Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor
MARCH 2021
Presbyterian Manor Art is Ageless® exhibit and reception features senior artists
Residents Gene Brinkman, right, and Lowell Smith catch up in the library. Gene shared, “Lowell is 100 years old. He’s kind of a serious fellow but I like to tease him and get him to loosen up a little bit.”
Library holds a special place in hearts of staff, residents alike To the casual visitor, the community’s library is nothing more than a place to pick up a new novel or catch up on the daily news. To others, it serves as an important connection point to days gone by, the world of today and one another. For Marketing Director Whitley Stokes, the library conjures up fond memories of family trips to the library as a child and the excitement surrounding learning and discovery. “I remember my mom toting me and my sister to the library for all kinds of fun activities,” said Whitley. “We would have reading contests, and if you could read a certain amount of books in a few weeks you could win a prize, and I remember all the fun art and science projects we got to participate in.” LIBRARY - continued on page 3
Local senior artists will be celebrated March 27 through April 2 at Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor as the community hosts its annual Art is Ageless® exhibit and continues to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art is Ageless® program. The entry deadline for all art submissions is March 23. To arrange for drop-off of artwork, contact Whitley Stokes at 620-4428700. Works will be on exhibit at the community for residents only. The Art is Ageless exhibit will be held virtually for friends of the program on the community’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/ ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor. Winners will be announced on Facebook. Art is Ageless is a trademarked program of PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America). AiA - continued on page 4
Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Resident spotlight: Meet Fern Bryant As we celebrate Library Appreciation Month in March, we’re putting the spotlight on resident Fern Bryant.
In June, Fern will have lived at Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor for two years. She taught her first four years at rural school in Stafford County then she continued on for more than 40 years at Iuka, Preston and Pratt elementary schools. “I really enjoyed working with the children, they were a lot of fun,” said Fern. Fern graduated from Fort Hays State University. Before she became a teacher, she did not enjoy reading that much. But becoming a teacher made her realize how important
reading is, and she decided that her students along with herself should excel at it. With her new goal in place, reading became her favorite subject to teach.
Fern’s favorite books to read are mysteries and she especially enjoys reading anything by Janet Evanovich, James Patterson and J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). She likes to read on her iPad the most because she can adjust the lighting and font size to make it more comfortable for herself. She also enjoys that she can download books anytime she wants for free using a library app along with her library card. ◆ Right: Resident and former teacher Fern Bryant loves a good book.
COVID-19 updates continue
Get the latest updates on visitation status, ongoing safety measures and PMMA’s response to COVID-19 on your community website at ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays and as needed as our COVID status changes. You can also send a message to any resident with the Art is Ageless® e-greeting cards. Find a link on the COVID-19 update page. Vaccine distribution has begun in our community. Every person who receives the vaccine will strengthen the protection for all residents, staff and the community at-large. PMMA strongly encourages our families, employees and residents to carefully consider obtaining a vaccine for themselves as well as their loved ones. ◆
Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Community Matters 620-442-8700 ◆ Fax: 620-442-8224 1711 N. Fourth St. Arkansas City, KS 67005-1607 ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | March 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: wstokes@PMMA.org Sarah Griggs, executive director Whitley Stokes, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
LIBRARY - continued from page 1
track of who’s still on earth.”
given our current environment.
Those early visits to the library— along with her mom’s love of education and reading—led Whitley to become a student library aide at Arkansas City High School and Cowley College before eventually going on to serve as the circulation supervisor at Arkansas City Public Library. Today, Whitley sees a direct connection between that work and her current job at the community.
But more than anything, Gene’s daily trip to the library helps him keep in touch with others in the community.
“I know one thing, a smile and a laugh is the best medicine you can give someone,” said Gene. “It’s kinda hard now with these masks that we have to wear, but you can tell by their eyes if they’re smiling or not.”
