LSSM

Help us Feed 1,000 Kids

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:59:00 -0400

By Courney Farrugia, Marketing Intern

MapleCreek is partnering with Kids’ Food Basket (KFB) to fight against childhood hunger in Michigan. KFB helps solve this problem by providing children with nutritious meals throughout the day.

KFB is making sure that lunch is not the last meal that children have in a day. KFB provides children with Sack Suppers at school to be taken home. The Sack Suppers include a nutritious dinner while including all five-food groups.

It takes a lot of help from volunteers to prepare these meals and that’s where MapleCreek comes in to help. MapleCreek is trying to accomplish the goal of gathering enough items to feed 1,000 kids in the Grand Rapids area.

“We are very passionate about giving back to this cause,” said Jay Prince, executive director of MapleCreek. “Teaming up with Kid’s Food Basket allows us to help those in need right here in our community.”

They will be collecting the items until April 26 and then they will putting together 1,000 lunches to help prevent childhood hunger in the area.

MapleCreek's Bible study purchases a goat

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:48:00 -0400

Written by Courtney Farrugia, Marketing Intern

MapleCreek residents are raising money and supporting the non-profit organization, Heifer International to purchase a gift for those less fortunate.

The idea was sparked at a weekly Bible study led by MapleCreek’s chaplain, Rebecca Ebb-Speese.

“We had been discussing on how we can give back,” stated MapleCreek resident Dorothy Kelling, “then one day I finally just stood up and suggested we come up with an idea.”

The group wanted to support some type of mission but was not sure which one. Ebb-Speese helped the group find a mission by giving them catalogs with charities they could support. They found the Heifer International program the most applying.

Members of the bible study then started raising money by taking up weekly donations. They ended up raising enough before Christmas to purchase a goat. Heifer International will send the goat to a third world country were it will help support a whole village.

The bible study is starting to take up another collection in order to save up for pig.

MapleCreek honors Martin Luther King Jr. with "Celebrating Diversity through the Arts"

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:31:00 -0400

MapleCreek Senior Living in Grand Rapids honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an event, “Celebrating Diversity through the Arts” on January 21, 2013.

The day started with a visual art display - residents and families contributed art that they either created themselves or was special to them in some way. Visitors and residents found this display very interesting - as it included pieces from the Netherlands, Djibouti, Africa, Japan as well assome beautiful hand-made pieces.

The program included musical performances and a panel of experts from Grand Rapids-area hospitals.

Two speakers spoke about what their organization is doing to promote inclusion and diversity; Frank Grant, HR Center of Expertise-System Inclusion & Diversity for Spectrum Health and Bradford Mathis, Director of Community Benefits, Integration and Health Care for St. Mary’s. Eric Foster, Inclusion and Diversity consultant was the emcee for the event.

"We hold this event because it allows us to celebrate how art and diversity play an important role not only in our everyday life at MapleCreek, but also within the Grand Rapids community,” said Jay Prince, executive director for MapleCreek. “We are excited to have Frank, Eric and Bradford speak about how they are promoting diversity in our local hospitals.”

For those who braved the blizzard outside to attend this event, the day was heartwarming.

Maple Creek is a MOMBA Award finalist - Place Your Vote!

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:24:00 -0400

MapleCreek has been nominated a MOMBA award for the ‘Judge’s Choice’ category for their television commercials.

The MOMBA Awards recognize the best marketing achievements by senior living communities worldwide in 10 unique categories.

Nearly 200 entries were received from senior living communities across North America, as well as South America, and Asia. Nominees were selected by a team of expert judges, and now, the general public will vote and determine the winners. Winners are determined by the highest average scores they receive at http://www.retirementhomes.com/momba.

There is no cost to vote, and everyone can vote once per day, until the September 28 deadline, so if we can get more votes than our competitors, than we have a better chance of winning.

I would urge you to vote every day – and here’s how:

Visit RetirementHomes.com/MOMBA
Click on “Click Here to Vote Now”
Find MapleCreek near the bottom in the “Judge’s Choice” category
To vote for us, click on the 5th penguin because that will give MapleCreek the highest score.

Each person can vote once per day, so, bookmark this page and vote every day until the deadline on September 28. The entry in each category with the highest score will win. Winners will be announced soon after voting ends, and awards will be given out during the Leading Age conference in Denver, Colorado in October.

MapleCreek Residents send backpacks to foster care students

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:05:00 -0400

On August 15, 13 residents from The Lodge at MapleCreek packed backpacks to give to school-aged kids in Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM) Foster Care in Grand Rapids.

