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Our Family News

July 2021

Abundant Life for Seniors

James Clancy Executive Director

Lisa Reifenrath Administrator

Ian Scheer Director of Memory Support Services

Jacquie Miller Director of Sales

Lynda Hamrick Director of Community Life

Mary Moloney Volunteer Coordinator

460 Haddon Avenue

Collingswood, NJ 08108

856-854-4331 phone

856-854-0879 fax

UMCommunities.org/Collingswood

© 2021 United Methodist Communities

In this Issue:

Jim’s Journal 2

July Birthday’s 3

July News 4

Chaplain’s News 7

Resident Council News 6

Photo Gallery 8-9

New Residents & Associates 10

Message from the Foundation 11

Community Directory 12

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Jim’s Journal

Friends We were all shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic and sudden loss of our associate, Zandra Baez. Zandra was a faithful employee of UMC Collingswood for the past 13 years and served her residents well. We have reached out to her family to express our deepest condolences. We will all miss Zandra and we pray for her family during this difficult time. Please join me in welcoming Safiyyah Pease as our new Director of En-vironmental Services. In this role, she will be overseeing the House-keeping and Laundry departments and brings with her a wealth of ex-perience and knowledge. Safiyyah officially began her duties on June 28th. I would also like to welcome our other new associates and wish you much happiness in your experience here at UMC. Not much new to report on the COVID front. Camden County reached “GREEN” status on our CALI score which means that we are seeing the lowest conversion rates since the onset of the pandemic. As the DOH already relaxed so many restrictions, not much will be changing in our day to operations and masks must still be worn when at work. This has been a long and arduous journey, but I am hopeful we have put the worst behind us. Jim

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July Birthdays

8 Barbara McKeever 11 Rudolph Paliaga 11 Irene Freeman 12 Lorraine Leise 14 William Murphy 17 Joseph Lee 17 Sandra Jones 21 Rayonne Robinson 23 Mary Griffeth 24 Elizabeth Grussenmeyer

Our Family News Staff:

Editor

Lynda Hamrick

Bob Whitfield

Contributor

Phyllis Pierson

Photographers

Lynda Hamrick

Kathy Lewis

Mary Moloney

Resident Reporter

Barbara Crane

If you have a photo or news you would

like to share in Our Family News, please

submit to Mary Moloney, volunteer coordi-

nator, who can be reached at extension

5204.

MISSION STATEMENT

Compassionately serving in community

so that all are free to choose abundant life.

Birthday Party for those resi-dents whose birthday falls in the month of July will be celebrated

on Thursday July 15th

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Laurel will be available to assist with your sewing needs on July 13th and 27nd. Please bring your mending to the front desk on the designated Tues-days. All mending should include your name, Apartment Number and instructions.

Saturday Night at the Movies

3 The Wife (Rated R) 10 The Father 2021 Academy Award Winner 17 Judas and the Black Messiah (Rated R) 2021 Academy Award Winner 24 Lady Bird (Rated R) 2018 Academy Award winner

July Trips

6 AL Luncheon trip to Riverwinds, leaving at 11:15 am 20 AL Luncheon Trip to Captain Cats leaving at 11:15 am 29 HCR trip leaving at 10:30 am (TBD)

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July Notices From Community Life

