Living Life After 50
June 2025
farmers markets
Text and Photos
By MAKSYM HART Staff Writer
For many residents of St. Joseph County, farmers markets are about community. That’s what brings Lisa Landry back to the South Bend Farmer’s Market.
“I love shopping local, and the consistency of the vendors,” she says. Though she now lives in Florida, Lisa grew up in the area and wanted to browse there during a visit with family.
The sense of having grown up with the farmer’s markets is not unique to the customers.
County, including hours, locations, and vendor highlights: South Bend Farmer’s Market
Open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Located at 1105 Northside Blvd., South Bend. Fresh produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, crafts, a cafe and prepared foods. Long-time vendors include The Great British Treat House and Irish Sea Moss.
For more info, call (574) 2821259, or go to southbendfarmersmarket.com.
River Valley Farmers’ Market
Robert Vite, whose family was one of the original four vendors at the market’s 1924 inception, says his mother used to bring him to the market.
“So I literally grew up in these stalls,” he says with a smile.
Vite has been selling at the South Bend market since 1968. In the spring, he sells citrus — sourced from an outside vendor — and in the fall he sells homegrown plants for display, gardening and eating.
“With farmer’s markets, I like the freshness of the produce,” said local Catherine Reidy. “Today, I’m here for herbs, and to support local farmers.”
Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Located at the Commerce Center, 401 E. Colfax Ave., South Bend.
Local produce, homemade pastries, fresh flowers and artisan crafts.
May 10 to Sept. 13.
Community-driven market emphasizing food access and education. For more info, call 574-235-9449 or go to southbendin.gov/food-security.
Portage Farm Stands Market
Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, May 17 to Oct. 11. Located by The Botany Shop, 909 Portage Ave., South Bend. Organic produce, cut flowers, and specialty products from micro-farmers. For more info, go to its Facebook Page.
Mishawaka Farmers Market
With warmer weather arriving, markets across the county are opening their stalls for the season. Here’s a roundup of farmers markets in and around St. Joseph
For more info, call (574) 781-8694 or go to its Facebook page. Purple Porch Food Co-Op
Open 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays, year-round. Located at Commerce Center, 123 Hill St., South Bend. Locally grown food, baked goods and sustainable products with a focus on community-supported agriculture.
For more info, call (574) 2876724, or go to purpleporch.coop.
Linden Avenue Farmer’s Market
MLK Dream Center, 1522 Linden Ave., South Bend.
Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month,
LOCAL AND LONG-LIVED The South Bend Farmer’s market is entering its 101st year of operation. Open all year with vendors of produce, plants, crafts, and food, its motto simply states: “Fresh, local ... What else matters?” The market is one of several in St. Joseph County.
Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, June 1 to Sept. 28 excluding June 15, July 6, Aug. 31. Located at 230 Ironworks Ave., Ironworks Plaza, Mishawaka. Fresh fruits and vegeta-
HANDMADE STUFF BY JOHN SHIRK South Bend Farmers Market vendor John Shirk says he makes “everything,” from crafts to custom wood burnings.
DESCENDANT Robert Vite descends from one of the original four South Bend Farmer’s Market vendors. Having owned a stall since 1968, he continues to sell produce today.
Grant Mudge eager to tell the story of South Bend
By NATHAN PACE Staff Writer
Grant Mudge has lived and worked all over the country but his passion for the art of storytelling has landed him in South Bend. Mudge began a new role with The History Museum as its director of marketing and development earlier this year.
“What that comes down to is the root word of history is ‘story’ and I thought, ‘Oh I know how to do storytelling,’” Mudge said.
His passion for history and storytelling can be found all throughout his career, especially his work with Shakespeare. He has been involved in multiple Shakespeare organizations in numerous communities in Virginia, Arizona, North Dakota and Indiana. Mudge graduated from the University of Richmond and began a Shakespeare company. In 2012, Mudge had the oppor-
tunity to take on a Shakespeare role at the University of Notre Dame.
“That’s when the University of Notre Dame beckoned. And when the lady on the golden dome says come here you say ‘Yes ma’am,’” he said.
Mudge would later become the executive director for the Southwest Shakespeare Company in Mesa, Ariz. He would fly to Arizona for a few days and then work remotely from South Bend before repeating the process.
“Boy, do I have frequent flyer miles. If you know the names of flight attendants on multiple routes that means you’re flying too much,” Mudge said.
Mudge still assists the Southwest Shakespeare Company remotely on occasion but he is happy to focus on South Bend at The History Museum after two years of air travel. He gained respect for the museum roughly seven years ago when he saw one of their exhibits.
“It’s been really wonderful. The staff is a delight and it echos every bit of what I saw seven years ago,” Mudge said.
His passion for Shakespeare easily translates to his love for history. Mudge says he has enjoyed getting to know the 600,000 items in the collection at the museum.
“History is alive very much
and those stories they need that rigorous level of curators and historians to document, preserve and protect but also interpret and tell those stories for our surrounding communities,” Mudge said. “That really felt like something I can do.”
One aspect in particular are all the faces from the historic photograph collection of area factory workers.
“You can see in their eyes who these folks were,” Mudge said.
Mudge said he also enjoys the fact he gets to stay closer to his son through his new job.
Mudge was born in northern California but grew up in many cities including New York, Kansas City and lived in Arizona before going to college in Richmond.
Mudge wanted to emphasize The History Museum serves not just South Bend but all the counties that comprise the Michiana area. One exhibit opening in June features the shipwrecks on the Great Lakes.
“You got anybody coming into town you bring them to the history museum if you want them to understand South Bend or even Michiana,” Mudge said. “I’ve always loved attending museums. Art museums, history museums, you name it. It goes back to teachers, parents, education and curiosity. The museums help drive and satisfy that curiosity.”
Immunize before traveling
By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features
Even before the coronavirus disrupted life on earth, health agencies here and in other nations had lists of immunizations required if you planned to see their sites.
Before traveling anywhere these days, make sure you
know all the medical requirements for the places you’re visiting as well as local regulations governing what happens when you return home.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2025
Continued from page 1 bles, local honey, handmade items. Special “Market Under the Lights” event Oct. 4, 7–9 p.m.
For more info, call (574) 2581664 or go to its Facebook Page. New Carlisle Farmers Market Open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every other Saturday, May 31 to Sept. 14, no market July 26. Located at 300 W. Michigan St., Memorial Park, New Carlisle.
A variety of produce, canned goods, and crafts from area vendors.
For more info, call (574) 3392403 or go to newcarlisleindiana. com.
For those looking for peak-season tomatoes, a conversation with a beekeeper or a handwoven basket, local markets are bustling with flavor and community spirit.
STORYTELLER IN TOWN — Grant Mudge is excited to promote The History Museum in South Bend. Photo provided by The History Museum.
Sweat was in Big Red’s shadow
Not all rewards involve money.
By RANDAL C. HILL
Edward “Shorty” Sweat was born in Holly Hill, S. C. in 1939. As one of nine children of a sharecropper, he grew up in a cinder-block house with no running water and a small woodstove to ward off winter’s chill. With only a sixth-grade education, he seemed destined to be picking cotton and tobacco during the years that lay ahead.
Fortunately for him, Holly Hill was also where U. S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Lucien Laurin maintained a Thoroughbred horse farm. In 1957, Lauren offered Shorty a job after seeing the 18-year-old studying the animals through a fence surrounding the property. Sweat went to work as a full-time groom for Lucien’s stable of racehorses, in return for a small salary and a promise of 1% of the horses’ eventual winnings.
Eventually, Sweat became the farm’s most trusted and
valued groom. He drew especially close to the giant stallion Secretariat, who Sweat and the others called “Big Red.”
Shorty once told a reporter, “I guess a groom gets closer to a horse than anyone. The owner, the trainer, they maybe see him once a day. But I lived with Secretariat.” To monitor the great horse’s moods and cycles, Eddie often slept on a cot outside the beautiful stallion’s stall.
In 1973, Big Red became the first racehorse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown. His record-shattering victory at Belmont — he won by 31 lengths — is often considered the greatest race ever run by any Thoroughbred racehorse.
Ebony and Jet magazines featured Eddie Sweat stories and photos, while Secretariat graced the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. An instant legend, Big Red was retired and lined up for what would amount to 16 years of stud service worth $6 million (about $45 million now). No stallion on the planet was worth more.
The magnificent beast would eventually sire 663 foals, including 59 racing winners that brought in $29 million on
racetracks throughout North America. In 1999, Secretariat became the first Thoroughbred to be featured on a U. S. postage stamp.
No one in the horseracing world understands these sublime creatures better than a focused, caring groom —and no one gets less credit. Although Shorty could be considered a sort of human security blanket to the champion animal, Secretariat’s owners treated Eddie as a racetrack gypsy, continuing to dole out low wages and consigning him to a migrant worker’s life. Sweat, though, never grumbled about the hours worked, the money earned, or the sacrifices of his time away from his wife and children.
Shorty died in 1998 at age 58. Some track folks showed up at his funeral —mainly exercise riders and training-center staff — but no owners or trainers came. Eddie left his family two acres of land. The 1% of the promised race winnings—about $13,000 — never materialized.
Eddie Sweat always took great pride in his association with perhaps the greatest racehorse of all time: “I guess you could say I was his main man.”
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HORSE GROOMER FOR SECRETARIAT
Eddie Sweat grew close to the giant stallion Secretariat, who he and others called “Big Red.” Photo from Facebook.
Mo Miller’s marvelous miniatures
By MAKSYM HART Staff Writer
For Mo Miller, miniature houses are more than a hobby. They’re carefully crafted stories built with lace, glue, and a lifetime of memories.
