Sterling Community Matters August 2017

Commun ty Matters Sterling Presbyterian Manor

COMING UP IN COMMUNITY MATTERS:

August 2017

Sterling artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece level winners

We will be featuring our Dining Services in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you know a dining services team member whose story should be told, or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share the story.

Contact Cindy Moore and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

“Autumn in New England,” a needlework by Kay Johnson

WATCH FOR IT

Resident Satisfaction Survey results will be available by Aug. 15 at your campus. Watch your resident mailbox, or ask for a copy at the reception desk.

One winning artist in Sterling Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2018 Art is Ageless Calendar produced by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America.

“Autumn in New England,” a needlework by Kay Johnson, will appear in the calendar when it is released this fall.

In addition, “Untitled Abstract,” a painting by Don Caviness, will be featured on one of the Art is Ageless greeting cards.

Art is Ageless® continued on page 4

Fond memories of Fourth of July festivities

While children most certainly enjoy the sights and sounds of Independence Day, Fourth of July festivities are for both the young and young at heart!

Celebrating our nation’s beginnings with displays of patriotic pride are a great opportunity to bring multiple generations together. That’s why every year we enjoy watching the town’s Fourth of July parade. Residents watched with their friends, family members and staff, and especially enjoyed seeing some of the staff’s children play in our fountain and scream for candy, which everyone thought was super cute.

®

®

Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Sterling Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of

501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Mike Rajewski, executive director Cindy Moore, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact cmoore@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-278-3651 Fax: 620-278-3581 Address: 204 W. Washington, Sterling, KS 67579-1614 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

SterlingPresbyterianManor.org

2 COMMUNITY MATTERS AUGUST 2017

Resident Lauralee Steffey gets in on the patriotic fun at the Fourth of July parade.

As an added treat, the Grand Marshal lined up right outside, and the parade always passes in front of the manor just so the residents get to see it. Some favorites were the tractors at the beginning, horses at the end, the old Cadillacs and the motorcycles. The Sterling College President even stopped in his golf cart and honked his horn to say hello. The weather was perfect: not too hot or cold. Everyone stayed in the shade with some ice water.

We also took some residents down to the lake the day before to see the festivities. We reminisced about when

you used to be able to swim in the lake and talked about when the pool was built. Residents recalled traveling in RVs on holidays and also discussed when the movie “Picnic” was filmed at the lake. Many people went to watch it being filmed and to get autographs, and there were houses in Nickerson filmed as well.

Some recalled how hot it was and how many of the extras who were in the lake during the filming got sunburnt because they were not used to being in the lake that long. Many of them were farmers.

We also talked about how much Main Street has changed, how nice our van is, how thankful residents are to have it, and how we’re getting a bigger passenger van soon. We watched kids jump off the diving boards and make splashes and even got to enjoy seeing the ducks. We “oohed and ahhed” at how tall the corn is, and Activity Director Donna Grizzle was jokingly told to “pull over and grab me another ear.”

We’re grateful to live in a community where fun traditions can be enjoyed by our residents, and grateful for our opportunities to take excursions to places that hold fond memories.

SAVE THE DATE WEEK Elvis Week will be Aug. 6-16, so stay tuned for more info about a hip-shaking good time!

PMMA awards scholarship to Director of Nursing

For the second consecutive year, Director of Nursing Betsy Geddes has been awarded a continuing education assistance from Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America to use toward pursuing her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN).

“I have one more class to take at Hutchinson Community College and then will transfer credits over to Fort Hays State University. I plan to finish my BSN program by the spring of 2019,” said Betsy. “I’m pleased as punch to receive another scholarship opportunity from PMMA.”

Every spring, employees have the opportunity to apply for these awards.

Sarah Oenning, PMMA’s development director, said that’s because a group of private donors had the vision many years ago to set up endowments at some PMMA communities for employee education.

“It’s been a priority for a really long time,” Sarah said. “We know that donors

saw that employee education was important and worth supporting.”

To be eligible, employees are required to:

• be employed at PMMA for at least one year at the time the award is made (usually mid-summer);

• be regularly scheduled to work, for a minimum of eight hours during a twoweek payroll cycle; • show relevance of the education to the services provided by PMMA, and;

• be employed in good standing at the conclusion of the educational program and at the time the reimbursement request is submitted for payment.

Funds are paid after the successful completion (a “C” grade or higher) of the approved course and can be used to cover tuition, fees and books.

“The education assistance program is a valuable tool for staff retention,” said Melanie Owens, senior vice president

for human resources. “This year we awarded all the community designated funds and PMI funds, which resulted in 32 awards, a total of more than $76,000.”

Congratulations to Betsy, and to all PMMA employees who were awarded scholarships.

How can I help employees?

To recognize a special caregiver or staff member, make a gift in an employee's honor to the Education Assistance Fund. Every gift helps employees reach their education goals.

Make a tax deductible gift online:

PresbyterianManors.org/Give_Now

Or make a gift at your PMMA community.

Gone fishin’ instead of just a’ wishin’

Eight Sterling Presbyterian Manor residents enjoyed a fishing adventure in June. Great memories were caught by all!

Resident Council President Ron Wilson is all smiles on the fishing dock.

Jean Baker enjoys the sunshine as she tries her hand at reeling in a big one.

STERLING PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3

I am not ashamed Pastor Ken’s Corner:

Sterling Presbyterian Manor Chaplain Ken Connor

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

If we are ashamed of the gospel it is because our focus is still on us, and not on God.

People have no problem talking about how great a certain college or pro sports team is. Or about how their favorite make of car is the best.

Yet, when it comes to the power of God’s gospel, we are reluctant to say anything because we might offend somebody. In other words, we want to convince others about our preferences in things that have no eternal significance, but remain silent about the one thing that can keep them from an eternity in hell.

®

Sterling Presbyterian Manor 204 W. Washington Sterling, KS 67579-1614

®

Return Service Requested

Art is Ageless®

continued from page 1

Works by local winners are automatically entered into a masterpiece level competition with winning art from 16 other PMMA communities. The winners are featured in the Art is Ageless calendar and notecards.

“We’re continually amazed by all the artistic talent in our community, and we’re thrilled to see one of our artists featured in the calendar, and one on the notecards!” said Cindy Moore, director of marketing and admissions. “Art is Ageless is a great opportunity for local artists to display their talent and gain inspiration from others.”

“Untitled Abstract,” a painting by Don Caviness 4 COMMUNITY MATTERS AUGUST 2017

Art is Ageless, open exclusively 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.