Spring 2015

New Neighbors Moving Into Romarin Place!

soaring Volunteer Spotlight p4News & Updates p5WCV Residents Share p6

A PUBLICATION OF MENNONITE HOME COMMUNITIES

Richard and Bettie Dolan Newlyweds Are First Romarin Residents

Newlyweds Richard and Bettie

Dolan are the first couple to call

Romarin Place home. After visiting

several retirement

communities,

they decided they

appreciated the

personal feel of

Woodcrest Villa’s

campus best. They are excited

to live at Woodcrest Villa!

Bettie lived in Southern Lancaster

County and retired from working in

an office of a family-owned business.

She enjoys yoga, painting and many

hand crafts such as knitting, quilting

and counted cross stitch. Bettie also

has a wine named after her! Stone

Mountain Wine Cellars has a wine

called Blushing Bettie in her honor.

Richard lived in Maryland and retired

from being a Lead Systems Programmer.

He is an avid bicyclist and rode his

bike coast-to-coast four times!

The couple was impressed with

the quality and design of the villas,

the friendly staff and extended

continuing care community at

Mennonite Home. They look forward

to being involved with activities

and using the new Wellness Center,

pool and fitness center. They also

are eager to start making new friends

and becoming part of the Woodcrest

Villa family.

Tom and Sandy Krantz First Couple to Reserve Romarin Villa

The warm family atmosphere of

residents and staff, the location and

the design of the Fulton model villa

were deciding factors in Tom and

Sandy Krantz’s decision to move to

Woodcrest Villa. Tom and Sandy were

both born and raised in Lancaster

County. However, for the past 38

years they have lived in Dauphin

County. They have many local family

members, including their daughter,

who resides in Lititz with her husband

and their five-year-

old twin grand-

daughters. Sandy

also has an aunt

and uncle who live

at Woodcrest Villa.

They are both currently retired. Sandy

was a Licensed Practical Nurse her

entire adult life and Tom spent more

than 30 years with the Commonwealth

of Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board,

most recently as an Administrative

Officer and Management Analyst.

Interestingly, Tom never tasted a drop

of alcohol, even though he worked for

the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

for such a long time.

Sandy enjoys sewing, crafts, scrap-

booking, baking, reading and listening

to contemporary Christian music.

Although she never liked exercising

before, at age 65 she joined Silver

Sneakers and now enjoys fitness as

a new hobby. Tom’s interests include

Lancaster County history, automobiles,

book collecting, listening to music

and caring for

their cat, Turbo,

who they adopted

through Castaway

Critters. Together

they have enjoyed Caribbean cruising,

playing tennis and shuffleboard,

Pittsburgh Pirates baseball and

entertaining their twin granddaughters.

They look forward to establishing new

friendships, participating in group

activities, joining exercise classes,

using the pool at the new Wellness

Center and exploring the many volunteer

opportunities at Woodcrest Villa.

Marie Eck Warm Welcome Inspired Her to Choose Romarin

Marie Eck moved to Romarin Place

because she was impressed with

the beautiful campus, facilities

and friendliness of everyone in

the Woodcrest Villa community.

The décor, floor plans and proximity

to doctors, hospital and shopping

were also important to her.

Marie was an elementary teacher and

then a principal in a K-5 school in

upstate New York for more than

30 years before retiring and moving

to Mount Joy. Although her family

primarily lives in New York, she has

many friends who live locally.

Marie says she’s totally addicted to

going to auctions

and hopes to meet

others who share

her interests.

She also enjoys

playing with her

lovable dog, Princess; collecting

dolls; and spending time with some

Amish friends of hers.

She looks forward to becoming more

active and using all of the facilities

available at the new Wellness Center.

She anticipates meeting the staff

and residents and taking part in the

activities offered on and off campus.

2 | Spring 2015

Quite a transformation has taken place at the end of Woodcrest Drive with the addition of the Romarin Place villas. Occupancy began in late December 2014 with our first new residents, Richard and Bettie Dolan, moving in just before

Christmas. The New Year welcomed Phil and Sue Metzler, Marie Eck and Carl and Yvonne Beck to Woodcrest Villa (WCV)

in January and February.

