Commun ty Matters Parsons Presbyterian Manor
Renovation report
We have replaced the flooring throughout the main areas of our first floor and are pleased to report our progress. We added bright white colonial baseboards and are set to begin with replacing all of the lighting.
Presbyterian Manors rooted in Generosity
March 2015
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 needing the church’s help. Kalb’s 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.
Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of local fundraising campaigns. 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.
Good Samaritan Program PMMA’s 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. Special projects Presbyterian Manor communities have other events and efforts to raise
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Listening for his call By Pastor Alex Knott
One Sunday recently in my congregation, we read one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament. It was the story of God calling Samuel by name. Samuel was just a boy working with the priest Eli when God called his name in the middle of the night. Three times Samuel mistakenly believed that his master Eli was calling his name. He didn’t know that it was actually God who was speaking to him.
The very beginning of the text, I Samuel 3:1, says that the word of the Lord was rare in those days and visions
were not widespread. That sounds a lot like today, if you ask me. We have moved out of the time when God’s voice is heard clearly by groups of people, and I would say that visions, too, are rare. When we dream, we usually aren’t thinking about what our dreams have to say about God in our lives. We “just” dream.
When we hear the wind in the trees, we usually aren’t straining to hear better to see if maybe it’s the voice of God. I think that we are a lot like Samuel when it comes to hearing God’s voice. We aren’t quite sure what we are hearing. And we certainly aren’t quick to assume that God calls us each by name. But that’s the kicker, I do believe that God calls us each by name.
That means that God knows our names. That means that God knows who we are and has a purpose for our lives. That means that God cares about us. And perhaps that is the part we find difficult to believe. It may never occur to us that, maybe just maybe, God actually does call us by name.
There are times in life when we just get a feeling about things. There are times in life when we feel like we just happen to be in the right place at the right time. There are times when we act on gut feelings and intuition. What if those inexplicable feelings are actually God speaking to us, nudging us, moving us forward and calling us by name? It’s worth a thought.
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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Parsons Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of
501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Maegen Pegues, executive director Terry Lillie, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Terry at tlillie@pmma.org. Telephone: 620-421-1450 Fax: 620-421-1897 Address: 3501 Dirr Ave., Parsons, KS 67357-2220 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org
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Missouri gets new campus; Wichita campus is reborn
This month, we conclude our look at the history of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America as we celebrate the organization’s 65th anniversary.
In 2006, SSM Health Care of St. Louis moved its St. Joseph’s Hospital from a site in Kirkwood, Mo. As part of this hospital relocation, SSM Health Care issued a request for proposals to determine what to do with the old hospital campus site. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s proposal for a continuing care retirement community was selected as the project to be constructed on the old hospital site.
Manor campus. The project would encompass nearly twothirds of the grounds by replacing existing independent living cottages and the assisted living and health care areas with new buildings, completed in two phases.
The first phase encompassed new assisted living apartments including 24 assisted living memory care suites and a new health care neighborhood with dedicated shortterm rehabilitation suites PMMA’s 18th senior living community and new common areas known as Aberdeen Heights opened in for all levels of care. The September 2011. Upon completion, amenities include a new Aberdeen chapel, bistro, beauty Heights salons for independent, would assisted living and health include 243 care areas and a new independent Aberdeen Heights in kitchen for the entire living Kirkwood, Mo. campus. The first phase apartments, sits on the site was completed in late 30 assisted of the former 2014 with health care living St. Joseph’s Hospital. residents moving into apartments, their new building in 15 November, and the residentialassisted living residents style moving into their new residences in memory care The first phase of Wichita Presbyterian new construction was completed in 2014. The second phase is slated to open in late 2015. December. rooms and 38 private nursing Phase II of the repositioning of the Wichita rooms. Aberdeen Heights is PMMA’s campus will include 90 independent living fourth senior living community in apartments in a new three-story building Missouri, joining the communities in known as The Westerly. This second phase Farmington, Fulton and Rolla. began in December 2014 with demolition of the previous health care and assisted living In August 2012, PMMA announced plans buildings. The Westerly is slated to open in late 2015. for a major repositioning of its Wichita Presbyterian
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money for special projects, often suggested and spearheaded by residents.
A couple of months ago, for example Lawrence’s soft-serve ice cream machine, donated to the campus 15 years ago, could no longer be repaired. So residents kicked off a campaign to raise the money for a replacement. In a matter of two weeks, they reached the $15,000 goal.
Planned giving “We promote gifts through wills and trusts as way for someone to ‘pay it forward,’” Shafer said. Wills and trusts have resulted in millions of dollars given to PMMA through the years. All of those funds are invested in the communities, he said. Donors may designate which location will benefit. For more information about planned giving, contact Shafer at eshafer@pmma.org or call 800-336-8511. PARSONS PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3
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Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 8. Be sure to “spring forward” and set your clocks ahead one hour.
Coming up in Community Matters:
Community Matters will focus on Older American’s 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 Terry Lillie to share your idea. Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.
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