The backpacks were full of supplies including pens, pencils, pencil boxes, folders, notebooks, scissors, glue sticks and bottles, coloring supplies, rulers, snack packs, tote bags and a small piece of advice from the residents "Do your best at whatever you do!"

"The residents wanted to do something to reach out to others," said Christa Schwarz, activity director at the Lodge at MapleCreek. "Our goal was to have enough supplies to provide bags for 50 foster children, and we're happy to say we exceeded that goal."

Items were donated by MapleCreek family and staff as well as by Meijer, Elmer’s Glue, Wolverine, Sodexo and Walgreens. The residents were able to give back to the community, and enjoyed reminiscing about their school days while packing the bags. We hope to make it an annual event!

Accolades for Lutheran Social Services programs

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Barbara Lewis) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:14:00 -0400

Hats off to our West Michigan Home Care program, based in Grand Rapids, which received the Best of Home Care 2012 award from Home Care Pulse, a company that surveys our home care clients and staff. And the Lansing office our our Children and Family Services program is a winner of the 2012 Best of Lansing Awards in the Human Services Organizations category. The Lansing Awards program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the area for enhancing the positive image of small business through service to customers and the community.

Welcome, Ken Ulrich!

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Barbara Lewis) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:34:00 -0400

Ken Ulrich has joined Lutheran Social Services as vice president, Human Resources. He has more than 25 years of experience in the human resources field, serving in various roles with General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) -- now called Ally Financial, Inc. His work includes postings to GMAC offices in Frankfort, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. He most recently served as director of human resources for Ally Financial. Ken graduated from Michigan State University and has an MBA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Novi with his wife and three sons. Welcome, Ken!

Mobile dental clinic helps refugee kids

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Barbara Lewis) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:04:00 -0400

Busy worrying about keeping a roof over their heads and food in their bellies, most refugees don't have the luxury of taking care of their dental health. Lutheran Social Services' Refugee Services program in Grand Rapids hosts a mobile dental clinic twice a year to serve refugee children. A few weeks ago, the dentist took care of 37 kids, with the help of interpreters for Burmese, Bhutanese and Congolese families. Medicaid pays for the dental exams. Families also got to visit the "store," a room where the staff keep items donated for the refugees. Everyone went home with linens, clothing, kitchen or bathroom supplies or toys and games for the kids. (In the photo, Sobit Parsai, 11, from Bhutan, waits for his dental X-ray.)

Wedding fashion show designed to bring back happy memories

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Megan Streng) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:52:00 -0400

On June 30, The Woods at MapleCreek in Grand Rapids teamed with Connie's Bridal for a wedding fashion show. The Woods at MapleCreek is a specialized memory care community on the MapleCreek campus. There were wedding dresses modeled and on display from the 1930’s until today that belong to residents, staff and friends. Connie’s Bridal provided the the current wedding fashions.

In the photo are Ethel, a resident; her niece, Rachel, who is wearing Ethel's wedding dress from 1952; and Rachel's daughter, Madox.

"This was a terrific opportunity to provide a positive intergenerational social engagement, specifically geared toward dementia," said Beth Terborg, certified therapeutic recreation therapist at The Woods at MapleCreek. “Large events, such as weddings tend to stick out in the minds of dementia patients, and there are usually positive connotations associated with them. The idea for the event started with a relaxation group and the residents ended up reminiscing about their weddings.”

The current owners of Connie’s Bridal, Maria Hacker, Gabriela Garcia and Gabriela De La Vega, have a special connection to MapleCreek. Gabriela’s first job was as a nursing assistant at the senior living community. Her experience at MapleCreek (over a decade ago) was one that has touched her heart.

Mlive featured the story on their website and on the front page of the Southeast Advance newspaper. Read the article here: http://www.mlive.com/kentwood/index.ssf/2012/06/wedding_fashion_show_designed.html

Happy birthday, B.J.!

webmaster.nospam@nospam.LSSM.org (Barbara Lewis) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:07:00 -0400

B.J. Walters celebrated his 103^rd birthday with a party at Hope Village in Williamsburg on June 13. Residents enjoyed some of B.J.’s favorite foods for dinner, along with a birthday cake. Tables were decorated with highlights of 1909, the year he was born. B.J. was one of the first residents to move into Hope Village, a senior living community. “It was a great day to celebrate a very special man, who is a wonderful example of how to age well,” said Cathy Stathkis, Hope Village administrator.