Michelle Just, President and CEO, kicked off the Town Hall meeting at 2:15PM by showing video of the Executive Team participating in “Kar Karaoke” with a Halloween theme and to the tune of “Monster Mash”. The video was enjoyed by all! Assisted Living and Early Memory support have been challenged to provide the next video. Many staff members and residents were wearing their orange Beatitudes shirts as they participated in the Arizona Leading Age Senior Fitness Challenge. Michelle and Rev. David W. Ragan, Sr. VP of Resident Services, also took part and residents were privileged to see a video of Michelle performing several fitness tests with flair and finesse. Michelle also announced that the Power of the Purse raised approximately $222,000 for the Resident Assistance Fund and for resident programming. The money raised was a record amount and the number of sponsors was also a record. Over 700 purses were donated and over 350 people attended. The Power of the Purse event is quite different from the general type of fundraisers and provides another opportunity to introduce the campus to others. Michelle thanked residents for their participation and also offered a big thank you to Dining Services and other staff members who worked very hard to make the day so memorable. Michelle asked residents to participate in the Holleran 2018 Resident Engagement Study. Surveys should be out on Friday, the 9th and results from the survey are shared with the Board, Executive Team and Program Managers. It is very important that the surveys are filled out and returned. Michelle offered a thank you to all the veterans for their service and concluded with “God Bless Everyone”.
David Ragan welcomed residents and asked them to invite their new neighbors to come and participate also. There were three or four residents at the meeting for the first time. He noted that the Welcome Coffee is held the fourth Wednesday of each month at 2:00PM in the Life Center (Nov. 28th this month). It is inspiring to attend and to hear new residents tell why they have chosen this community.
Residents Council President, Barbara Carpenter, reported on the October Council Meeting. David Ragan announced that groundbreaking for the new Patio Homes should be some time in Nov., and he thanked those who attended a meeting with our new neighbors. The neighbors seemed positive and happy about the expansion. Community Chairperson, Gene Lefebvre, reported that a number of local churches are supporting Maryland School with tutors and supplies. Communications Committee Chairman, Bill Chase, reported that DirecTV is being installed throughout campus and Cox will not be available after October 31st. Other campus communications projects include a “yellow pages” directory of services and support of the HUB project. Health and Wellness Chairperson, Ruth Crowley, promoted a workshop on blood pressure and announced there would be a seminar on Pain Management in Nov.. Marge O'Horo, Life Enrichment Chairperson, reported on the many activities for residents. She urged everyone to CHECK their Roadrunner carefully so as not to miss any events. Spiritual Life Chairman, Paul Kelly, said that more than 40 residents attended the first annual retreat in September. Welcome Committee Chairwoman, Char Telleen, said that 13 new residents have been welcomed this month. Senior Area Representative Karen Shannon of CPW and Martha Trout of CPN reported about the things happening in their buildings and events coming up. New folders have been placed in each lobby containing minutes and reports from the last Residents Council meeting—please take out and read, replace, and do not remove from your lobby. New building representatives will be seated at the December Council meeting. The next Residents Council meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 14th at 2:00PM in the Life Center. Good ideas are those that are shared! The 2019 Residents Council Area Representatives are: Plaza North—Harry Oakes, Senior Rep and Elaine Kinnerk, Junior Rep; Plaza South—Janet Shaw, Senior Rep and Bonny Hoffman, Junior Rep; CPN and Patio Homes—Jan Upson, Senior Rep and Phil Adelman, Junior Rep; CPS—Palmer Ruschke, Senior Rep and Lois Elliott, Junior Rep; CPW—Karen Shannon, Senior Rep and Gary Gross, Junior Rep.
David announced a SOURCES AND USES (income and outgo) meeting for those interested in the financials of Beatitudes Campus is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 28th at 10:00AM in the Life Center. Michelle Just and Allen Bloch, Sr. VP and Chief Financial Officer, in the interest of transparency, will talk about where Beatitudes is financially at this time. Watch your Roadrunner for more about it!
Rev. Peggy Roberts, Sr. VP of Spiritual Life, announced that we now have a quiet place that residents can come to for meditation, to engage the senses, prayer, respite, or just for quiet. It is located off the front (closest to Glendale Avenue) of the Life Center. There will be reading materials and prayer shawls available. The hours that the room will be open are being worked out, but it certainly will be open whenever Spiritual Life staff are on campus.
Jessica Meyer, Director of Success Matters, said that there are a few spaces available for the AARP Driver Safety Course being held Nov. 8th from 9AM to 1:30PM in Agelink Great Room. Jessica also said that there are spots available for the diabetes Self-Management classes which begin on Nov. 8th and continue for six weeks on Thursdays in Agelink 1 from 9—11AM, excepting Thanksgiving Day. Family and friends from off campus are welcome to attend the classes. Call Jessica at x16110 to sign up.
