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Wichita Presbyterian Manor March 2015Commun ty MattersGiving is
a hallmark of PMMAs history
GIVING, continued on page 2
Generous donations and local relationships are the hallmarks of
Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. We often recall the story of
Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presbyterian Synod of
Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community in Kansas.
According to Edwin Shafer, senior vice president of development,
what Mrs. Kalb basically told the Synod was: If I give you all the
money I have, will you build a home for the aging?
Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of a growing number
of seniors in need of the churchs help. Kalbs initiative led a
farmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new
project. The sale of that land upon his death provided the funds
for the first building of Newton Presbyterian Manor.
Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through community
partnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving,
special projects campaigns, and planned giving through wills,
trusts and charitable gift annuities.
Many of PMMAs 18 communities were opened with the help of local
fundraising campaigns.
By the Rev. Dr. Larry Thornton, Aberdeen Village chaplainThe 40
days of Lent began on Ash Wednesday with the sign of the cross in
ashes on the forehead and hearing the words, Turn away from sin; be
faithful to the gospel. The church encourages us to have a time of
self-examination, rethinking and reordering of our life: I can
choose to be a grumpy grouch. I can choose to wilt and then wither
away. I can choose to lament and languish. I can choose to grow
older with all the kickin and screamin thats left in me.
Pain is inevitable but misery is a choice. Or I can choose to
age with a gentle heart, alive in the Spirit of the living God,
full of his grace in Jesus Christ, with the power of God still at
work in me regardless of my advancing years. Psalm 92:12-14 says it
so well. The righteous flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a
cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord. They
flourish in the courts of our God. They will bring forth fruit in
old age. What do you want to be?
May our Lenten journey be a time for retrospection, for looking
back across the hills and valleys of our existence and noting where
God has intervened in our path, lifting a burden here and
introducing a surprise there. We need to trace our journey write
our autobiography and realize how wonderful the God of the covenant
has been. In retirement, we have more time to be with the Lord. To
practice the Presence. To experience the indwelling Spirit. To be
in touch with God!
The gift of time is nothing else than a gift of God, a precious
package of life sent to us by our Lord, individually gift-wrapped
and with our name on it to give us the time that never seemed to be
ours when we were younger. What a wonderful gift this is! Time for
grandchildren and great- grandchildren. Time for prayer. Time to
read the great books. Time to visit old friends. Time to think, to
reflect, to love and laugh and listen to music. Time to exercise.
Time to work on our own projects. Time to calibrate our spiritual
compasses and get the priorities of life in proper order. I am no
longer young, but I am not too old to grow and change and flourish
in the love and grace of God!
Ready for your Lenten journey?
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is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita
Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at
PresbyterianManors.org.Dawn Veh, executive directorAmy Watson,
marketing directorTo submit or suggest articles for this
publication, contact Mary Angela Page, activities director,
[email protected]: 316-942-7456Fax: 316-941-3806Address:
4700 W. 13th St., Wichita, KS 67212-5575Our mission: We provide
quality senior services guided by Christian values.
WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
Community Matters
2 Community Matters March 2015
March 8, 2015
Coming Up in Community MattersCommunity Matters will focus on
Older Americans Month in an upcoming issue. The 2015 theme is
Getting into the Act.
How were you involved in your community?
Did you serve in public office or otherwise participate in civic
government?
What was your experience like?
If you have a story to tell, contact Activities Director Mary
Angela Page to share your idea. Your story may be selected for the
next issue of your community newsletter.
There were donations of land for the Clay Center, Fort Scott,
Olathe and Topeka locations. In addition, coalitions of citizens,
churches and business leaders raised money for buildings in the
Dodge City, Emporia, Parsons and Rolla. Through the years, capital
campaigns have enabled PMMA communities to continue expanding
services and remodeling campuses.
Over the past eight years, Shafer said, there have been four
capital campaigns. Ark City added a memory care assisted living
neighborhood, and Clay Center added health care rooms and space for
dining and activities. Newton created several neighborhoods at the
health care level, and Rolla added assisted living rooms and a
community meeting room.
Good Samaritan Program
PMMAs Good Samaritan Benevolent Care Program provides close to
$4 million a year to touch the lives of nearly 400 residents,
Shafer said. Mailings are sent throughout the year to enlist
support from friends. The Good Samaritan Program allows residents
to remain in their apartments even after they have exhausted their
financial resources. A similar mail solicitation is conducted in
late summer/early fall to benefit the Employee Scholarship Fund,
which reimburses employees for tuition for approved classes.
Some campuses have special event fundraising programs.For
example, a couple of months ago, Lawrences soft-serve ice cream
machine, donated to the Manor 15 years ago, could no longer be
repaired. To meet this need, residents kicked off a campaign to
raise the money for a replacement. In a matter of two weeks, they
reached the $15,000 goal.
For more information about planned giving, contact Ed Shafer at
[email protected] or 800-336-8511.
GIVING, from page 1
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3Wichita Presbyterian Manor
Art is Ageless exhibit & reception features senior
artistsThey are teachers, farmers, veterans, homemakers,
entrepreneurs and nurses, among many others. Some have resumed art
after putting it aside for a career, others have been creating
beautiful pieces throughout their lives, and others never picked up
a brush until after they retired, but all are now expressing
themselves through art.
These diverse lives intersect at Wichita Presbyterian Manor this
month with the Art is Ageless program, which reaffirms the
agelessness of human creativity.
Studies show seniors who are involved in the arts report better
health, have more positive attitudes and are more active than those
who are not.
Its inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have
created, said Marketing Director Amy Watson. The joy it brings to
them and others is wonderful, and thats something we want to
celebrate and share with the broader Wichita community.
The Art is Ageless exhibit will feature works from local
artists who are 65 and older, including a few Wichita
Presbyterian Manor residents. The public is welcome to visit the
community to view the exhibit of acrylics, oils, photography and
various other mediums, including amateur and professional
levels.
The exhibit is open March 9 to 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
daily.
In addition to the exhibit, Wichita Presbyterian Manor will
honor local senior artists during an Art is Ageless reception at 2
p.m. March 19.
The Art is Ageless program has been encouraging creativity in
seniors for more than 30 years and is sponsored by Presbyterian
Manors of Mid-America, a nonprofit organization that owns and
operates 18 senior living communities in Kansas and Missouri.
Each year the organization publishes an Art is Ageless calendar,
featuring works by senior artists. Proceeds from the sale of
calendars are reinvested into new art programs and opportunities
for PMMA residents.
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Wichita Presbyterian Manor4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS
67212-5575Return Service Requested
4 Community Matters March 2015
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