St. Ann Center has a monthly birthday party for our adult clients and children who have a birthday in that perspective month. We provide a lunch with decorations, cake, and great company. The children and adults blow birthday favors at one another and color birthday placemats together. Happy Birthday is sung to one and all. What a great time they have together.
This month we had a frail adult client ask her caregiver if St. Ann's still held those special birthday parties as she was in attendance last year and had such a great time and wanted to attend this year's.
It's the little things that we do that can sometimes make the most impact.
There is something to be said to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Why provide intergenerational experiences?
Erik Erikson, psychologist, developed a theory called Generativity. The theory basically has the premise that society must have a necessary transmission of life experiences from elders to younger generations. It is required in adulthood to prevent stagnation.
St. Ann Center believes strongly in bringing the generations together on a consistent basis. The children can learn from frail elders and individuals that are coping with disabilities to break down stereotypes, give children a broader sense of the world, have a greater appreciation for all forms of life and to feel needed and useful. The adults gain a greater opportunity to be influential in teaching children in their early years and to feel needed and useful. Hmmm, feeling needed and useful, that is a universal need that we all have as human beings.
This theory makes perfect sense, but in this fast-paced, drive-thru society how can we make this happen? We don't all have built in opportunities to bring adults and children together. This may require some thinking outside the box. Look to your community, does your community have a senior center and a child care center or school. How can they come together for a regular type of opportunity? Is there something within your church that can bring elders and the young together for a sharing opportunity. Do you have a scout group or another community group where you can champion intergenerational opportunities within your community?
We need more from society than to live in gated, vacuum communities. We need to be able to share and transmit to the next generation for life to really continue and be vital.
St. Ann Center believes strongly in bringing the generations together on a consistent basis. The children can learn from frail elders and individuals that are coping with disabilities to break down stereotypes, give children a broader sense of the world, have a greater appreciation for all forms of life and to feel needed and useful. The adults gain a greater opportunity to be influential in teaching children in their early years and to feel needed and useful. Hmmm, feeling needed and useful, that is a universal need that we all have as human beings.
This theory makes perfect sense, but in this fast-paced, drive-thru society how can we make this happen? We don't all have built in opportunities to bring adults and children together. This may require some thinking outside the box. Look to your community, does your community have a senior center and a child care center or school. How can they come together for a regular type of opportunity? Is there something within your church that can bring elders and the young together for a sharing opportunity. Do you have a scout group or another community group where you can champion intergenerational opportunities within your community?
We need more from society than to live in gated, vacuum communities. We need to be able to share and transmit to the next generation for life to really continue and be vital.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
St. Ann Center is announced as the Generations United/Met Life Foundation Intergenerational Shared Site Best Practices Award
St. Ann Center was chosen for a national award from Generations United from a large pool of applicants for the Shared Site Best Practices Award. The award will be accepted by the Intergenerational Director, Leslie Henry and St. Ann Center President, Sr. Edna Lonergan on Thursday July 30th, 2009, at the 15th Biennial International Generations United Conference in Washington D.C. St. Ann Center was also invited to participate in a poster session highlighting their intergenerational programs on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 in a poster and Networking Opening session to the conference.
Friday, April 3, 2009
"Love Knows No Age"
The traditional motto of St. Ann Center has been "Love knows no age." This refers of course to its unique intergenerational approach to day services for children, frail elderly and adults with disabilities.
However, it also refers just as aptly to our volunteer friends next door at St. Francis Convent and Clare Hall–the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi who are retired but by no means ready to sit back and let the world go by. They are determined to continue serving in the same spirit that has characterized their entire lives as followers of St. Francis and St. Clare.
Several of these dedicated sisters walk or drive in all kinds of weather to St. Ann's several times a week to help with tasks that make it the unique place of service and hospitality that it is for the young, old and in-between who come for day service, therapy, bathing or just a human touch.
Sr. Ancille Horgan dispenses her gentle, personal warmth in the smoothy bar loated in the new section that includes the respite center, hair and nail salon and outpatient rehabilitation. She also helps the clients with their food at mealtime.
Sr. Verna Kayser, Sr. Rose Marie Kruse and Sr. Jeanne d'Arc Omilan patiently and carefully sort, clean and repair the gently used, vintage jewelry that has been donated to St. Ann's for resale.
Sr. Lenore Steilen enjoys (and she will tell you this) creating delicious baked goods for the Café and all of St. Ann's events and sales on and off site. She even had an article in the Journal Sentinel a while back featuring her baking skills and cookies.
Sr. Clara Styger works with patience, skill and wit as a therapy assistant in outpatient rehabilitation. She helps clients in a special program called restorative therapy that enables those whose insurance has run out to continue their progress.
Sr. Leonette Gertner helps quietly but with that special gift of joy "behind the scenes" preparing and packaging soup mixes and other items for the gift shop. She also pitches in with special mailings from time to time.
Other sisters who help in additional ways are: Sr. Bernadette Garbian who provides the gift of music, Sr. Philip Neri who assists at Shepherd House–our special facility for people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and Sr. Lucille Pritzl who serves in the Seasons of Life.
Their wonderful hands-on service goes well beyond the physical things they do, as each of them shares her unique brand of Franciscan spirit with clients, staff and visitors. These sisters could be doing other things with their retirement–and many serve in other places and causes as well–but they also come to St. Ann's to give of their time and skills to better the lives of others. So what has changed in the lives they have always dedicated as Sisters? It's true, they no longer are in teaching, nursing or administrative positions, but they continue to serve with real Franciscan spirit. They have much to give–and give it–as those who are benefit from their service know first hand. And beyond that, all of us at St. Ann's are immeasurably enriched, by their presence and, yes, their prayers!