Ruth Crowley, Health and Wellness Committee Chairwoman, invited residents to attend a seminar on Pain Management Alternative to Opioids to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 2:00PM in the Life Center. Ruth noted that we are fortunate to have Dr. Cheri Dersam, MD and Courtney Ramos, OTS here to discuss pain management alternatives such as acupuncture, medical marijuana, therapies, exercise and other interventions. Dr. Dersam is the daughter of campus resident, Bill McGrue.
Mr. Variety, Dining Services Director, Joe Kane, discussed the variety in the dining menus. He said residents should look for the NEW logo on the menu to discover new items. The full menu is in the Roadrunner each week. Dining Services tries to focus on what residents want to eat and trends in the industry. The Creative Station will have cooked Sushi [this] week so give it a try! Elaine's Fine Dining will be the next to introduce the new menu and Buckwald's will be coming soon. Joe mentioned that servers are asking residents if their food is hot when served, in an effort to eliminate cold food. If the food is not hot, send it back!
Didi Cruz, Life Enrichment Specialist, was surprised to see a picture on the overhead of her and her husband, J.C. Cruz, taken at his graduation from basic training in Fort Benning, GA. J.C. is a former Security employee at the Beatitudes. Didi mentioned lunch trips planned to Spinato's Pizzeria on Friday, Nov. 16th, Olive Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 20th, a trip to Harkins Theatres with lunch at Ono Hawaiian BBQ on Tuesday, Nov. 27th and a Tovrea Castle Tour on Friday, Nov. 30th at 7:45 a.m. Boarding passes for this trip are available at the Welcome Center for $15, and be aware that there is a lot of walking involved. A campus Craft Sale will be held in the Life Center on December 10th. This is an opportunity for folks who create handmade items to sell them to residents and staff in time for the Holiday Season. Residents keep all profits aside from a $20 table fee which will be donated to the Busy Bee Fund. Didi also said that a group of students from Camelback High School are coming to campus to do interviews with our residents on Monday, Nov. 26th from 10 to 11AM in the Life Center. If you are available and interested in being interviewed , please let Didi know at x18526.
Monica De La Rosa, Life Enrichment Specialist, noted that there will be a volunteer orientation session on Monday, Nov. 12th at 11:15 a.m. in the Administration Conference Room. If you are interesting in volunteering for carecorps, give Monica a call at x18526. Monica also detailed the many things that are going on to celebrate Veterans Week. Monday was a Sunnyslope Card Presentation and the movie, “Maya Lin: A strong clear vision”; Tuesday was a trip to the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Base; Wednesday residents had an opportunity to lunch with Airmen from Luke Air Force Base; Thursday was the Veterans Ball with dinner and a 12 piece band and open dancing; Friday, Veterans were invited to attend the Veterans service held at Maryland School as well as patriotic favorites played at happy hour; Saturday featured the Sunnyslope Choir; and Sunday a worship service honoring our Veterans.
Mike Smallwood, Fitness Specialist, said that while the Beatitudes Senior Challenge participants did not win any of the events, everyone had a fun time. Mike thanked Gregory's Fresh Food for donating beautiful red apples to the event. The swimming pool will be open on Nov. 8th, for swim classes on the 9th and thereafter. He offered a quick reminder that Tai Chi Class with Carol Ann is held every Tuesday at 11AM and on Thursday at 11:45AM in Agelink 1. The B-Fit winner for October is Robert Berry.
David said that Direct TV has now been installed throughout the Campus. Some DVR's do still need to be installed. Residents should have canceled any personal accounts that they may have had with Cox. If Cox tries to charge residents for the little white boxes, they are in error. Do not pay them as the Beatitudes will be returning all the little white boxes on Nov. 15th. If you have any problems with your Direct TV or Wi-Fi, put in a work order to Information Technology as the Campus Direct TV account is a commercial one and you will not be able to obtain any information by calling Direct TV. The Community Channel is still not available but Direct TV is working on getting that problem solved and it should be active by Nov. 30th. A few copies of the Arizona Republic are available for purchase in the Bistro. More will be added if there is a need for them. Remember the Hootenany takes place each Wednesday evening in the Life Center beginning at 5:45PM It is a wonderful free event to invite your new neighbors to attend with you. Also, the third Community Wednesday is Sundaes with Dave and will be on Wednesday, Nov. 21st from 2 to 4PM in the Bistro. Come enjoy a free sundae and bring your concerns or joys to Dave. As always, a heartfelt thank you is given to Gregory's Fresh Market for bringing fresh produce for our residents to purchase and enjoy.
The next Town Hall will be held on Wednesday, December 7th at 2:00PM in the Life Center. A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.*
Get involved!
Comments