Miller, a retired accountant and grandmother, has spent the past several years turning garage sale finds and personal keepsakes into vibrant dollhouses that now
grace The History Museum in South Bend. Her seven contributions are a centerpiece of the museum’s current yearlong exhibit on miniatures, an idea she cheerfully admits she helped get off the ground.
“I bugged them,” she said, laughing. “I’d been to museums in other places, and I just thought, ‘there is a following here.’”
That interest is evident in
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Miller’s own collection: about 15 houses in total, each one distinct. One house, styled as a ski cabin, features flannel sheets, vintage posters, and a pair of crutches upstairs to suggest someone had a skiing mishap.
Another, a family cottage inspired by her childhood visits to South Haven, Mich., incorporates both old and modern touches. Even the rugs and paintings often have personal histories — one was made from lace she picked up in Belgium at age 22.
“I like my houses to feel lived in,” Miller said. “That’s kind of my signature, I think.”
Whether it’s a Victorian mansion or an abandoned sitting room made from egg cartons and tea-stained wallpaper, Miller insists each piece tells a story. One miniature features peeling wallpaper, dusty furniture and even a skeleton hidden behind a couch; her son’s suggestion,
she said.
Though she’s only been seriously involved in miniatures for about seven or eight years, Miller’s work spans a range of styles and scales, from tiny gardens to expansive, multi-room homes.
She often mixes handmade pieces with ones bought at miniature shows, including an annual event in Chicago she has attended for the past few years.
“The first time I went, I think I had a few hundred dollars,” she explained. “(With the abandoned room exhibit), I think I bought two pieces and everything else I was just able to make from scrap and stuff I already had.”
Miller is now preparing to teach her first class on miniatures through South Bend’s Forever Learning Institute, starting Monday, Sept. 8, where students will learn both the history and hands-on construction of
miniature scenes.
Her aim is simple: to show that with some imagination, anyone can craft.
“Just start, and you can start really small,” she said. “Make a little scene, make a little corner ... just work on that little area, and then it’ll just kind of grow.”
Miller’s houses aren’t just about craft, they’re memory containers. One miniature includes a Mickey Mouse figure gifted by her son after a family trip to Disney. Another features tiny items collected during bike rides on Mackinac Island.
Now often referred to as “the dollhouse lady,” Miller welcomes the title. And though she’s unsure whether she’ll ever part with her larger pieces, she’s content knowing her work sparks joy, and sometimes nostalgia, for visitors.
“It’s more fun than Disney World,” she said.
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EDITORIAL DEADLINES
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LIVED IN MODEL Mo Miller stands next to one of her model houses, donated to the South Bend History Museum. She strives to make her houses feel unique and “lived in” using little details such as posters, toys, piles of dishes and other items that imply a human history.
Photo by Maksym Hart.
By PHOEBE MUTHART Editor
The 29th annual Age of Excellence awards honored caregivers Thursday, May 8, at the Century Center in South Bend.
The event was hosted by REAL Services and included lunch.
Tricia Sloma of WNDU was moderator for a panelist discussion, “Caring Hands, Lasting Legacies,” the theme for this year’s event.
The three panelists were Gladys Muhammad, Tina Patton and Kyle Bossung.
Bossung is a champion for aging with dignity and innovation and co-owns Senior1 Care with his father, Carl.
Muhammad is a lifelong servant leader and bridge builder.
Patton is an advocate for women, families and uplifting the community.
Each offered unique insights on caregiving, leadership and the power of community action.
After the discussion, six awards were handed out. Carl and Kyle Bossung were awarded the Professional Provider of the Year.
Julie Beguin of South Bend was named Caregiver of the Year.
The Portage Township Trustee’s Office was named Change Agent of the Year and was accepted by Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow.
The Sargent Shriver Achievement Award was given to Dea Andrews, South Bend Heritage Foundation.
No need to read a mind
By JIM CARPENTER Guest Writer
As a young child, he read the comics.
From Superman, the Hulk, the Flash.
He even invented his own super power.
He thought it could make him some cash.
This super power that he made up, was about someone who could read minds.
He thought how cool that might be.
It seemed a neat power to find.
You would know just what a person was thinking.
What they had done or what they might do.
Even to know what they had for lunch.
Or a crisis they were going through.
To know what might be on their mind.
Their innermost thoughts revealed.
What a power that would be.
At just the thought, the boy was thrilled.
The years went by and the child grew.
His superpower interest diminished.
And now with the advent of social tech, his desire to read minds is finished.
of the Year Award was given to Marjorie Holderman, Mishawaka.
The Les Fox Hoosier Lifetime Achievement Awards was given to George Hawthorne and Anne Feferman.
“We need to advocate because there are people who are in need today and will be in need tomorrow, and we can’t abandon those individuals that we’re here to support,” said Hawthorne.
“We are a community, and as a community we need to support and help each other.”
Next year’s event will be the
PANELIST DISCUSSION
A panelist discussion was held at the REAL Services’ 29th Annual Age of Excellence ceremony held Thursday, May 8,
For more information, visit realservices.org/get-involved/ excellence.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Anne Feferman and George Hawthorne received the Les Fox Hoosier Lifetime Achievement Award. Shown from left are Feferman, Hawthorne and KJ Mapes, president and CEO of REAL Services.
The Wyatt Mick Volunteer
30th annual celebration and the 60th diamond anniversary. It will be held in the spring of 2026
Senior Life newspaper, owned by The Papers Inc., was one of the sponsors.
in South Bend. Shown from left are Tricia Sloma, WNDU, moderator; Gladys Muhammad; Tina Patton; and Kyle Bossung.
Lancer pride equals community connection
By NATHAN PACE Staff Writer
Steve Cox was born into the LaVille athletics but the love he has for the LaPaz area is something he has embraced every year. Today, Cox is synonymous with LaVille through his family pedigree and by his work announcing games.
“I have been effectively known as the voice of the Lancers,” Cox said.
Cox has been the announcer at LaVille football games for 30 years. He also calls games for basketball, baseball and track. He also coaches the junior varsity basketball team at LaVille.
One does not have to look far into his background to understand why Cox is passionate about LaVille. His father, Dale Cox, was the first athletic director at the school and the gym is named after him. Playing sports with his three brothers at the school was family tradition.
“Sports was pretty much all our growing up. Very sports crazy family,” Cox said. His father passed away in 2019 but Cox was able to transfer his passion for the Lancers to his own children and now his grandchildren. When he had a granddaughter on the girls basketball team point out a need for a junior varsity coach it was Cox who knew he needed to step into the role. He had experience coaching basketball at the
youth level going in and had a plan to use the sport to improve lives.
“I think basketball for one, I love the kids. I am a people person and I like being around the kids. I think sports teaches us a lot about life. I think there are all kinds of lessons you learn from sports,” Cox said.
Cox serves as the pastor at Cornerstone Community Fellowship in LaPaz. One of the larger churches in the school district, Cox sees his community involvement as opportunities incorporate his faith.
“It’s not just coaching basketball it’s about helping people become a good citizen and have them leave the world in a better place,” Cox said. “Obviously my faith is the most important in terms of things I do and I am a family guy. I try to weave that into basketball with my coaching. Just trying to create that culture of family. The coaching staff is the same way. That concept of family really permeates through the program. It’s more than about shooting baskets and playing games.”
He has been married to his Karen for 48 years and the couple raised two sons in Jason, Jeremy. Cox says he is fortunate to have his nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren stay around the area.
“My oldest son lives next door to me. My other son lives a mile away. One big happy
family,” Cox said. “We get to gather at every Sunday night. On a pretty regular basis we are keeping in touch and staying together.”
Another hobby and passion for Cox is maintaining a garden at home. He enjoys growing peas, green beans, potatoes and cucumbers.
One thing for sure is Cox does not take for granted his life in LaPaz.
“It’s a small town but it’s a great place to raise a family. The people genuinely care for one another,” Cox said.
The loony ‘bin’ cycle
“No,” I said to my wife. “They can’t do that again. It will completely mess us up.”
NUTSHELL
By DICK WOLFSIE
She knew I was correct. The city was changing the pickup day for recycling. It was going from Monday to Tuesday. Every other Tuesday. It didn’t take long for us to get confused.
“Is this the day we put out the recycling?” I asked Mary Ellen.
“I think it’s the right day. It may not be the right week.”
“We put it out last week, but they didn’t pick it up, so it must be this week.”
“But I think we put it out
too late and we simply missed the truck,” said Mary Ellen. “Well, does anyone else have their recycle bin out?”
“Yes, Paul has his out,” I said.
“You can’t go by him. Paul still puts it out every Monday. He didn’t get the memo. He’s the cause of the confusion every week.”
“Wait, Eric is putting his out now. I’m going to put ours out, too.”
Eric called to me as I wheeled our recycling dumpsters out of the garage. “Dick, is this the correct Monday for the recycling?”
“No, it’s Tuesday since they made the change. But now I see Paul putting his out. Paul is a retired fireman. He knows how to put things out.”
“Paul, are you sure this is the week for recycling?”
“I don’t think it is, Dick, but I saw you guys putting yours
out, and I figured you must know what you’re doing.”
Suddenly, about three garage doors opened and Maurizio, Susan and Dave all put their recycling containers at the curb. The next thing we knew, all the neighbors had their yellow-lidded receptacles in their driveways.
Mary Ellen and I began to think about this.
“If this is the wrong week, everyone will blame us,” she said. “But I think we should blame it on Paul.”
We decided not to mess with the situation. We knew we had the correct day. But was it the right week? Tuesday at about 4 p.m. the bins were still sitting untouched, so I watched everyone haul their recyclables back into their garages. There were a lot of people talking trash about the Wolfsies.
The next morning was Wednesday and about 11 a.m. I headed outside to the mailbox. Just as I was putting the red flag up, Rays Recycling came from around the corner.
“NO, NO!” I screamed.
