Topeka Presbyterian Manor announces Art is Ageless® winners
Topeka Presbyterian Manor recently announced the 2023 winners of the annual Art is Ageless® juried competition. “We are honored to exhibit artwork by seniors,” said Danica Loftin, marketing director. “Art is Ageless is unique in featuring only the works of artists age 65 and older. Our artists prove that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition.”
Winners in the Topeka Presbyterian Manor Art is Ageless juried competition were:
Fiber Arts amateur: Dorothy Sharp, “Collection of Little Girls Dresses”
Mixed Media/Crafts professional: Patricia Morse, “Necklace Collection”
Needlework amateur: Carolyn Davis, “Collection of Embroidered Dish Towels”
Painting amateur: Madeline Tollefson, “Birches and Brambles
Painting professional: June Melody Duncan, “The Mountain Between Us”
Quilting amateur: Peggy Shrewsbury, “Forever American”
Sculpture/3-D: Larry Shankles, “Military Collection”
Sculpture/3-D professional: Patricia Morse, “Jewelry Sculpture Collection”
Art is Ageless -continued on page 3
Editor’s Note: In a nod to our Presbyterian heritage, we regularly feature a column from a PMMA® chaplain in our newsletter. This month’s column comes from Rev. Richard Russell, chaplain at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor®.
Walking with God
By Rev. Richard Russell, ChaplainI was thinking about a little chorus that we sing at the end of our Vespers service each Friday afternoon and the Biblical meaning behind the words and how powerful they are. The chorus says “Depart in peace to do God’s will, walk ever in His light. Christ is with you evermore to guide you day and night.” It is sung to the tune of Amazing Grace. So what does the Bible say about walking in God’s peace? One of the best examples is in the words of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” -
John 14:27When you and I find ourselves in a situation where we are troubled or afraid it should remind us to go to our Lord and give Him that concern and ask for His peace, so that have what we truly need.
What about walking in His light. Well Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will
Chaplain -continued on page 2
Chaplain
continued from page 1
never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.” - John 8:12
So, we have available to us His Light that can show us His direction in a dark world that is filled with misdirection, so we can walk in a way that brings the greatest fulfillment and purpose.
The last phrase speaks of Christ’s guidance and we can look at a very familiar text for this, Psalm 23:3: “He guides me along the right paths for his name sake.” Well, in verses 1 and 2 of the Psalm we see it is our loving shepherd that is leading to places that give his comfort and
care, as well as the refreshment of my soul. So now we move forward in the Lord’s paths to his plans for our life and His name’s sake.
This is a beautiful little chorus with a powerful reminder that we are walking with our God into His plan for each new day. u
Did you know? Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1910
Father’s Day is officially a modern holiday – it wasn’t under 1972 when it became a nationwide holiday in the United States, but it was first celebrated on June 19, 1910.
As you may imagine, the inspiration for Father’s Day was Mother’s Day but it was tougher to convince people of its importance. According to history.com, one florist said “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.” It wasn’t until a Washington woman, who was one of six children raised by her father – a widower – decided to honor fathers. She drummed up support from local churches, the YMCA, and shopkeepers and Washington State was the first to celebrate Father’s Day.
But it also came with controversy. Many men called it a commercial
gimmick and scoffed at the “sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness…” During World War II, advertisers began to celebrate the day as a way to honor American troops in the war. And finally, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation to make it a federal holiday in 1972.
Today, the United States honors fathers on the third Sunday in June. Economist estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on gifts. Some other countries celebrate it in March, on St. Joseph’s Day, a traditional Catholic holiday.
Source: www.history.com u
785-272-6510 ◆ Fax: 785-272-0496 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Topeka Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Community
To submit or suggest articles: dloftin@pmma.org
ChristiePatrick,
executive director Danica Loftin, marketing directorOUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
For more information about the program, contact Danica Loftin at 785-272-6510, or dloftin@pmma.org. u
Coffee and Conversation a hit with residents, prospects to follow
Last September an important discussion took place during a meeting attended by Danica Loftin, Marketing Director at Topeka Presbyterian Manor.
“We were discussing what holds people back from moving to a senior living community,” Loftin explained.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, the reasons are different for women than men.”
Women are generally concerned about not knowing anyone, being unliked or not making connections.
“We started talking about how to overcome those things and the idea of coffee and conversation was born.”
Loftin said she has never been a fan
of “doing events just to do events” but has always believed God gave her the gift of being a connector.
“We wanted to have a way for prospects to meet residents and have a time and place to have a comfortable interaction that would not be all sales pitchy, but rather a comfortable connection,” she said. “My Dad used to love coffee groups and it fit with that need shared by women to make connections.”
Residents at Topeka Presbyterian Manor were already having a coffee and trivia event
in the morning so it was agreed that Danica would take the second Monday of every month to invite outside prospects and outside presenters. “We are so excited to see this come together!” she said.
Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting, monthly event. u
Topeka Presbyterian Manor shares customer service survey responses
Topeka Presbyterian Manor continues to seek customer feedback through monthly telephone surveys. Each month, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.
The graphic highlights recent survey results. All scores are given on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest score. Between April 2022 and March 2023, Topeka Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores for safety and security, an easy move-in process and for demonstrating dignity and respect. Many also said they would recommend the community to others.
“I have recommended them,” said one resident. “I love it. It is a very good place. They take good care of you.”
We greatly value the opinions of our residents and their representatives about the care and services we provide, and we encourage them to participate honestly when contacted by Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. u