Commun ty MattersParsons Presbyterian Manor March 2015

RenovationreportWe have replaced the flooringthroughout the main areas of our firstfloor and are pleased to report ourprogress. We added bright whitecolonial baseboards and are set tobegin with replacing all of thelighting. 

Presbyterian Manors rooted in GenerosityWe often recall the story of Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presby-terian Synod of Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community inKansas. 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 youbuild a home for the aging?” Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of agrowing number of seniors needing the church’s help. Kalb’s initiative led afarmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new project. Thesale of that land upon his death provided the funds for the first building ofNewton Presbyterian Manor. Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through communitypartnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving, specialprojects campaigns, and planned giving.Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of localfundraising 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 tocontinue expanding services and remodeling campuses. Over the past eightyears, Shafer said, there have been four capital campaigns.

Good Samaritan Program PMMA’s Good Samaritan Benevolent Care Program provides close to $4million a year to touch the lives of nearly 400 residents, Shafer said. Mailingsare sent throughout the year to enlist support from friends. The GoodSamaritan Program allows residents to remain in their apartments even afterthey have exhausted their financial resources.A similar mail solicitation is conducted in late summer/early fall to benefitthe Employee Scholarship Fund, which reimburses employees for tuition forapproved classes.

Special projectsPresbyterian Manor communities have other events and efforts to raise

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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 directorTerry Lillie, marketing directorTo submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Terry at tlillie@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-421-1450Fax: 620-421-1897Address: 3501 Dirr Ave., Parsons, KS 67357-2220Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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One Sunday recentlyin my congregation,we read one of myfavorite stories fromthe Old Testament. Itwas the story of God

calling Samuel by name. Samuel wasjust a boy working with the priest Eliwhen God called his name in themiddle of the night. Three timesSamuel mistakenly believed that hismaster Eli was calling his name. Hedidn’t know that it was actually Godwho was speaking to him.

The very beginning of the text, ISamuel 3:1, says that the word of theLord was rare in those days and visions

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were not widespread. That sounds a lotlike today, if you ask me. We havemoved out of the time when God’svoice is heard clearly by groups ofpeople, and I would say that visions,too, are rare. When we dream, weusually aren’t thinking about what ourdreams have to say about God in ourlives. We “just” dream.

When we hear the wind in the trees,we usually aren’t straining to hearbetter to see if maybe it’s the voice ofGod. I think that we are a lot likeSamuel when it comes to hearing God’svoice. We aren’t quite sure what we arehearing. And we certainly aren’t quickto assume that God calls us each byname. But that’s the kicker, I do believethat God calls us each by name.

That means that God knows our names.That means that God knows who we areand has a purpose for our lives. Thatmeans that God cares about us. Andperhaps that is the part we find difficultto believe. It may never occur to us that,maybe just maybe, God actually doescall us by name.

There are times in life when we just geta feeling about things. There are times inlife when we feel like we just happen tobe in the right place at the right time.There are times when we act on gutfeelings and intuition. What if thoseinexplicable feelings are actually Godspeaking to us, nudging us, moving usforward and calling us by name?

It’s worth a thought.

Listening for his callBy Pastor Alex Knott

March 2 - 27, 2015Resident survey

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In 2006, SSM Health Care of St. Louis moved its St.Joseph’s Hospital from a site in Kirkwood, Mo. As part ofthis hospital relocation, SSM Health Care issued a requestfor proposals to determine what to do with the oldhospital campus site. Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s proposal for a continuing care retirementcommunity was selected as the project to be constructedon the old hospital site.

PMMA’s 18th senior living communityknown as Aberdeen Heights opened inSeptember 2011. Upon completion,AberdeenHeightswouldinclude 243independentlivingapartments,30 assistedlivingapartments,15residential-stylememory carerooms and 38private nursingrooms. Aberdeen Heights is PMMA’sfourth senior living community inMissouri, joining the communities inFarmington, Fulton and Rolla.

In August 2012, PMMA announced plansfor a major repositioning of its Wichita Presbyterian

Manor campus. The project would encompass nearly two-thirds of the grounds by replacing existing independent livingcottages and the assisted living and health care areas with newbuildings, completed in two phases.

The first phase encompassed new assisted living apartmentsincluding 24 assisted living memory care suites and a new

health care neighborhoodwith dedicated short-term rehabilitation suitesand new common areasfor all levels of care. Theamenities include a newchapel, bistro, beautysalons for independent,assisted living and healthcare areas and a newkitchen for the entirecampus. The first phasewas completed in late2014 with health careresidents moving intotheir new building inNovember, and theassisted living residents

moving into their new residences inDecember.

Phase II of the repositioning of the Wichitacampus will include 90 independent livingapartments in a new three-story buildingknown as The Westerly. This second phasebegan in December 2014 with demolition ofthe previous health care and assisted living

buildings. The Westerly is slated to open in late 2015.

The first phase of Wichita Presbyterian new construction was completed in2014. The second phase is slated to open in late 2015.

Missouri gets new campus; Wichita campus is rebornThis month, we conclude our look at the history of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-Americaas we celebrate the organization’s 65th anniversary.

AberdeenHeights inKirkwood, Mo.sits on the siteof the formerSt. Joseph’sHospital.

money for special projects, often suggested andspearheaded by residents. A couple of months ago, for example Lawrence’s soft-serveice cream machine, donated to the campus 15 years ago,could no longer be repaired. So residents kicked off acampaign to raise the money for a replacement. In a matterof two weeks, they reached the $15,000 goal.

Planned giving“We promote gifts through wills and trusts as way forsomeone to ‘pay it forward,’” Shafer said. Wills and trustshave resulted in millions of dollars given to PMMA throughthe 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 Shaferat eshafer@pmma.org or call 800-336-8511.

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Presbyterian Manor3501 Dirr Ave.Parsons, KS 67357-2220

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Coming up in Community Matters:Community Matters will focus on Older American’s Month in anupcoming issue. The 2015 theme is “Getting into the Act.”

How were you involved in your community? Did you serve inpublic office or otherwise participate in civic government? Whatwas 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 communitynewsletter.

Tired of paper? Sign up to get our newsletter by email. Visit ParsonsPresbyterianManor.organd enter your email address in the box on the right.

Daylight savingtime beginsSunday, March 8.Be sure to “springforward” and setyour clocks aheadone hour.