“Not on a Wednesday.” Then I remembered that Monday was a holiday, so everything was delayed a day.
I dragged my bin to the curb. The huge arms extended from the sides of the truck, clutching the container and emptying the contents.
I felt guilty that I had messed up everyone on the block, so I organized a neighborhood meeting the next day. We created a recycling schedule for the next 20 years and emailed the spreadsheet with detailed information about what you should recycle and what you shouldn’t and we added a friendly reminder to all about which side of the bin should point toward the street.
The whole thing was educational, but I agree with Kermit the Frog. It’s not easy being green.
LANCER FAMILY — Steven Cox and his wife, Karen, have leaders in the LaPaz community at church and at LaVille athletics. Photo provided by Conerstone Community Fellowship.
Blast to the Past! —
‘Love Will Keep Us Together’
Captain and Tennille
“Some sweet-talking girl comes along, singing her song
By RANDAL C. HILL
In early 1975, Toni Tennille and Darryl Dragon sat in the Los Angeles office of A & M Records. Company executive Kip Cohen played them a track from the latest Neil Sedaka album, “Sedaka’s Back,” which was a “best of” selection of cuts lifted from three albums he had released in the early 1970s in London. (He had moved to England after the Beatles had demolished his once-successful career.)
The tune Cohen spun on a turntable that day was a bouncy ditty called “Love Will Keep Us Together.”
“The minute I heard it,” Tennille remembered later, “I knew we would do a number on it.”
“Love, love will keep us together
“Think of me, babe, whenever
“Don’t mess around, you just gotta be strong
“Just stop…’cause I really love you
“Stop…I’ll be thinking of you
“Look in my heart and let love keep us together”
From 1958 to 1963, Sedaka and his lyric-writing partner
Howard Greenfield placed 13 RCA singles in the Top 40 charts. But in January 1964 the Fab Four exploded onto the American music scene and, overnight, swept away the careers of most rockers here.
As their final collaboration, Sedaka and Greenfield wrote “Love Will Keep Us Together.”
Rock writer Tom Breihan later declared, “The song is about a couple fighting to keep their flame alive, but Sedaka says that he and Greenfield were really writing about each other. Sedaka also says that they were crying when they finished writing it.”
In San Francisco a few years earlier, Tennille had co-written songs for an ecology-based rock musical called “Mother Earth.” (1970 had been the first year for Earth Day.) The show
Q. What’s up for Senior Talk Michiana in June?
A. As we mentioned last month, Senior Talk Michiana is now designated a non-profit organization, allowing us to apply for grants and solicit tax-free donations. Please consider making a contribution, which can be processed by credit card at www.seniortalkmichiana.org. Your support will allow us to reach a larger percentage of the 260,000 seniors in Michiana and provide them with information about services, organizations, and events.
June’s guests include Betsy Rowe, who will discuss her new book, “Keys,” a creative workshop to unlock your creativity, and Abby Smith from Seasons Home Care, who will help people remain in their own homes for as long as is safe, practical, and possible.
Tom Rose Author & Speaker Balloon in a Box
Coping with Grief Grief Group Facilitator
was about to move south to Los Angeles, and the troupe’s pianist couldn’t make the move. Tennille ran an ad seeking a replacement musician.
Enter Darryl Dragon, the son of orchestra leader Carmen Dragon. Darryl Dragon was known in the industry as “The Captain.” (Beach Boy Mike Love had often teased keyboardist Dragon about wearing a yachting cap onstage during tours.) Dragon was in between gigs, so he flew to the Bay Area, met with Tennille and was hired.
Needless to say, neither musician realized that they would spend the rest of their careers together.
Tennille and Dragon formed a duo —the Dragons — and spent two years performing at a Los Angeles-area restaurant. It was during that time that they changed their stage name to Captain and Tennille.
“Love Will Keep Us Together” hit the top of the Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for four weeks. It became Captain and Tennille’s signature song and was named Record of the Year at the 1976 Grammy Awards ceremony. The remaining days
of the ‘70s brought the hitmaking pair half a dozen more hits.
In 2009, Sedaka recorded a children’s CD called “Waking Up Is Hard to Do.” Included
among the tracks was “Lunch Will Keep Us Together.”
Don’t laugh; that disc earned a whopping 86% approval rating on Amazon!
Sponsored by Aging Connections of Michiana, Senior Life Newspapers, and Goshen Home Medical, Senior Talk Michiana is tailored specifically for seniors and offers valuable information regarding services and organizations in Michiana. Listeners can access the podcast through free subscriptions available on Spotify and www.seniortalkmichiana.org. Episodes are also available at www.thomaslrose.com/ senior-talk.
Rose and Rose Associates
Senior Talk Michiana 574-596-6256
www.thomaslrose.com www.cookingtogether.com roseandrose@comcast.net
Hospice Care
Q. Who is the hospice care team made up of?
A. The hospice care team is made up of a group of professionals who work together to provide compassionate, holistic care for patients nearing the end of life. Their goal is to support the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of both the patient and their family.
At the center of the hospice team is the patient and their family, all care is centered around their needs, values, and wishes. The team works closely with them to create a personalized plan of care.
A hospice physician or medical director oversees the patient’s care, managing symptoms and coordinating with the primary care doctor. They ensure that the care plan prioritizes comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
Registered nurses (RNs) are key to monitoring the patient’s condition, administering medications, and managing pain or symptoms. They often serve as the main point of contact for the family, providing education and reassurance.
Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) provide hands-on support with daily activities such as bathing, grooming, and mobility. Their gentle presence helps patients maintain dignity and comfort.
Social workers help address emotional and
Executive Director-Comfort1 Hospice
practical concerns, offering counseling, support with end-of-life planning, and connecting families to resources.
Chaplains or spiritual counselors offer spiritual care tailored to the patient’s beliefs, whether religious or not, providing comfort, rituals, or simply a listening ear.
Volunteers often assist with companionship, errands, or respite for caregivers, adding a layer of personal connection and support.
In some cases, bereavement counselors or grief support specialists continue to care for the family after the patient passes, offering follow-up support and counseling for up to a year.
This interdisciplinary team works collaboratively to provide compassionate, respectful care honoring each person’s journey through the end of life.
Servicing
Tom Rose
ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE DRAGONS Darryl Dragon and Toni Tennille originally formed a duo, The Dragons, before changing their stage name to Captain and Tennille. Photo from Wikipedia.
A Boomer Blast To The Past
Dining/Leisure/Entertainment
Fourth Annual Senior Spirit Week
Venues Parks and Arts and the city of are hosting South Bend Senior Spirit Week, a chance to highlight programming specifically for the 50-plus community at different South Bend parks. Now is the time to plan for the future, get moving and grooving, while enjoying the company of friends during Senior Spirit Week.
Partnering with REAL Services, St. Joseph County Library, Forever Learning, and many more, each day of the week will feature classes, information sessions, giveaways, mobile health clinics, and more.
Senior Spirit Week Schedule
Monday, June 23
“Try the Y Day” at the O’Brien Center and the YMCA from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out the YMCA at the O’Brien Center or the downtown YMCA, offering a “Try Y Day” to all seniors who come to the fitness centers.
Tuesday, June 24
VPA Senior Programming
12:30 PM — Senior Men’s Group at Charles Black Center
Wednesday, June 25
Noon — Senior picnic at Rum Village Nature Park, sponsored by REAL Services and Venues Parks and Arts.
10 a.m. — Senior Nature Walk
10:30 a.m. — Bingo and prizes
12:15 p.m. — Crowning of the King and Queen
12:30 p.m. — Dream Dancer performance
1 p.m. — Live music performance with the Music Village Jammers
Tickets to this event are $3 and must be purchased at Howard Park by June 20.
Thursday, June 26
“Let’s Learn” at Howard Park. Vendors, giveaways, and a mobile health clinic is in the lobby.
10 a.m. — “Don’t Be a Sitting Duck” by REAL Services
11 a.m. — Aging Connections Class, “Navigating the Continuum of Care”
Noon — Bagels and coffee from Howard Park Public House
1 p.m.— MELT YMCA Hand Exercises
2 p.m. — Forever Learning Class, hula dancing
5 -7 p.m. — Info sessions and happy hour at the Howard Park Public House Patio
Info sessions will include “mini talks” highlighting the perks of many different senior organizations and resources that are available in the community. Senior cocktail special is available. Friday, June 27
10 a.m. — Outdoors with the Kroc Center’s Cardio Drumming 11 a.m. — Bingo and chair
COMIC BOOKS!
Exersize by REAL Services
11:30 a.m. — Decluttering by Sharpe Realty
Noon — Medicare 101 and refreshments
1 p.m. — Low Impact En-
hanced Fitness Class by YMCA
2 p.m. — “Tips to Keep You on Your Feet” by REAL Services Saturday, June 28
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Ray Comer Pickleball Classic at Boehm Park
10 a.m. — Intro to Pickleball 101 by Michiana Pickleball Club
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Social play for all skill levels
Noon to 3 p.m. — Round Robin pickleball by the numbers
June MPHPL programs for adults
Below is the Mishawaka Penn-Harris-Public Library June calendar of events for adults. Registration can be secured at (574) 259-5277 or mphpl.org.
Check mphpl.org for the most up-to-date information regarding events or to register.
“DIY at Dusk: Butterfly Feeders,” 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. Welcome summer and butterflies into your backyard by making a bufferfly feeder. Registration required.
Bingo, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18. Join MPHPL for an hour of bingo and beverages. Winners will receive small prizes and raffle tickets for a chance to win a door prize. Registration required.
Harris Branch Events Chapter Chats Book Club, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 12. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho can be picked up in advance at the front desk. Registration required.