As one leader of a charitable cause expressed it recently:
"If you can find the time–and you can–volunteering is a wonderful way to help us help so many others. When you volunteer your time and talents, you free up precious staff time and resources we can redirect to other areas of need. And as a volunteer, you get as good as you give, making new friends and expanding your horizons. And, of course, there's the pleasure, unlike any other, of helping someone in need."
From grateful clients and staff, thank you, to our volunteer sisters!
The traditional motto of St. Ann Center has been "Love knows no age." This refers of course to its unique intergenerational approach to day services for children, frail elderly and adults with disabilities.
However, it also refers just as aptly to our volunteer friends next door at St. Francis Convent and Clare Hall–the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi who are retired but by no means ready to sit back and let the world go by. They are determined to continue serving in the same spirit that has characterized their entire lives as followers of St. Francis and St. Clare.
Several of these dedicated sisters walk or drive in all kinds of weather to St. Ann's several times a week to help with tasks that make it the unique place of service and hospitality that it is for the young, old and in-between who come for day service, therapy, bathing or just a human touch.
Sr. Ancille Horgan dispenses her gentle, personal warmth in the smoothy bar loated in the new section that includes the respite center, hair and nail salon and outpatient rehabilitation. She also helps the clients with their food at mealtime.
Sr. Verna Kayser, Sr. Rose Marie Kruse and Sr. Jeanne d'Arc Omilan patiently and carefully sort, clean and repair the gently used, vintage jewelry that has been donated to St. Ann's for resale.
Sr. Lenore Steilen enjoys (and she will tell you this) creating delicious baked goods for the Café and all of St. Ann's events and sales on and off site. She even had an article in the Journal Sentinel a while back featuring her baking skills and cookies.
Sr. Clara Styger works with patience, skill and wit as a therapy assistant in outpatient rehabilitation. She helps clients in a special program called restorative therapy that enables those whose insurance has run out to continue their progress.
Sr. Leonette Gertner helps quietly but with that special gift of joy "behind the scenes" preparing and packaging soup mixes and other items for the gift shop. She also pitches in with special mailings from time to time.
Other sisters who help in additional ways are: Sr. Bernadette Garbian who provides the gift of music, Sr. Philip Neri who assists at Shepherd House–our special facility for people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and Sr. Lucille Pritzl who serves in the Seasons of Life.
Their wonderful hands-on service goes well beyond the physical things they do, as each of them shares her unique brand of Franciscan spirit with clients, staff and visitors. These sisters could be doing other things with their retirement–and many serve in other places and causes as well–but they also come to St. Ann's to give of their time and skills to better the lives of others. So what has changed in the lives they have always dedicated as Sisters? It's true, they no longer are in teaching, nursing or administrative positions, but they continue to serve with real Franciscan spirit. They have much to give–and give it–as those who are benefit from their service know first hand. And beyond that, all of us at St. Ann's are immeasurably enriched, by their presence and, yes, their prayers!
As one leader of a charitable cause expressed it recently:
"If you can find the time–and you can–volunteering is a wonderful way to help us help so many others. When you volunteer your time and talents, you free up precious staff time and resources we can redirect to other areas of need. And as a volunteer, you get as good as you give, making new friends and expanding your horizons. And, of course, there's the pleasure, unlike any other, of helping someone in need."
From grateful clients and staff, thank you, to our volunteer sisters!
Recycling Ventures at St. Ann Center
I’m sure we all heard the terms “greening” or “go-green.” At St. Ann Center we are very conscious of what we as individuals can do to adopt and promote a healthy living and working environment. Since the beginning of our 25th anniversary year we have taken the initiative to promote a “greener” environment in our workplace. We started using environmentally safe cleaners, changed our light bulbs, removed Styrofoam from our café, and are trying diligently to recycle paper, cans and plastic. We’ve even started a wellness program for employees. We are a long way from being a truly “green” workplace, but we are headed in the right direction.
We belong to an organization called Green Nonprofits. As an organization we have dedicated ourselves to become more aware and to practice and promote a healthy environment. We have begun to adopt environmentally-friendly practices within our organization. Our next step now is to advocate environmentally-friendly practices to our community. We want to learn and take responsibility for the impact we individually make on the environment.
I love the story of the little girl who is walking on the beach with her father and she keeps bending down and throwing starfish back into the ocean. After watching her for quite some time her father finally says, “you know you can’t save all the starfish, it really doesn’t matter if you throw them back into the ocean or not.” And the little girl wisely responds, “well, it matters to this one!” and she throws the starfish back into the waves.
Recycling, in particular, may seem like a waste of our time, especially when we see so many people who do not recycle. Change can happen, even if its one person at a time.
We belong to an organization called Green Nonprofits. As an organization we have dedicated ourselves to become more aware and to practice and promote a healthy environment. We have begun to adopt environmentally-friendly practices within our organization. Our next step now is to advocate environmentally-friendly practices to our community. We want to learn and take responsibility for the impact we individually make on the environment.
I love the story of the little girl who is walking on the beach with her father and she keeps bending down and throwing starfish back into the ocean. After watching her for quite some time her father finally says, “you know you can’t save all the starfish, it really doesn’t matter if you throw them back into the ocean or not.” And the little girl wisely responds, “well, it matters to this one!” and she throws the starfish back into the waves.
Recycling, in particular, may seem like a waste of our time, especially when we see so many people who do not recycle. Change can happen, even if its one person at a time.
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