Our Veterans gathering in July for a pizza luncheon will be on Wednesday July 7th at 12 noon in the 4th floor community room. All Veterans are welcome and encouraged to join us. Breakfast Club Our monthly Breakfast Club will meet this month on the 2nd Thursday of the month instead of the 3rd Thursday so it will take place on Thursday July 8th at 8:30 am in the 4th floor Community Room. Please sign up on bulletin board outside of 1st floor DR if you plan on attending. Blueberry Festival Our Blueberry Festival will be held on Friday July 2nd at 2 pm in the Chapel. Join us to indulge in some delicious blueberry treats including blueberry pie, blueberry crisp, muffins, fresh blueber-ries and ice cream. In house Olympics In coordination with the 2021 Summer Olympics we will be holding our own in house Olympics for a little fun and competition. These will take the last week of July and the 1st week of Au-gust. The dates for July are Tues, Wed and Frid 27th, 28th and 30th at 1:30 pm. Look for flyers for details of events for each day. We will also review some of the highlights of the ongoing Olympics. Hard to believe that July is here. We are back to being able to do most programs and able to get out for trips away from the building. What a wonderful thing. Some of our highlights for July are the Blueberry Festival on 7/2, Lunch trip to River winds, Breakfast Club, Captain Cats Lunch Trip, and our own in house Summer Olympics taking place the last week of July and first week of Au-gust. We will also be celebrating the birth of our Country on July 4th. Our 5th floor has some spe-cial household programs, a BBQ and a trip. If any resident has any suggestions for programs, or outings please let me know as we want to provide what you want. We encourage all residents to come out and engage In the many programs offered. Lynda Hamrick

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News from the Resident Council President Bob Whitfield (Apt. 225)

As reported in last month’s newsletter, a committee was formed to re-

organize the UMC-Collingswood Resident Council and resume the functioning of the Council. New Bylaws were submitted to all Assisted Living residents in June and they were approved by a vote of 16-0.

The newly re-organized Council will have a Board of 12 members, plus the Executive Director (Jim Clancy) and Director of Community Life (Lynda Hamrick). It will meet monthly.

Membership of the Board will include at least one member from each resi-dential hallway. These Board members will be a channel for residents to address their questions and concerns to the Board and get a response back. More about this next month after the Board has an organizational meeting.

ELECTIONS: A slate of nominees to the Board will be presented to AL residents early in July for their vote to officially elect them. An organizational meeting of the Board will take place later in the month.

In addition to the Board’s activity, Town Hall meetings for all residents will be held by Jim Clancy as in the past. The format and scheduling of these Town Halls will depend on the restrictions imposed by Covid guidelines for group meetings. Watch the calendar!

Committees

The FOOD COMMITTEE will be a sub-group of the Resident Council Board. It will be open to all residents to discuss any food and dining related concerns and questions. Meetings will be in the first floor dining room on the second Thursday of the month at 2:00 PM. The first post-pandemic meeting will be on Thursday, July 8. All residents are invited. Phyllis Pierson has agreed to be the convener of the Food Committee, and she will represent it on the Board.

A WELCOMING COMMITTEE chaired by Jackie Harrington will work with Jackie Miller, Sales Director, to welcome new residents, answer ques-tions, encourage them to participate in activities, and tell them about the Resi-dent Council.

Each month’s Our Family News will have a report on the Board’s meet-ings and activities, together with a list of the Board members – so you know who to talk to!

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Chaplain Jocelyn’s Corner Welcome Everyone to My Corner of our home at UMC Collingswood!!!

I am delighted to be able to share with you in this month’s episode of our Newsletter!!

Here we are again in the beginning of another month in the year 2021, a year that many are still dealing with some good and not so good aspects of life yet thanks be to God that we are here. At the risk of sounding to overly religious or spiritual, I want to take this time to say Thank You! Thank You to God for allowing me to be here to serve as your UMC Col-lingswood Chaplain, Pastor, Colleague, and Friend. Each of you hold a special place in my heart as I think about the times we spend, the conversations we have, and the things that we have the freedom to do together. This morning I was thinking about the hard work, dedication, determination, and resilience everyone has shown over the last 15 months. I was also thinking about those who have needed some encouragement to keep coming into work day after day even though they are dealing with other issues in their personal lives. Lastly, I was thinking of the residents and staff who have wanted to rely on their faith in God or those who have been wanting to know more about God especially now that we are coming out of quarantine and have a little bit of freedom…this is my prayer for you… For these reasons I come before God the Creator, from whom every family on earth was cre-ated, I pray that out of God’s Love and Grace that God may strengthen everyone with power, understanding, and endurance through God’s Spirit in their inner being, so that God may dwell in their hearts through faith. And I pray that each person who is being rooted and es-tablished in love, may have power, together with all the God’s creation, to grasp and fully understand for themselves, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of God our Cre-ator, and to know this love that surpasses what they already know and understand and they may be filled with all of the fullness of God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy. Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to God’s power that is at work within us, both now and forevermore. Amen We thank and remember those who gave their lives to give us the freedom and liberty we experience today. Yet we praise and thank God with our deepest gratitude for Jesus who sacrificed his life to give us freedom from sin and permission to receive His grace and love, which gives us everlasting life and eternal liberty!!! Amen