“Being able to help others learn and grow is a passion of mine, and I still get to do so at the Manor. Marketing Director I can’t Whitley Stokes has express been a big fan of how libraries since she was much of a pleasure it a little girl. is to have a library on our campus,” said Whitley. “We have amazing residents that volunteer their time to keep it clean and beautiful for all of us to enjoy, and for that I thank them.” One of the benefactors of all of that work is resident Gene Brinkman. Each morning Gene heads down to the library where he reads the Wichita Eagle and the Courier Traveler. Over the course of about an hour and a half, Gene is able to get up to date with what’s going on in the local business community and the Kansas City Chiefs. He also likes to check the obituary section to “keep
“There’s always somebody who comes in that you can visit with, joke with and tease,” said Gene. It’s those moments of levity that Gene feels are especially important
And the way Gene sees it there is no shortage of things to smile about. ◆
Zora Weir is 100!
Resident Zora Weir celebrated her 100th birthday in February! When asked about her secret to getting to 100 years old, she said she always exercised and ate well. Happy Birthday, Zora! ◆
Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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1711 N. Fourth St. Arkansas City, KS 67005-1607 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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The program offers senior artists the opportunity to share and display their artwork and reaffirms the agelessness of human creativity. “It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Whitley Stokes, marketing director. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the entire Arkansas City community.” The first Art is Ageless calendar was published in 1981, featuring art from Presbyterian Manor community residents. Since then, the program has expanded to include a juried art competition open to all seniors age 65 and older. Winning pieces at the community level move on to a masterpiece level judging to determine which pieces are featured in the annual calendar and note cards. For more information about Art is Ageless, visit ArtIsAgeless.org. ◆
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | March 2021
PEOPLE GIVING TO PEOPLE
An update on how gifts are changing lives in PMMA communities
IN HER LIFETIME A donor's story
Recently, a longtime friend of PMMA, we’ll call her Agnes, was concerned about burdening her sister with financial decisions and responsibilities when she passes. In order to eliminate the burden for her sister, Agnes wanted to get all of her affairs in order now, but also wanted to accomplish her wishes of helping others. After sharing her thoughts with her advisor and visiting with PMMA’s regional development director, Patti Christen, Agnes was able to spare her sister the task and put her gift to work now.
Agnes made a gift from her donor advised fund for the benefit of the Good Samaritan Program - a program she has supported and appreciated for more than 30 years. She wanted to see the gift in action while she was living. Thanks to Agnes, so many residents have the assurance of the PMMA mission of quality senior services guided by Christian values.
“I’m so thankful for the blessings I have received in my lifetime. It’s my obligation to share it with others. And, I’m so glad my sister doesn’t have to worry about this when I die,” said Agnes, 84. (not her real name to ensure her anonymity)
Spring 2021
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BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE by Barbara J. Braa, CTFA, MBA
“It is better to give than to receive.” Why does this old saying still ring true? Isn’t it because the gift giver takes pleasure in seeing their gift in action? That pleasure may cause a donor to give too much. Sometimes donors give too little, cheating themselves out of the pleasure of giving because they fear running out of money and don’t know their true capacity to give or their giving options.
In the old days, frugal folks made gifts from items at hand, like a quilt from fabric scraps or a dress from flour sacks. Today, a knowledgeable, trusted advisor can help you develop a gift giving budget and help you explore alternative methods for your charitable giving. You may find your ability to give during life may be more than you think! Barbara J. Braa, CTFA, MBA
If you were taught to never touch your invested assets you may be surprised to learn there are strategies to help maximize your donations by using those investments. For example, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a tax-advantaged way for those over 70
½ to
donate IRA dollars directly to charity and avoid taxation on the IRA withdrawal. Or, you might benefit from donating appreciated non-retirement assets, like stocks and mutual funds and when you transfer those assets directly to a charity, neither you nor the charity pay capital gains taxes on the appreciation.
Seeking advice on a charitable budget and/or utilizing one of the strategies above may help you increase your gift giving ability and your pleasure in seeing your donations in action. Plus, if you budget your donations correctly, you won’t need to revert to giving or wearing a flour sack dress or shirt!
The information in this article is not presented as personal financial or legal advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for obtaining advice specific to your situation. Please seek advice from a trusted financial, tax or legal advisor. Barbara J. Braa, CTFA, MBA is a Vice President & Relationship Officer with Central Trust Company in Lawrence, Kansas. Contact Barbara at 785-865-1065 or Barbara.Braa@centralbank.net.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 316-685-1100
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DEVELOPMENT@PMMA.ORG