“Paint with Us,” 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 25. Unleash your creativity by painting a sunset on canvas. All experience levels are welcome. Registration required. Mishawaka Library Events
Club,” 10:15-11:15 a.m. Saturday, June 7. “Jurassic Park” by Michael Crichton can be picked up in advance at the front desk of the Mishawaka Library. Registration required.
“Snack Attack: Oats,” 10:3011:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 10. Learn how to make an oat-based snack that will satisfy cravings for everyone in your household. Registration required; limited to MPHPL cardholders.
“Groundbreaking Black Hoosiers Traveling Exhibit,” Monday, June 16-Saturday, June 21. To celebrate Juneteenth, the public is invited to explore the groundbreaking black Hoosiers traveling exhibit, on loan from the Indiana Historical Society. The exhibit will be displayed in the Heritage Room of the downtown Mishawaka Library from Monday, June 16, to Saturday, June 21. Visitors can take a self-guided tour to discover the inspiring stories of African Americans who made significant contributions to the state of Indiana, paving the way for future generations.
“Cooking Classics: Summer Sides,” 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, June 16. Try your hand at easy culinary creations as the focus
“Edible Excursions: Brazil,” 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, June 23. Enjoy an evening of exploration and eating. Participants will virtually visit Brazil and then make a popular Brazilian snack. Registration required; limited to MPHPL cardholders.
Indiana Author Rebecca McKanna, 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 26. McKanna will read from her thriller, “Don’t Forget the Girl,” and discuss how the complex ethical issues in true crime inspired her novel. After the reading, there will be a meet-and-greet and book signing. Light refreshments will be served. Registration required.
Summer Reading Challenge
The summer reading challenge begins Monday, June 2, and ends Monday, Aug. 4. All ages can take part; however, adult participants must have a free MPHPL card to participate. Challenge cards are available at any MPHPL location or can be downloaded online by visiting mphpl.org/reading-challenge. Once all challenges on the card are complete, participants can return their cards for a new book from a pre-selected book list containing over 125 titles. Prize redemption begins Monday,
Hamilton Grove hosts free retirement planning series
Hamilton Grove, a faith-based, nprofit retirement community invites the public to a free, informative event series focused on retirement planning. The weekly sessions will offer expert guidance on a range of topics critical to aging well and plan-
Each event will be held in the Genesis A Room on Hamilton Grove’s campus, 31869 Chicago Trail, New Carlisle, from 6-8 p.m. with two sessions offered
June 3: Medicare and Medic-
Melanie can brighten up the Interior of your home.
Melanie can brighten up the Interior of your home.
Melanie can brighten up the Interior of your home.
Walls
Walls Ceilings Window And Door Trim
Ceilings
Walls
Window And Door Trim
Stairways
Ceilings Window And Door Trim Stairways
Stairways
Woodwork Staining
Woodwork Staining
Garage And Workshop Floors And Walls
Garage And Workshop Floors And Walls
June 10: Home health care and Hamilton Grove
June 17: Memory stages and June 24: Hospice care and
Small Patch Repair
Woodwork Staining
Small Patch Repair
Garage And Workshop Floors And Walls
Drywall Repair
Drywall Repair
Small Patch Repair
Great Service – Reasonable Rates
Drywall Repair
Great Service – Reasonable Rates
References Available Upon Request. 574-304-5075
References Available Upon Request. 574-304-5075
Great Service – Reasonable Rates References Available Upon Request. 574-304-5075
“We understand how overwhelming it can be to plan for the future, especially when it comes to health, finances and long-term care,” said Treva Greaser, interim VP of operations at Hamilton Grove. “Our goal is to provide trusted information in a welcoming environment so individuals and families can make confident decisions.” Seating is limited. Contact Michelle Genslinger at (574) 876-2541 to reserve a seat.
UPDATES & HAPPENINGS IN THE AREA
Editor’s note: Send listings of events, for nonprofit organizations only, to Senior Life, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542, or email Editor Phoebe Muthart by the 15th of every month at pmuthart@the-papers.com. With the listing, include the contact person, area code and phone number.
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A sunset stroll is at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at Ferrettie / Baugo Creek, Astor Room at Baugo Station, lower level, 57057 Ash Road, Osceola. Call (574) 654-3155 to register. Cost: $5 per person. Registration and payment required by June 3. Friendly for all ages, come enjoy a snack and a calming experience among local plants and wildlife.
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Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8. On select days of the year, Indiana residents may fish without a state fishing license in Indiana waters. Free fishing is from 10 a.m. a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Ferrettie/Baugo Creek Park and St. Patrick’s County Park. Free gate fee for those fishing; just show your poles.
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“Evening Paddle: Pirates and Mermaids of Baugo Creek,” 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 12. End your day by taking a leisurely kayak trip.
Enjoy two hours of paddling on the serene waters of Baugo Creek. Add to the fun by dressing in the theme of the night. Registration and payment required by Monday, June 9. The event is at Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park, 57057 Ash Road, Osceola. Cost: $20 per person. Call (574) 654-3155 to register. Visit sjcparks.org for more information.
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The South Bend Civic Theatre presents The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. This “Trivial Comedy for Serious People” by Oscar Wilde, is part satire, part comedy of manners, and part intellectual farce. Hosted at The History Museum.
This is an outdoor performance. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own seating options (camper chairs, blankets, etc.) to enjoy this experience on the green space in the Historic Oliver Gardens.
Performances will take place in The History Museum’s Historic Oliver Gardens, 808 W. Washington St., South Bend, South Bend. All performances begin at 7 p.m. on the following dates: June 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29. There are no matinee performances. A pay-what-you-can preview performance will take place at 7 p.m. June 19.
Ticket link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35243/production/1215393.
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The La Porte County Symphony Orchestra 20th Annual Hoosier Star vocal competition is Sept. 13, at the LaPorte Civic Auditorium. It will feature the adult winners from the nine prior Hoosier Star competitions who will compete for the prestigious title “Hoosier Star of Stars” as well as a cash prize. The finalists will sing their winning songs, accompanied by the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Dr. Carolyn Watson.
The finalists are: Alyssa Atkinson, South Bend (2024 winner); Kelly Staton, Griffith (2023); Julia Thorn, Crown Point (2022); Jarynn Sampson, South Bend (2021); Alyse Flores, LaPorte (2020); Joe Stewart, Michigan City (2019); Mike Green, LaPorte (2018); Julia Campoli-Biek, South Bend (2017); and James Neary, LaPorte (2016).
The event also serves as a fundraiser for the LCSO; last year’s event raised nearly $50,000 for the symphony’s mission.
There will be no auditions for Hoosier Star this year. Interested parties are encouraged to check the LCSO
Apartment Living
website in January 2026 for information about Hoosier Star 2026 auditions, which will take place in March 2026.
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RiverBend Cancer Services, 3516 E. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, offers the following events each month: 10 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, seated strength; 1 p.m. Mondays, a craft; 5:30 p.m.
Mondays, gentle yoga; 10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, chair yoga; 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Melt; 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Support Squad and Knitting Krew; 2 p.m. Wednesdays, dominoes; 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Support Group; 3 p.m. Thursdays, Zumba. Visit riverbendcancerservices.org or call (574) 287-4197.
‘Tune In: Cars in Popular Music’ exhibit opens
Music and driving go hand in hand. Americans have tuned in to their favorite songs since the introduction of car radios in the 1930s and have never looked back. From AM/FM stereo and eight-tracks to CDs and streaming, listening to — and singing — to favorite tunes in the car is an American pastime and cars (and driving) remain a regular subject in songs today.
“Tune In: Cars in Popular Music” exhibition is open until Sept. 21. It will pair eight-10 famous songs from popular culture with the cars mentioned or highlighted in those songs. These cars will help bring some classic cruisin’ songs to life, from turn-of-the-century ditties to 1960s hot rod rock songs and beyond.
Come learn more about what inspired these classic jams and see some iconic American automobiles in this special exhibition.
The Studebaker National Museum is located at 201 Chapin St., just west of downtown South Bend. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $11 for adults, $9.50 for seniors over 60, and $7 for youth ages 6-18.
For more information, call the museum at (574) 235-9714 or toll free at (888) 391-5600 or visit studebakermuseum.org.
For an additional cost, visitors can tour The History Museum, which adjoins the Studebaker National Museum.
Independence | Dignity | Strength
Join Us for REAL Talk! REAL Talk offers free presentations and community connections. Topics target those 60 and older, but everyone is welcome to attend.
June Events: From Legacy to Peace
June 10 | 11 AM | Portage Commons | (574) 284 - 7189
June 12 | 11 AM | OWLS | (574) 336-2652
June 27 | 11:30 AM | 1 ROOF (Lunch) Reserve lunch by 6/24 | (574) 284-7189
June 24 | 11:30 AM | Salvation Army of Elkhart (Lunch) Reserve lunch by 6/20 | (574) 284-7184
Reserve your spot by visiting realservices.org/get-involved/real-talk/
Health Eduaction
BINGOCIZE
May. 7 - July 9 | 10 AM - 11 AM
SAIL
June 3 - July 1 | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Register for classes at realservices.org/getinvolved/health-education-classes/
2025 Annual Senior Picnic
Ticket Sales Begin May 23rd | $3 June 25 | 10 AM | Rum Village Park
10 AM | Nature Walk 10:30 AM | Bingo
11:30 AM | Senior Royalty Crowned 12 PM | Lunch 12:30 PM | Entertainment
To purchase tickets call 574-229-3254, stop by Howard Park Office , or visit any St. Joe County nutrition site
How I Stay Strong #REALStrong
Learn more by visiting realservices.org/services/a2aa/vaccines/
Address: 133 N William St. South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: (574) 284-7159
Business Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 10 AM - 3 PM
Make new friends, join a card game, discover a new hobby, laugh together! Enjoying each moment! It’s all here at Portage Commons Senior Enrichment Center.