Construction continues to progress, and if the weather cooperates,

EG Stoltzfus, our contractor, plans to complete two units per month

through November or December. A fence was installed at the edge

of the WCV property line along with a portion of the planned

landscaping to provide a picturesque backdrop. The fall and early

winter construction goal was to get the concrete pads poured for

about half of the cul-de-sac before winter weather set in. Mother

Nature cooperated and allowed for those units to get under roof

and enabled the construction process to continue.

Plans are to start pouring concrete for the remaining villas

after the spring thaw. Landscaping will continue as weather

permits and Romarin Place should be green and blooming

this spring and summer.

Pictures are posted on Woodcrest Villa in-house Resident Channel 66 and our Facebook page sharing construction

progress to help keep current residents updated on the

expansion to the community. In all, 32 new villas will be

built. As of press time, only six remain unclaimed!

A Publication of Mennonite Home Communities Spring 2015 | 3

Romarin Place Update

After visiting several retirement communities,

they decided they appreciated the personal and warm feel of

Woodcrest Villa’s campus best.

Marie Eck moved to Romarin Place because she was impressed

with the beautiful campus, facilities and friendliness . . .

Richard and Bettie Dolan

Marie Eck and Princess

Tom and Sandy Krantz and cat Turbo

Spring 2015 | 54 | Spring 2015

Prior to moving to Woodcrest Villa, Janet Sweigart

wasn’t much of a volunteer. However, immediately

after moving in, she started getting involved in clubs

and activities. In less than three years, Janet has quickly

established herself as one of the most helpful, positive

and genuine volunteers. It is largely because of her

sunny outlook and desire to help people, that Janet

has been selected as a New Neighbor Ambassador.

New Neighbor Ambassadors are a relatively recent

volunteer position within Woodcrest Villa, although

some of their responsibilities

were originally taken care of

by Caring Neighbor Network

volunteers. The idea behind

New Neighbor Ambassadors

is simple—help new Woodcrest

Villa residents feel at home

and welcome before and after

moving in. As a newer resident,

Janet can still remember

her feelings when she first

unpacked all her belongings

in her apartment and

appreciates the neighbors

who took her under their wing.

“I love hearing other people’s

stories,” Janet says. “Everyone

has one. They think they

don’t, but they do. And you

can learn so much when

you take the time to listen.”

As a New Neighbor

Ambassador, Janet first

meets new residents during

the settlement lunch, which is generally held about a

week before the actual move-in date. That provides an

opportune time for initial introductions and to let them

know that she will be touching base with them. Normally

she stops by a day or two after they move-in to deliver

a welcome basket filled with all types of goodies to

help ease the transition.

New Neighbor Ambassadors will also continue to

reach out to new residents far beyond that first week

to see if they would like to share a meal sometime,

if they have questions or concerns and just to generally

continue to make them feel welcome. Woodcrest Villa

is a friendly place, but it is large and can seem

overwhelming when people first move in.

“If I see someone new sitting by themselves at dinner,

I ask them to join my friends and I,” Janet explains.

“I’ve made so many great friends that way!! People really

appreciate it.”

In addition to being a New

Neighbor Ambassador,

Janet serves on the following

committees: Marketing,

Caring Neighbor, Activities

and Volunteer. She also assists

with greeting card sales, book

club, Coffee Klatch monthly

social gathering and anything

else she can squeeze into

her busy schedule!

Kathy Maule, Mennonite

Home’s Volunteer Coordinator

says, “Janet is a pleasure

to work with and to know.

When she undertakes a task

she does it with extreme

accuracy and she always

seems to enjoy what she is

doing. Her smile and energy

always brightens a room

whenever she enters.”

Prior to moving to Woodcrest Villa in August 2013,

Janet lived most of her life in Lancaster County, but

also spent 16 years in Saudi Arabia where she worked

for a hospital in health information. She had never even

been out of the country before her big move, but she

opted to try it out because it seemed like the perfect

way to experience the world. “When I was over there,

I was kind of introverted,” she shares. Few people

would believe that now! Janet is always smiling

and talking to everyone!

