Commun ty Matters Wichita Presbyterian Manor
What makes not-for-profit senior living different? While shopping for a senior living community, it is common to consider the layout of the residence, the taste of the food and the friendliness of the staff as well as the financial requirements and availability of ongoing care. But what about the operational status of the organization? A community operating with a for-profit business model vs. a not-for-profit business model can make a significant difference in the overall operation and culture of the organization. Five major differences are worth exploring to understand the contrast better. DIFFERENT, continued on page 3
September 2017
Ray of the rails
Resident has a lifelong passion for trains Like many little boys of his generation, Ray Keller always had a Christmas train. The tradition sparked a lifelong love of model trains. In fact, one of the reasons Ray and his wife, Helen, chose to live at Wichita Presbyterian Manor was because he saw there was room to set up a small garden-scale train off their patio. He has two engines and a small loop of track. The trains aren’t set up year round, but all you have to do is ask to see them. “I’m always happy to show the trains somewhere or other. It takes some time because the trains themselves are not always out in the weather,” Ray said. Ray was a clergyman and lived almost exclusively in parsonages, where he always found room to set up an indoor scale train in a basement or extra room. When he and Helen finally had their own home, he was thrilled to have room for a larger layout. “At Christmas I would have a couple hundred feet of track in the living area, from one end of the house to the other,” he said. It wasn’t until retirement that Ray bought his first garden trains, on a RAILS, continued on page 2