Games scheduled daily: Crosswords, Card Sharks, Dominos and Puzzles
Programs include: Bingocize, Crafting, Book and Needle Arts Club Friday Movie Flicks
Visit Facebook for Events and Classes: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575250702801
Homemade Beef Stew
Cauliflower Dinner Roll/ Marg. Pineapple Cup
Polish Sausage w/bun Sauerkraut Applesauce
Vegetable Soup Tuna Salad Slider Spiced Peaches Cottage Cheese
Deli Turkey on Hoagie Bun Cheese, Mayo, Pickles Macaroni Salad Coleslaw Berry Applesauce
French Onion Chicken Baby Bakers
Parisian Carrots Wheat Bread/Marg. Cookies
Turkey Manhattan over bread Mashed Pot/Gravy Peas Fig Bars
Meatloaf Baby Bakers Green Beans Peach Cup Dinner Roll/Marg.
Lasagna Bake w/Sausage Italian Green Beans Warm Spiced Apples Garlic Bread
Chicken w/ Creamy Garlic Sauce Baby Bakers Asparagus Wheat Bread/ Marg. Mixed Fruit Cup
Cheeseburger on Bun Red Skin Potatoes Stewed Tomatoes Jello
Turkey Sausage Patty Scrambled Eggs English Muffin O’Brien Potatoes Banana & Yogurt
Bourbon Chicken Roasted Potatoes Asparagus Rye Bread/ Marg. Pear Cup
BBQ Chicken Baked Beans Corn Wheat Bread/Marg. Pudding Cup
BBQ Riblet on Bun Red Skin Potatoes Spinach Fresh Orange Closed - Juneteenth
Hamburger on Bun Baked Beans Roasted Summer Squash Jello
Fire Braised Chicken Breast Garlic Mashers Maple Roasted Beets Wheat Bread/Marg. Brownie
Chili w/Beans Baby Bakers Broccoli Crackers Brownie
Potato Crust. Fish Mashed Potatoes Brussels Sprouts Bread/Marg. Mandarin Orange
Minestrone Soup Chix. Salad Slider Succotash Peach Cup
Sausage Gravy over Biscuit Scrambled Eggs Roasted Rosemary Potatoes Fresh Fruit
We welcome Seniors to join our program and access daily nutritional meals while increasing your
Meals are prepared fresh daily in our Kitchen. Lunch site locations are open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. To make a reservation, please call the meal site director at your preferred location listed below. We look forward to serving you.
Meal Site Locations (Saint Joseph
Free Resources for Caregivers
Toll-Free Helpline
- FRI: 8:00AM - 4:30PM EST 1-888-303-0180
Faith St. Adalbert and St. Casimir churches merge after decades of unity
By MAKSYM HART Staff Writer
After more than 20 years of shared leadership, St. Adalbert and St. Casimir parishes in South Bend will officially merge into one parish with two churches on Sunday, July 1.
The consolidation, approved by Fort Wayne–South Bend Bishop Kevin Rhoades, comes as both communities continue to grow and integrate. Though often associated with closures, this merger reflects a vibrant and expanding congregation.
“Our goal is really to expand our facilities,” said Rev. Ryan Pietrocarlo, who has served as pastor for both parishes for over five years. “We want to keep being open to South Bend’s communities as a social center.”
St. Adalbert and St. Casimir have operated under one pastor since 2003, and the merger is largely seen as a formal recognition of the close relationship that already exists.
“We were already kind of living the reality of one parish,” Pietrocarlo said. “Parishioners would go back and forth between both churches all the time for Masses or for events. The decision was kind of more to formalize that reality.”
In addition to recognizing existing unity, the merger offers
practical benefits. The combined parish will operate with a single budget, one finance council and unified administrative systems.
“We want to combine our financials together ... be able to plan financially for the future, to be able to sustain both parishes, both churches, into the future,” Pietrocarlo said.
Despite merging into one parish, both church buildings will remain open and active.
“Closing either of the two churches is never a discussion,” Pietrocarlo emphasized. “We can keep moving forward, even stronger and in unity; we’re hoping this strengthens us for years to come.”
The congregation reflects a culturally diverse and youthful community, with strong Polish and Hispanic roots. The majority of parishioners today are Spanish-speaking, but both communities are growing.
“We have many, many communities that are here ... It’s a very diverse parish,” Pietrocarlo said. “Each church has an English Mass and a Spanish Mass each weekend.”
The church maintains Polish traditions and music in its liturgies and community life.
Pietrocarlo said the two cultures blend well.
“They have similar ideals with family life, faith, and the Blessed
date and page number you found it on. This will enter you for a chance to win a gift of $25.
Mother,” he said. “The two cultures really meet well together.”
The parish also plays an active role outside of liturgical life, offering citizenship classes, youth ministry, and health clinics in partnership with local organizations.
“Our school is pretty much full at this point. We have a lot of kids in our catechism program, our youth program as well,” Pietrocarlo said. “We’re a very young parish, which is very exciting.”
The merger becomes official Tuesday, July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Pietrocarlo said the parish hopes to mark the occasion with a small event alongside its annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.
“The last 20 years ... we’ve just been a large family,” he said. “So we’re excited to keep that going.”
Looking ahead, the parish plans to focus on youth ministry, adult faith formation, and maintaining its historic church buildings to ensure they continue serving South Bend’s west side for generations to come.
TWO PARISHES BECOME ONE Rev. Ryan Pietrocarlo, pastor for the St. Adalbert and St. Casimir parishes for the last five years, said the two will unify officially on Tuesday, July 1, though the two parishes have been unified in many ways already; the parishes have shared one pastor since 2003. Photo by Maksym Hart.
Patented technology to provide a healthier you
By ASEA Medical Professional Board
What Are Redox signaling molecules?Redox signaling molecules are produced within every cell in your body and act as either cellular messengers or cellular activators.
The activator molecules carry the messages that tell your cells to activate antioxidants stored in your body. Antioxidants are chemicals (both naturally occurring and man-made) that keep oxidative free radicals in check and prevent them from causing other cellular damage. However, antioxidants
don’t work unless activated by redox signaling molecules. Messenger molecules are responsible for enabling proper cell communication within your body to ensure optimal performance of the immune system. They also activate your body’s immune system to protect against bacteria, viruses, and infection.
Why Is Redox Signaling So Important?
Oxidative stress creates an imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidant systems in your body. An imbalance can be a result of several environmental factors such as
exposure to pollutants, infections, poor diet, toxins, and radiation. To counter this, your body utilizes redox signaling molecules to communicate and to help maintain a healthy balance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants.
(Online Entries Only) Entries Must Be In By Monday, June 13, 2025. Brought To You By
Your health depends on the balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses. As we age, and as stress and environmental toxins inundate our lives and weaken our defenses, normal cellular function declines, and with it, the body’s ability to produce and maintain a proper balance of redox signaling molecules. Through this process, these molecules support crucial immune system functions, as well as cell renewal and healing at every age, but our ability to utilize these molecules becomes less efficient as we age.
206 S. Main St. Milford, Indiana 46542
The winner of the I Spy Contest for May is Alan Patterson from Niles, Mich. The ‘Mother’s Day Gift’ image was located on page 7 in Senior Life Allen; page 2 in Senior Life Northwest; page 4 in Senior Life Elko and page 1 in Senior Life St. Joseph.
For many years, researchers have explored ways to supplement redox signaling molecules in your body to combat the effects of age, toxins, and environmental stress. ASEA has developed a patented technology that replicates these naturally occurring molecules outside of the body.
To learn more, call Ernie Chupp at (574) 773-9040 today.
OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP Paradigm Health has been named the overall winner of the USA TODAY 2025 Top Workplaces Leadership Award. Shown are Andrew Worsnick, left, CEO of Para digm Health, and Jessica Nagel, vice president of operations, Para digm Health. Photo provided by Paradigm Health.
Paradigm Health recognized for outstanding company leadership
Paradigm Health has been named the overall winner of the USA TODAY 2025 Top Workplaces Leadership Award. This national recognition underscores Paradigm Health’s unwavering commitment to fostering people-first culture that empowers its team members and enhances patient care.
Out of more than 100,000 organizations considered, only a select few were invited to the live award ceremony in Las Vegas, Nev. Paradigm Health emerged as the overall winner of the Top Leadership Award, a distinction based entirely on employee feedback collected throughout 2024. The annual rankings, conducted by Energage in partnership with USA TODAY, recognize organizations that exemplify exceptional leadership, culture and employee satisfaction.
“This award is a testament to our incredible team and the culture we’ve built together,” said Andrew Worsnick, CEO of Paradigm Health. “To our amazing employees — this is your award. Your dedication, passion and commitment to compassionate care make Paradigm Health a truly special place. Thank you for raising the bar every day!”
According to Paradigm Health Founder Jeff Jerecki, when the company was founded in 2013, it was started out to create an organization that would be built on a new ‘paradigm’ in which the goal was to be the employer of choice.
“We did so by talking about the culture we envisioned and then by valuing our team and its individual members every day,” he said. “We knew that if we hired the right people and went through exceptional measures to value them, that
we would have the right pieces in place to provide outstanding care and customer service as a health care provider.”
The Top Workplaces USA awards honor midsize and large organizations with at least 150 employees, including those with operations in multiple markets. For the 2025 survey, 2,251 companies participated, with winners determined solely by employee surveys measuring workplace culture, leadership, and engagement.
Paradigm Health joins an esteemed group of Top Leadership Award winners, recognized for its commitment to building strong, inspiring, and people-focused cultures including:
• Benjamin F. Edwards and Co.
• Paradigm Health.
• Sargent and Lundy.
• Tennessee comptroller of the treasury.
Paradigm Health remains dedicated to its mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care and this recognition further validates the organization’s leadership in the health care industry.