VO LU N T E E R S P OT L I G H T

Janet Sweigart: New Neighbor AmbassadorAround Mennonite Home Communities

News & Updates

MHC Ad to Appearin the US Women’s

Open Golf Tournament Souvenir Booklet

Mennonite Home Communities

is home to many golfers and golf

enthusiasts. Residents and staff

alike are excited about the Ladies

Professional Golf Association United

States Open coming to Lancaster

Country Club’s beautiful golf course

this summer. If you will be one of the

many thousands of people expected

to attend, be sure to buy a copy

of the souvenir booklet and look for

the Mennonite Home Communities

advertisement. Woodcrest Villa

residents and golfers Bill & Kitt

Gamber are featured along with

MHC executives Nelson Kling and

John Sauder. The ad is focused on

wishing the participants the best

of luck in the tournament. We are

so excited to be involved with this

historic and prestigious event!

If you enjoy social media, please remember to “like”

Woodcrest Villa/Mennonite Home Communities

on Facebook. The page is frequently updated with

construction photos chronicling the progression of

the new villas and wellness center. Residents also

submit photos for inclusion on the page. It’s a great

way for both staff and residents to keep updated

on the fun goings on throughout our community!

Fun on Facebook

6 | Spring 2015 Spring 2015 | 7

Mennonite Home residents truly

believe “It’s a Wonderful Life” and

even won an award for their artistic

interpretation of that theme. Both

skilled nursing and personal care

residents combined forces to enter

the Pennsylvania Culture Change

Coalition’s (PCCC) art contest

this fall during the Coalition’s

annual conference.

Member communities were

encouraged to have residents, team

members and families create original

works of art depicting the theme,

“It’s a Wonderful Life.” All art mediums

were accepted. Mennonite Home’s

entry was so inspiring that it won first

place honors and $500 and was also

on display during the annual conference.

Community Life Coordinators Jason

Taylor and Ramona Little took the

lead in organizing residents of the

Jackson and Lititz Run households

to create their winning entry.

Comprised of leaf paintings, the

poster also included quotes from the

residents about why “it’s a wonderful

life.” The colorful and fun poster

meshed well with the artwork also

submitted by three residents from

Landis Run, the personal care memory

support household. Those three

paintings featured flower paintings.

As one of the residents, Marian

Snyder, explained, “The garden was

my inspiration because the beauty

that nature helps to create makes

this a wonderful life.”

The idea for sponge painting came

from Ramona and Jason’s determi-

nation to find a project that would

both look nice but also be accessible

enough so that any resident

who wanted to could participate.

“We used several bright fall colors

and were pleased with the results,”

Ramona shared. “The second part of

the project was the quotes. We gath-

ered the residents together and asked

each of them what it meant to them

to have a wonderful life. Their answers

were inspirational to all, and reminded

us of what is truly important. Jason

and I carefully displayed the artwork

and quotes on two large boards.

The residents and staff were excited

and pleased to hear that our display

had won the contest!”

The memory support residents in

personal care used a technique called

Mneme therapy®, which is designed

to use art and expression to help

individuals to build self-esteem in

a way that enables the right and left

side of the brain to work together.

As Jamie Kerchoff, Community Life

Coordinator, explains, “It helps

residents to be successful and proud

of something. The residents did not

necessarily see themselves as artists,

but this changed their minds. Mneme

therapy assists residents who may

usually have trouble communicating

express themselves like never before.

It’s truly an amazing process.”

A special reception will be held in

March to honor the resident artists

and to show their families their talents.

Vice President of the PCCC Board of

Directors Iain Crichton, son of Dorothy

Manfra (a Mennonite Home resident),

plans to attend the reception and

share information about the ACCORD

and the contest.

Three artists who were previously

featured in Soaring for participating

in the LeadingAge Redefining Age

exhibit were also recognized.

Nursing Home Administrator Ginny

Johnson serves on the board of the

PCCC and said, “Artistic expression

is one of the most individualized

andpersonal ways we can engage

residents in our care. It allows them

to share their thoughts and feelings

in a way they are very comfortable

with—which is one of our hopes

with person centered care.”

The Ideal Gift: Woodcrest Villa Residents Share

The EshlemansDr. Rohrer and Mabel Eshleman joined

the Woodcrest Villa family in 2009

to live in a diverse community that

would meet their needs and provide

any level of care they may ever need.

To them, this decision to create

a care-free life with support services

available is a great gift to their

children. Rohrer and Mabel believe

that their will should reflect the

importance of both their family

and the charities that have been

significant throughout their lives.

Rohrer explained, “We chose our

will for our major charitable giving

because we don’t know what our

final medical expenses will be.

