birch Forest,” a drawing by Duane Hanson entry by Noah Welsch by Karen Funcheon Wichita Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Strong – continued from page 1 parishioners volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the organization built two houses in Wichita. That was in the late 1980s. “I started as a volunteer, then they made me CEO,” said Virgil, who worked in the restaurant supply industry for decades. He served as Habitat’s CEO for more than 25 years. In 2001, the organization completed 19 houses. Now more than 300 lowincome Wichita-area families have had the opportunity to become homeowners. Though he has lived at Wichita Presbyterian Manor for a couple of years, Virgil moved to Westerly when Westwinds Independent Living closed. Because of this, many residents are just now getting to know him. He always has a joke
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at the ready — one that will make you chuckle and groan at the same time. (“What did Noah say to the fish? Stay in school.”) Virgil treasures the fellowship he enjoys at Presbyterian Manor, and he has enjoyed meeting new folks and discovering what they have in common. He credits his gregarious
nature to the transformative power of his faith. “I had such a terrible inferiority complex during my teenage years. Then I went to the other extreme,” Virgil joked. In a way, it’s another means of serving others. “Laughter is something people always enjoy,” he said. u
Give back – continued from page 1 program,” Teresa said. “I got to watch them grow in their education and career.”
Why donate to the same place that issues her paycheck? For Teresa, it’s simple.
Donations may be earmarked for specific programs. Equal amounts of Teresa’s regular contributions go to the Good Samaritan Program, the Employee Scholarship Program, and an unrestricted fund that Presbyterian Manor leadership can use at their discretion.
“PMMA is such a good place to work, and the mission is to provide quality services guided by Christian values,” she said. “If employees agree with our mission, how can we not give back?”
COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2021
Learn more about how to give to Wichita Presbyterian Manor at Giving.PresbyterianManors.org. u