Paradigm Health is a leading provider of compassionate hospice and palliative care services, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for patients and their families. Founded in 2013, Paradigm Health was built on a people-first culture that prioritizes employee well-being, recognizing that exceptional care starts with a valued and empowered team. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization continues to set the standard in healthcare through its commitment to
and
excellence.
The short-lived great airships
By TOM MORROW Mature Life Features
In the 1930s, before sea-going aircraft carriers became the dominant weapons platform of the U.S. Navy, giant dirigible (Lighter-Than-Air) ships, also known as Zeppelins, operated on both coasts.
The rigid vessels served as mother ships for up to four small fighter/scout planes that were launched and harbored aboard the great helium-filled airships.
The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk was a light 1930s biplane fighter aircraft known as a parasite fighter designed to be deployed from a dirigible or bomber. It was launched primarily by the dirigibles USS Akron and USS Macon.
The concept of fixed-wing aircraft being carried and launched from dirigibles was developed during World War I by the British to to engage German LTA Zeppelins. The increasing use of airships by nations led to variations on the idea of using aircraft with them.
This was before the advent of radar. Their major use was for reconnaissance, extending the reach of the airship beyond the horizon, and to provide the airship with a degree of self-defense.
In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy began experimenting with its airships, initially using the German-built USS Los Angeles as a platform for testing the concept of the so-called parasite aircraft. The success of these tests led to the decision to build two new airships — the Akron and Macon — that were capable of accommodating an on-board air group of specially designed aircraft, which resulted in the Curtiss Sparrowhawk.
Although designed as a pursuit plane or fighter, the Sparrowhawk’s primary duty was reconnaissance. It was
chosen for service aboard the airships because of its small size, although its weight, handling, and downward visibility from the cockpit were not ideal.
The maximum capacity of the airship’s hangar was five aircraft, one in each hangar bay and one stored on the trapeze but the Akron’s two structural girders obstructed the aft two hangar bays, limiting her to a maximum complement of three Sparrowhawks. The Macon carried four airplanes.
The Sparrowhawk’s undercarriage was replaced with an external 30-gallon fuel tank, significantly increasing its range.
To achieve launching and recovery from the airship in flight, a skyhook system was developed. The Sparrowhawk had a hook mounted above its top wing that attached to the cross-bar of a trapeze mounted on the carrier airship. For launching, the biplane’s hook was engaged on the trapeze inside the airship’s internal hangar. The trapeze was lowered clear of the hull into the airship’s slipstream and, engine running, the Sparrowhawk would then disengage its hook and fall away from the airship.
For recovery, the biplane would fly underneath its mother ship, climb up from below, and hook onto the cross-bar.
More than one attempt might have to be made before a successful engagement was achieved, for example in gusty conditions.
Once the Sparrowhawk was caught, it could then be hoisted by the trapeze into the airship’s hull, the engine being cut as it passed the hangar door.
Pilots soon learned the technique and it was described as being much easier than landing on a moving, pitching and rolling aircraft carrier. To increase their scouting endurance while the airship was on over-water operations, the Sparrowhawks
would have their landing gear removed and replaced by a fuel tank. When the airship was returning to base, the biplanes’ landing gear would be replaced so that they could land independently again.
For much of their service with the airships, the Sparrowhawks’ effectiveness was greatly hampered by poor radio equipment and they were effectively limited to remaining within sight of the airship.
In 1934, new direction-finding sets and voice radios were fitted that allowed operations beyond visual range, exploiting the extended range offered by the extra fuel tanks and allowing the vulnerable mother ship to stay clear of trouble.
These Navy’s airships lasted from the late ‘20s until the 1960s.
While the use of the large dirigibles was short-lived, the smaller, three- and four-passenger- crew blimps that did not have a rigid airframe like the dirigibles served success-
SHORT-LIVED LIFE The USS Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of Tuesday, April 4, 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. The accident involved the greatest
fully as coastal patrol aircraft during World War II, sinking large numbers of German submarines while protecting Allied shipping on the Atlantic.
The three large Navy dirigibles airplane carriers, the USS
Los Angeles, the USS Akron, and the USS Macon, became a footnote in history with the advent of improved radio communications and introduction of radar.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2025
Prodding the past — Were they really ‘the good ‘ol days’?
By TOM MORROW Mature Life Features
Life was a lot simpler and slower back in the old days, we oldsters like to think and talk about.
Times certainly seemed to be a bit less hectic and more predictable back in the 40s, 50s and 60s.
The only real worries I had as a youngster were “the bomb” and “polio.”
In my part of the world — southern Iowa — television was something we read about in the newspapers. We didn’t get our first set until 1953, and then the only reliable output was a snowy screen. The nearest station was in Ames some 130 miles away. VHF signals, channels 2-13, were only reliable up to maybe 100 miles. Des Moines, the capital city, didn’t have a station until 1956.
For us kids, radio and the movie theater were the sources of entertainment. The movies were not first-run but radio had some really great programs to get your mind working. Kids listened to early morning news for school closures due to snow storms. We stayed glued to the radio before trudging off to school, hoping for a day of freedom from classroom drudgery. Back then, telephone party lines were commonplace, a good supply of coal was kept on hand
for heating, some of us had the luxury of an indoor toilet, but there was no air conditioner to get us through the summer.
For cars, new tires were relatively expensive, although re-treaded used tires were available for about half the price of manufactured new ones. You had to watch where you drove because pot holes could cause breaks in the tires. The new tubeless tires were especially prone to breakage. Inner-tube tires were pretty common up through the fifties and into the sixties.
In high school, I had a job at a Conoco service station and you can believe me when I say breaking a tire down off of a wheel was no easy feat.
When a customer drove up for gas, we not only had to pour the fuel for them but had to wash the windshield, check under the hood for the oil and tire pressure and, in the particular station where I worked, whiskbroom the floor mats. That was a lot of service for a few gallons of gasoline at 29 cents per, but the station owner didn’t care because I was working for him at 50 cents an hour while he stood by and smiled.
Radio programming was for us kids after school and Saturday morning. We rushed home from school to hear the latest adventures of “Straight Arrow,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Sergeant
Preston of the Yukon,” and “Sky King.” They were 15-minute serialized programs and every bit as exciting as those soap operas Mom had been listening to just a couple of hours earlier. A number of those after-school programs made the transition to 30-minute Saturday morning adventures alongside Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy.
We were given special privileges if we became club members. We got secret decoder rings after we ate two boxes of breakfast food and sent in the box tops with a dime in to complete the transaction.
More sophisticated programming such as “Dragnet,” “Johnny Dollar,” “Lux Playhouse,” “Sam Spade,” “The Whistler,” “You Bet Your Life” and the Fibber McGee, Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Groucho Marx shows were top listening fare. We shared the night with Mom and Dad after news commentary by H.V. Kaltenborn.
Our appetites for cowboy shoot-em-ups were stoked by old — and I mean really old — films from the ‘30 starring the likes of Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, Harry Carey, Tom Mix, and a young John Wayne when he was known as Singing Sandy or one of the Three Mesquiteers.
Red Ryder and the Durango Kid came Friday and Saturday nights to the Lyric Theater. Red was played by “Wild Bill” Elliott.
Charles Starrett, as the Durango Kid, always seemed to have his great white stallion in a cave close by to give chase to the bad guys.
Looking back, I guess we could say the good ‘ol days really were pretty good to us after all.
Mature
More Hoosiers facing Alzheimer’s diagnoses as caregiver costs rise
By TERRI DEE Indiana News Service
A new study showed costs are rising for caring for Hoosiers with Alzheimer’s disease and forms of dementia.
The report indicated nearly 122,000 residents age 65 and older are living with the health conditions. This year’s Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report showed Indiana has 219,000 unpaid family caregivers, who cost the state almost $7 billion annually.
Natalie Sutton, executive director of the Greater Indiana chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, said knowing the difference between the two disorders is important for an accurate diagnosis.
“Dementia is an umbrella term that represents a set of symptoms that are known with cognitive impairment, memory loss, and ultimately an impact on activities of daily living,” Sutton explained. “Alzheimer’s disease
is a progressive brain disease that is the most significant cause of someone developing dementia, or those symptoms that we know.”
The timing of a diagnosis can influence the quality of life for someone with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia symptoms, which can be present in the brain for years prior to detection. Alzheimer’s and dementia are unique and personal illnesses, Sutton pointed out, so the frequency and type of care provided should be tailored to a patient’s needs.
Forgetting what day it is or misplacing routinely used items are often mistaken for general age-related changes instead of Alzheimer’s or dementia. The report found almost four of five Americans would want to know if they have the disease before symptoms surface due to concerns over how a diagnosis could affect daily activities. Sutton noted science is addressing the concerns.
SIGNS OF ALZHEIMER’S Memory, language, and thinking problems are the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, followed by changes in a patient’s personality or behavior, such as apathy, confusion and increased suspicion and fear. Photo from Adobe Stock.
“We can detect and diagnose Alzheimer’s with biomarkers like imaging and cerebral spinal fluid, and there are blood tests now that are being used in research settings that are proven to be
highly effective,” Sutton outlined.
In 2024, Indiana passed a bill requiring insurance companies to cover biomarker testing. Sutton added two Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s are covered by most insurance companies and Medicare.
A 24/7 resource helpline is available at (800) 272-3900.