Much Love and Celebration, Chaplain Jocelyn

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\

ENJOYING FATHERS DAY AND THE STRAWVERRY

FESTIVAL

LOTS OF

ACTIVITIES

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HEADING TO KNIGHT’S

PARK AND

THE CRAB TRAP

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NEW RESIDENTS Donna Davis—421 Dot and Zollie Nemeth—209

NEW ASSOCIATES Warnett Wilson-Housekeeping Safiyyah Pease-Environmental Service Director Rob Ferriolo-PT Patricia Filer-C.N.A. Mesha Selby-C.N.A Milon Ringo-Dining Services

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Important Dates in July 4-Independence Day

Christian One Liners

“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

Submitted by former resident Eileen Ostrove

A Message from the Foundation In the last few months, UMC has been blessed with the strongest, most resilient, and faithful

family of friends, donors, volunteers, and neighbors. It would be impossible to speak of our

COVID-19 experience without acknowledging how you’ve come together to support our resi-

dents and associates.

Through your generosity, nearly $150,000 was added to the $512,000 UMC Foundation contri-

bution, allowing us to give all frontline associates a special Healthcare Heroes appreciation bo-

nus. An additional $50,000 worth of donated supplies, food, and morale boosting activities

helped keep our residents’ spirits strong. As we set off on our road forward, we thank you from

the bottom of our hearts!

IN SYMPATHY

Roe Miller Frank Mullen Sondra Miller Jean Fulton

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Community Directory Dining Services Michael Paris 856-854-4331 x5114

Maintenance Michael Kaizer x5108

Director of Mission & Pastoral Care Jocyln Tyree x5189

Director of Resident Living Denise Coleman x5403

Director of Nursing Erik Sooy x5118

Director of Marketing & Sales Jacquie Miller x5126

Director of Community Life Lynda Hamrick x5303

Social Service AL MaggieTumasz x5304

Social Service HC Meghan Donnelly x5206

Volunteer Services Mary Moloney x5204

Business Office Louise Demby x5104

Director of Tapestries Ian Scheer x5310

Gym Rob Hoblitzell x5207

Physical Therapy Karen Noone x5578

Environmental Services Safiyyah Pease x5109

Having a Problem You Can’t Get Resolved?

Contact Executive Director, James Clancy at x5501 or Administrator,

Lisa Reifenrath at x5505

If you feel an independent advocate is needed, please contact Julia Grayer, our Volunteer Advocate with the New Jersey Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman. Julia has been assigned to UMC-Collingswood to represent the rights of all residents. Her mission is to advocate for quality of care and to ensure that all residents are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Julia may be contacted by calling the Volunteer Advocate Program Regional Coordinator, Janet Khanlian, at 609-826-5122. Janet will pass your message on to Julia. the New Jersey Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman (NJLTCO) is responsible for se-curing, preserving, and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of New Jersey's elderly population, through investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation; legislative and regu-latory advocacy; policy work; and education and outreach. NJLTCO brings about change on local, state, and federal levels by advocating for policy and legislative initiatives and participating in activities that support the Office’s core mission to advance the rights, the dignity and the self-determination of elderly individuals living in long-term care. By law, callers may remain anonymous.

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