Mabel and I appreciated the option

to leave a fixed amount for each child

and then apportion any remaining

resources among our church and

other charities, including Mennonite

Home Communities. Our children

know what to expect and they agree

that it is reasonable to support the

organization that will provide our

final care.”

The ShoemakersIn the fall of 2013, Rich and Vi

Shoemaker moved into Cardinal Wing

at Woodcrest Villa. They feel that

Mennonite Home Communities has

been blessed to become a highly

successful and efficient organization

by the vision, love, hard work and

gifts of many people over the years.

They happily adopted Woodcrest

Villa and the people here as their

supportive family during this next

stage in their lives.

Vi said, “We have been totally blessed

by God with an abundance that we

should share with others. We receive

great enjoyment from helping

others and making a difference.”

Rich shared, “We have a great

interest in our church and other

successful Christian ministries.

We needed to determine what to

pay back in our lives and what is

important to continue into the future

for others. We immediately added

Mennonite Home Communities to

our will as soon as we moved in!”

Barbara SaylorIn February of 2012 Development

Director Greg Pierce received

a wonderful request—Barbara Saylor

was moving to Woodcrest Villa (WCV)

in April and wanted information about

adding Mennonite Home Communities

(MHC) to her will, which she was

in the process of revising.

Many changes had recently come

about in her life making a revision

in her will a necessity. Besides, with

all the positive comments she heard

and what she observed at WCV,

Barb knew that this place would

be her home for the rest of her life.

By including MHC in her will, she

eliminated questions and concerns

down the road, thus providing herself

with peace of mind—an invaluable

and positive thing!

Although all residents profiled

had different circumstances, each

shared a common desire to include

a gift in their will to support

Mennonite Home Communities’

Benevolent Care Fund.

Mennonite Home residents truly believe

Mennonite Home President & CEO Nelson Kling (left) and Vice President John Sauder (right) visited the national LeadingAge exhibit and proudly show off Mennonite Home entries.

Mennonite Home Communities1520 Harrisburg PikeLancaster, PA 17601www.mennonitehome.org

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Featured on the cover: Richard and Bettie Dolan are the first official residents of Romarin Place.

SOARING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Connie Buckwalter, Nelson Kling, Kim Peters, Greg Pierce, Nan Rush, Kathleen Maule, Jane Gamble, Amy Yoder

soaring

“SOARING” is a quarterly publication of Mennonite Home Communities, 1520 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. Mennonite Home Communities is a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. A copy of the official registration and financial information of Mennonite Home Communities of Lancaster may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. Please note: A donation or contribution to Mennonite Home Communities is purely voluntary. A contribution is in no way a requirement for the institution or continuation of any business relationship with Mennonite Home Communities. Also, a contribution is in no way a requirement for admission or continued stay at the facility. Residents of Mennonite Home Communities will receive the same standard of quality care, the provision of which is not conditioned on any contributions.

If you would like to receive information about Residential Living at Woodcrest

Villa, call Amy at 717.390.4103

If you wish to have your name removed from our mailing list,

call Kim at 717.390.4105.

If you would like to receive information about Personal Care or Health Care at Mennonite

Home, call Christina at 717.390.7979.

Create a lasting legacy by supporting Mennonite

Home through your estate

and/or your will. Call Greg

Pierce at 717-390-4903

to learn more.

Sign up today! RSVP is required by calling our

reservation line at (717) 391-3608 or online at woodcrestvilla.org/moving

Location: Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster

(Please note new location this year!!! Event is NOT at Woodcrest Villa.)

Pre-registered attendees will be entered into a random drawing

for a free pair of tickets to the May 7 production of

Les Miserables at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre.

One winner per session. Must be present to win.

Nationally known speaker Rick Hunsicker travels around the country sharing his expertise to help people understand what they should be asking as they weigh the pros and

cons of moving to a Senior Living Community or staying in their own home.

TOPICS INCLUDE: • Real Estate Market Realities • Cost/Benefit Analysis • Home Ownership Costs • Safety and Security • Lifestyle Choices

Light refreshments will be available.

The Pros and Cons of Moving to a SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

Thursday, March 26 9-10:30 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m.,

or 4-5:30 p.m.Seating is limited!

Please register early to reserve your seat!