Assisted Living, nursing And rehAbiLitAtion guide
Aperion Care - Arbors Michigan City
1101 E. Coolspring Avenue, Michigan City, IN 46360 (219) 874-5211 • www.aperioncare.com
Short Term Rehab, Long Term Care, On-Site Therapy 7 Days A Week, Orthopedic Rehab, Post-Stroke Rehab, Nurse Practitioner Oversight, Wound Care, Respiratory Care, IV Therapy, Cardiac Rehab, Newly Remodeled Communities, Memory Care
Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame
54515 933 N., P.O. Box 706, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (574) 287-1838 • www.holycrossvillage.com
Dujarie House, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Respite Care, Rehabilitation Unit, Alzheimer’s Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Intermediate Care, Therapies: Speech-Occupational-Physical, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Residential Apartments
Hubbard Hill Retirement Community
28070 CR 24 ., Elkhart, IN 46517 (574) 295-6260 • www.hubbardhill.org
Rehabilitation, Healthcare, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Maintenance Free Homes, Licensed, Locally Owned, Non-Profit, Faith Based, Physical, Occupational, Speech Therapies, Memory Care Support Group, Pet Friendly, There’s No Place Like Hubbard Hill
Majestic Care of South Bend
52654 N. Ironwood Road, South Bend, IN 46635 (574) 277-8710 • www.Majesticcare.com
Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Intermediate Care, Therapies: Speech-Occupational- Respiratory-Physical, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Medicare and/or Medicaid
475 North Niles Avenue, South Bend, IN 46617 (574) 246-4123 • www.morningview-alf.com
Compassionate and trained caregivers on staff 24-hours per day. Accepting Medicaid waiver. Secure units. Assistance with activities of daily living. Daily life enrichment activities. Nutritional and dietary support.
Primrose Retirement Community of Mishawaka 820 Fulmer Road, Mishawaka, IN 46544 (574) 259-3211 • primroseretirement.com
Our spacious independent and assisted living apartments offer something to retire to not just something to retire from. Residents at Primrose enjoy a healthy and active living environment.
Riveridge Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
Tanglewood
1333 Wells Street, Niles, MI 49120 (269) 684-1111 • www.riveridgerehab.com
Riveridge Rehab in Niles, Michigan, offers newly renovated rehab units with 4 private suites. Additionally, we have a locked memory care unit with multi-sensory room.
316 Woodies Lane, Bremen, IN 46506 (574) 546-3494 • SHCofBremen.com liaison2.bremen@signaturehealthcarellc.com
Our Gated Community is a smaller, dedicated unit for comfort and safety for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Residents. We offer Enhanced Quality of Life Programming which includes cognitive strengths, life skills, daily movement, power of music, artistic expression, creativity and socialization.
Trace Senior Living
530 Tanglewood Lane, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 277-4310
www.tanglewoodtraceseniorliving.com
Offering Retirement Villas, Independent and Licensed Assisted Living, Therapy Services, Respite Care, Social and Recreational Activities, Pets Welcome, Transportation, Beauty Shop and Spa Services Available.
Miller’s Senior Living
303 N. Washington Street, Wakarusa IN 46573 (574) 862-1918
admissions@watersofwakarusaALF.com Independent/Assisted Living. Private studio/1bed/2bed apartments. Home-like family-oriented environment. Family-style dining. Daily activities. Transportation available. 24-hour care-givers. Pet friendly. Out-patient therapy available. Come for tour today.
AGING & HEALTH RESOURCES
REAL SERVICES, INC.
1151 South Michigan Street
Phone (574) 233-8205
www.realservices.org
Provides services to empower our community to live with independence, dignity, and strength. Call us to learn more.
See Our Ad In This Issue
AGING CONNECTIONS
Serving Northern IN & Southwest MI
A free online directory for aging & wellness resources. Our members offer a wide variety of services and information for your specific needs. www.agingconnections.org
Hover over Chapters on the navigation bar, then select your area and click directory.
Aging Connections is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
ALZHEIMERS/MEMORY CARE
NORTH WOODS VILLAGE
AT EDISON LAKES
1409 E. Day Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 247-1866
www.northwoodsmemorycare.com
See Our Ad
ALZHEIMERS/MEMORY CARE
SIGNATURE HealthCARE OF BREMEN
316 Woodies Lane Bremen, IN 46506 (574) 546-3494
SHCofBremen.com
liaison2.bremen@signaturehealthcarellc.com
Our Gated Community is a smaller, dedicated unit for comfort and safety for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Residents. We offer Enhanced Quality of Life Programming which includes cognitive strengths, life skills, daily movement, power of music, artistic expression, creativity and socialization.
CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
HAMILTON GROVE
31869 Chicago Trail
New Carlisle, IN 46552 (574) 654-2200
Greencroft.org/HamiltonGrove
SOUTHFIELD VILLAGE
6450 Miami Circle
South Bend, IN 46614 (574) 231-1000
Greencroft.org/SouthfieldVillage
Hamilton Grove and Southfield Village provide a full continuum of care-assisted living, rehabilitation, and long-term care.
DAY CENTER
SAINT JOSEPH PACE
250 East Day Rd. Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 247-8700
saintjosephPACE@trinity-health.org Helping seniors live safely at home. PACE’s main objective is to keep seniors out of nursing homes.
FOOT CARE
FOOT SOLUTIONS
323 Florence Ave., Granger, IN 46530 (574) 272-3668
granger@footsolutions.com
Better Health Through Your Feet! Solutions for Plantar Facitis Morton’s Neuroma, bunions, morton’s neuroma, sore knees, sore ankles and more. Call for your FREE foot analysis.
HEALTHCARE
HealthLinc
Multiple locations throughout Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke and St. Joe Counties (888) 580-1060
healthlincchc.org
Providing quality medical, dental, optical, behavioral health, pharmacy, podiatry, chiropractic and much more.
NIHC - NORTHERN INDIANA HEARING CENTER
2406 Mishawaka Ave., South Bend, IN 46615 (574) 383-5595
Willow Creek Office Center 3179 Willow Creek Road, Portage, IN 46368
Starting
$895
HOME CARE SERVICES
310 N. Ironwood Dr.
South Bend, IN 46615 (574) 232-8487
www.abc-michiana.com
COMFORT KEEPERS
6910 N. Main St., Ste. 3, Unit 47 Granger, IN 46530 (574) 277-4121, (574) 327-6123
www.southbendin.comfortkeepers.com
Providing Compassionate Senior Home Care & Home Assistance In Northern Indiana Region. Includes personal care, respite care, transitioning home care and more. Indiana Medicaid, VA Provider, long term insurance and private pay.
HOME INSTEAD
3025 Grape Rd. Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 256-1479
www.homeinstead.com/343
From companionship to transportation to loving care, to us it’s personal.
HOME CARE SERVICES
VILLAGE CAREGIVING
2515 N. Bendix Dr., Ste. 201 South Bend, IN 46628 (574) 931-0712
villagecaregiving.com
Nations Largest Privately Owned And Operated Home Care Agency. VA Provider. We Accept A Variety Of Payment Options. Call Today!
VISITING ANGELS OF MICHIANA 3840 Edison Lakes Parkway Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 323-6756
jfinnessy@visitingangels.com
Nonmedical services include: Customized Memory Care Program, Housekeeping, Transportation, Bathing, Dressing, Transferring, Companionship, Meals, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care. We are a VA Provider.“We’re Here for You — Always!”
HOME HEALTHCARE AGENCY
NORACARE
1251 N. Eddy Street, Suite 200 South Bend, IN 46617 (574) 222-5992 info@noracare.us www.noracare.us
Access experienced health professionals to support your home healthcare needs at affordable rates. We accept long-term care insurance.
CARING COVE HOSPICE
3120 N. Home St. Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 855-3017
www.caringcovehospice.com/
We’re here to help by providing personalized exceptional hospice care. Serving St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall and Laporte counties.
Comfort 1 Hospice
118 W. Edison Rd., Suite 200 Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 387-4117
www.Comfort1Hospice.com
Our homegrown team of local health care providers offer comfort and compassion to those with life-limiting illnesses in our community. We Can Help!
PARADIGM HEALTH
3625 Park Place West, Suite 200 Mishawaka, IN 46545 (574) 332-8320
MyParadigmHealth.com
Honoring life’s journey with expert hospice and pallative care services. Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for our patients and their families. Exceptional end-of-life care is provided by our valued and empowered team. Hoosiers Caring for Hoosiers.
IN-HOME CARE
SENIOR HELPERS 230 W. Catalpa, Ste. B Mishawaka, IN 46544 (574) 968-1068
https://www.seniorhelpers.com/in/southbend/ South Bend’s Premier Service Provider of Personalized In-Home Senior Care. Our mission is to provide reliable senior care throughout our community. We will visit you or your loved one where you ARE. Call TODAY for more information.
www.northshorehealth.org
MEMORY CARE
CHAPTERS LIVING OF SOUTH BEND 955 N. Hickory Road South Bend, IN 46615 (574) 314-5369
chapterssouthbend.com
Memory Care Community where your loved ones can live. Not just exist! Start your next chapter. Call Today!
REDOXGold
Ernie Chupp 26659 CR 54 Nappanee, IN 46550 (574) 773-9404
realredoxresults.com (password: redox)
In Pain? Experience immediate, targeted relief and recovery. Relieves ailments like joint discomfort, kidney problems, depression, migraines, fatigue, cholesterol, allergies, auto-immune and more.
PAIN RELIEF
If you didn’t already know it, New Orleans is a city that embraces eccentricities. It’s well known for its gaudy parades,
its outlandish night life, its passion for jazz and its eclectic culinary tastes. The Crescent City, which turned 300 years
is
old in 2017, was first in the country to have opera and first to have theater. Now it’s got a huge, bona fide World War II museum occupying several blocks in five buildings.
ESCAPES
Text and Photos
By ROD KING
And it’s growing. The 34,800-square-foot Hall of Democracy has opened, along with a new hotel and conference center and in 2020 the Freedom Pavilion, which focuses on
in
the years immediately after the war opened. The place, which is considered by Congress as the “official” WWII museum of the United States, is just plain big. One will be doing well to fully cover it in several days. Formerly known as the D-Day Museum, the National World War II Museum was founded by historian, Stephen Ambrose, writer of the “Band of Brothers” book and TV series. It offers a self-directed exploration that takes visitors through exhibits highlighting the role of world leaders at the time, the military brass and front-line doughboys to everyday men and women whose contributions helped win the war, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
After getting tickets, be sure to catch the next showing of the Tom Hanks-produced and narrated “Beyond All Boundaries” interactive theater presentation. It will literally have you on the edge of your seat. It begins with what appear to be live actors in civilian clothes of the 1940s coming into view. As they cross the stage, they’re suddenly in uniform and headed for war.
When German Tiger tanks rumble into the Kassarine Pass, you’ll feel your seat vibrating, you’ll see snow falling at the Battle of the Bulge and you’ll see steam rising from the jungles of Guadalcanal. A concentration camp guard tower rises from the depths of Continued on page 19
visitors can take a look into the cramped nose of a B-25 bomber at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM — New Orleans is home to the National World War II Museum, which was founded by Stephen Ambrose, writer of the “Band of Brothers.” The huge museum, which
housed
five buildings covering several city blocks, has become the Crescent City’s top tourist attraction.
National World War II
Continued from page 18
the theater to highlight the Holocaust. You experience the war as if you were in the middle of it right up to the point when there’s a bright white flash and a thunderous roar as atomic bombs decimate two Japanese cities.
The amazing presentation closes with a few of the original people who opened the show coming back on stage. It’s extremely emotional and leaves the audience in awe.
RECRUITING POSTER —
Uncle Sam enticed young men and women to enlist in the armed services to fight against the Axis powers in World War II.
Unlike many war museums that display row after row of trucks, tanks and weapons, you wander from vignette to vignette to hear personal experiences in a war setting. Trace the European and Pacific campaigns through separate facilities. In the Boeing Center, war planes are suspended from the ceiling and you can look inside the nose of a B-25 bomber.
Each visitor gets a plastic dog tag (credit card size) that
can be used to follow a specific soldier through the war. Dog tag stations throughout the museum can be activated to learn more about your particular individual.
Check into the special entertainment scheduled for BB’s Stage Door Canteen where one can dance to live big band music or listen to the Victory Bells female trio singing songs from the war era.
Visit nationalww2museum. org for more information.
Family Fun Tours
May 10, 2025 - Tulip Festival
May 24, 2025 - Fort Wayne Zoo
Family Fun Tours
May 27-29, 2025 - The Ark Encounter & Creation Museum
May 10, 2025 - Tulip Festival
June 14, 2025 - Indy Zoo
May 24, 2025 - Fort Wayne Zoo
June 21, 2025 - Dayton Air Show
Diamond Tours
Diamond Tours
June 14, 2025 - Indy Zoo
May 27-29, 2025 - The Ark Encounter & Creation Museum
July 4-5, 2025 - Horse Progress Days
June 9-13, 2025 - Niagara Falls & Toronto
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, June 14 • 9am-2pm Rain or Shine!
September 21-27, 2025 - Beautiful
June 14, 2025 - Indy Zoo
July 5, 2025 - Columbus Zoo
June 21, 2025 - Dayton Air Show July 4-5, 2025 - Horse Progress Days July 5, 2025 - Columbus Zoo
July 12, 2025 - Air Zoo
June 21, 2025 - Dayton Air Show July 4-5, 2025 - Horse Progress Days July 5, 2025 - Columbus Zoo
July 19, 2025 - Peru Circus
August 4-9, 2025 - Beautiful Branson
September 21-27, 2025 - Beautiful Vermont
July 12, 2025 - Air Zoo
July 19, 2025 - Peru Circus
October 11-19, 2025 - Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, FL
July 12, 2025 - Air Zoo
August 16, 2025 - Chicago Air Show
August 16, 2025 - Chicago Air Show
July 19, 2025 - Peru Circus
August 23, 2025 - Toledo Zoo
August 16, 2025 - Chicago Air Show
August 23, 2025 - Toledo Zoo
September 13, 2025 - Fair Oaks Farms
August 23, 2025 - Toledo Zoo
November 3-7, 2025 - Nashville Show Trip
September 13, 2025 - Fair Oaks Farms
September 27, 2025 - Brookfield Zoo
September 13, 2025 - Fair Oaks Farms
December 7-12, 2025 - Charleston, South Carolina
September 27, 2025 - Brookfield Zoo
September 27, 2025 - Brookfield Zoo
Diamond Tours
June 9-13, 2025
June 9-13, 2025 - Niagara Falls & Toronto
Niagara Falls & Toronto
August 4-9, 2025 - Beautiful Branson
August 4-9, 2025 - Beautiful Branson
September 21-27, 2025 - Beautiful Vermont
September 21-27 - Beautiful Vermont
October 11-19, 2025 - Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, FL
October 11-19, 2025 - Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, FL
November 3-7, 2025
November 3-7, 2025 - Nashville Show Trip
Nashville Show Trip
December 7-12, 2025
December 7-12, 2025 - Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
August 4-9, 2025 - Beautiful Branson
October 11-19, 2025 - Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, FL
December 7-12, 2025 - Charleston, South Carolina Meal and ice cream to be provided. Sign up for chance to win Giveaway!
November 3-7, 2025 - Nashville Show Trip
PACIFIC LANDING Beach landing on one of the Pacific islands highlights the intense resistance US forces faced in rooting out Japanese fighters.
ROSIE THE RIVETER TEES On sale in the museum gift shop are T-shirts memorializing the effort of women who went to work to produce the planes, tanks and weapons needed to supply the war effort.
SAND-BAGGED BUNKER — This vignette demonstrates how soldiers lived and protected themselves while trying to defeat the Axis powers in Europe.
Our top social media pages
By MONA HARTER District Manager, South Bend Social Security Office
We strive to provide the public with accurate and helpful information. In addition to the resources available on our website at ssa.gov, we post useful information on our social media channels. We invite you to learn about our programs and services on our social media pages:
Our Social Security Blog
Here we post articles about our program, current events, and online services. We respond to general questions and comments people share. You can read our articles and subscribe at blog.ssa.gov. Our blog is now available in Spanish at blog.ssa.gov/es.
Facebook — facebook.com/
socialsecurity. Facebook is our primary page for sharing information about our programs and services with our vast network of followers and advocacy groups.
Administración del Seguro Social — facebook. com/segurosocial. Our Spanish Facebook page shares information about our programs and services.
X — x.com/socialsecurity. @ SocialSecurity is our official account. This page to provide timely information and updates about our programs and services with our followers and advocacy groups.
Seguro Social — x.com/ segurosocial. On this page we share information about our programs and services in Spanish.
Instagram — instagram.
com/SocialSecurity. On this page we share stories and resources that can help you and your loved ones. YouTube — youtube.com/ SocialSecurity. We have many informative videos on this page.Our videos cover online services, applying for retirement and disability benefits, Social Security-related scams, and much more.We also offer some of our videos in Spanish and other languages.
You can find a full list of our social media channels at ssa. gov/socialmedia. Connect with us on social media to learn helpful information and ask general questions. But remember, you should never post personal information on social media. Follow along and share our pages with friends, neighbors, or loved ones today.
Copy documents to cope with crisis
By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features
When disaster strikes, you’re going to need vital documents to file insurance claims, renew your driver’s license, and reestablish lines of credit as well as replace destroyed credit cards.
It can be a flood, hurricane, earthquake or electrical malfunction that damages or destroys your home. If you don’t have a kit prepared already to help you recoup from any such emergency, start putting one together now.
Begin with your birth
certificate. And your Social Security and Medicare identity cards, driver’s license and passport.
Make a copy of everything. You can store the original documents and records in a secure place, such as a safety deposit box, and one copy can be kept at home and another given to a member of your family for safekeeping.
Modern technology allows you to keep a copy in the internet cloud or you can make copies on several computer thumb drives.
Now take an inventory of everything on the property, from the linoleum on your floor to the lawn mower out in the garage. Take a photo of everything. Use you cell phone or get yourself a camera. When everything has
been copied in your phone, you can download it all into a couple of thumb drives that you can store in handy and safe places.
Log the serial numbers of your stove, fridge, television set, computer, wrist watch and anything else you think of as you compile your data. If you’ve been assiduous enough to keep the manuals, warranty material and receipts that came with your purchases, gather those and copy pertinent pages. As you make major purchases, copy those papers to keep your inventory updated.
You might want to have expensive heirlooms, jewelry, art and antiques appraised after you photograph them.
While you take photographs of your goods, take
pictures of the interior and exterior of your home to record its condition.
Now review what you have and make sure your emergency package includes all your insurance policies and, if possible, the contact information for the agents who sold them to you. You also need the title, deeds and ownership papers for your home and automobile along with any mortgage papers.
Also valuable are the originals and copies of your estate plan, will, and power-of-attorney documents.
All this becomes vital in the aftermath of a disaster to prove your ownership because crooks feed on such chaotic conditions to rush in and make claims that you might have to disprove.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2025
Make downsizing profitable
By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features
You can brighten your view of leaving the family homestead and abandoning some of your stuff by thinking of the money you can make selling it.
Not only should you be able to buy a new residence but there should be plenty of extra cash to add to your retirement
nest egg. An estate sale of the extra household goods — beds, living room furniture, dinnerware, tools — can add to your new-found wealth and invested. So can the proceeds from the sale of the second car. A bit of foresight will smooth the bumps.
First off, if you plan to move to another part of the city or country, visit the area and
make yourself aware of the changes in weather, taxes, traffic and lifestyle you’ll be living with for the rest of your life. Then look at home prices in your community to see how much you expect to get for your property. And compare this with the price of a new house or apartment you’d like to move into after selling your home.
Mature Life Features Copyright 2025
