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by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
Holland Home and other Providence communities often have guest rooms available for family members. Call the numbers listed at the end of this blog to find out specifics about current availability and pricing.
Want to take some of the stress out of your family’s holiday plans? Let Providence help! Many of our communities have guest rooms available that your out-of-towners can rent for incredibly reasonable rates.
For example, if your holiday travels include a stop in South Holland, Illinois, you can spend the night at Holland Home for only $40 (or $45 for two people). Believe it or not, that rate includes a hot breakfast in the dining room each morning! In addition, your room is equipped with a microwave, small refrigerator, and coffee, tea, and snacks, as well as a TV with DVD player to help you unwind at the end of a busy day.
In Michigan, the guest rooms at Royal Park Place are booked well in advance, so you may already be too late to reserve a room for this Thanksgiving or Christmas. But if you are planning to visit in the new year, call now to see what openings may be available. For $50 per night (or $30 per night if you stay more than one night), you can stay in a clean, comfortable, convenient room with microwave, refrigerator, two-burner stove, coffee maker, TV, and individual climate controls. Breakfast and lunch are not included in the room rate but both are available for an additional fee. And you can access the internet for free anywhere in the Royal Park Place lobby.
Staying with your loved one in a Providence community is affordable, comfortable, and convenient, but it’s also a great way to get a sense of the social opportunities and caring, Christian atmosphere that residents enjoy every day. You’ll meet your loved one’s friends and experience their schedule and taste the food and hear the conversations. It’s a great way to be reassured that they are participating in life as fully as possible.
If you think Providence Guest Rooms can enhance your holidays, call the numbers below to find out more specifics about availability and pricing. We’d love to have you as our guest! And if you have family members who need affordable, comfortable, convenient lodging during the holidays, please feel free to share this link with them!
Holland Home (South Holland, Illinois): (708) 596-3050
Royal Park Place (Zeeland, Michigan): (616) 772-2224
Village Woods (Crete, Illinois): (708) 672-6111
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
From left: Edna Schlemmer, Mary Callecod, Cosmo Merlini, and Ferol Redman, residents of Village Woods, have all celebrated 100 birthdays or more!
It’s a significant event for any Providence Life Services community to celebrate a resident’s 100th birthday. For Village Woods, our retirement community in Crete, Illinois, it’s almost become routine. Village Woods has four residents who have reached their century mark!
Edna Schlemmer turned 101 on September 22, 2010.
Mary Callecod will turn 101 on November 14, 2010.
Cosmo Merlini turned 102 on May 8, 2010.
Ferol Redman, the baby of the group, turned 100 on July 10, 2010.
Let’s get to know these four centenarians:
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Edna (Strand) Schlemmer (September 22, 1909)
Birthplace: Glenwood, Illinois
Education: Lorraine Grammar School and Bloom High School, where she took typing and General Business classes
Career: At the age of 16, Edna began working at an insurance company downtown.
Family: Edna married Norbert at age 26, and they had two children — Karen and Kenneth.
Church: She’s a 50-year member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Crete, Illinois.
Childhood hobby: Edna loved dancing at the “hot spots” in Cedar Lake, Indiana, and Beecher, Illinois.
Retirement hobby: Travel
Current hobby: Bridge
Edna moved into Village Woods in 1998. She loves the people, and she enjoys the activities because they give her opportunities to exercise and socialize.
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Mary (Collins) Callecod (November 14, 1909)
Birthplace: Momence, Illinois
Education: Lorraine Grammar School and Bloom High School
Career: During the war, Mary worked on the rationing board, passing out coupon books to local residents. When the rationing board closed, she began work at a furniture store before finally joining General Electric, where she worked for 23 years — at the switchboard, in shipping, doing inspections, or shuffling money in Accounts Payable. Mary retired at age 65.
Family: Mary married James in 1927, and they had four children — Betty, Norma, James Jr., and Robert.
Childhood hobbies: Listening to the radio, folk dancing, participating in the May Festival.
Retirement hobby: Travel, particularly with a number of senior groups. Mary helped start a senior group in South Chicago Heights, and she has been a member for over 50 years. She still attends meetings twice a month.
Current hobbies: Mingling with friends, playing bingo, working on her computer, emailing family, and playing Rummikub
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Cosmo Merlini (May 8, 1908)
Birthplace: Chicago Heights, Illinois
Education: Franklin School, until seventh grade, when he began his working career
Career: Cosmo originally went to work at a small handle shop that made handles for hammers, drawers, and anything else that people needed to grab. When the handle shop closed three years later, Cosmo thought he could make good money on the golf course in Olympia Fields, caddying for the millionaires. He often walked the five miles to and from the course, though sometimes he was able to hitch a ride. When his uncle told him about a job at a furniture store, Cosmo began working in the upholstery department as an apprentice. He learned every phase of the upholstery business, which equipped him well to start his own business, Built Right Furniture. Cosmo ran this business successfully until he was drafted in the early 1940s and had to close his store to join the Army.
Family: Cosmo married Dinah Falcioni after the war, and they had a daughter, Genevieve.
Retirement hobby: Cosmo re-opened his furniture business after the war and didn’t retire until moving to Village Woods!
Current hobby: He still enjoys working with his hands, and he often makes trays or small wooden pieces for his fellow residents at Village Woods. He also enjoys playing bingo, socializing, and going to the store.
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Ferol Redman (July 10, 1910)
Birthplace: Chicago Heights, Illinois
Education: Bloom High School
Career: Ferol worked as a secretary for Tile-Tex, a floor and wall tile company. She used the income to care for her mother and grandmother, both of whom lived into their 90s.
Family: Ferol was married for only four years when her husband suffered a fatal heart attack. They had no children. Ferol says she had opportunities to re-marry, but she chose not to, so she could focus on caring for her mother and grandmother, who had no income of their own.
Retirement: Ferol retired from Tile-Tex in 1975, and her mother passed away in 1980. So Ferol decided to move into a retirement complex with other people her age. But thinking ahead, she realized she might need assistance one day, so she moved to Village Woods. She enjoys celebrating with friends, setting her own schedule, and having help available to haul her laundry and detergent to the laundry room each week.
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The Bible tells us, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12) Reading about these four centenarians, it is clear that they have a wisdom refined through years of both joys and sorrows, and an understanding enriched by selflessness, perseverance, and personal sacrifice.
Edna, Mary, Cosmo, and Ferol, it’s an honor to know you!
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guest blog by Ellie Bazuin, resident of the Fairways of Village Woods
Ellie Bazuin has been Rev. Archie Bazuin's ministry partner and life partner for 60 years.
How do you prepare to be a minister’s wife? When I left for college, my dad advised me not to marry a preacher. He had heard it was a difficult life. Well, I didn’t marry just any preacher. I married Archie, and we went into the ministry together. It has been a wonderful life.
In our first church, Archie worked hard to prepare two new sermons each week. Since he was new in the area, he often was invited to speak at “Mission Fests.” I was busy with babies and homemaking and out-of-town guests. All in all, I didn’t have to “do” much for our people in that church; they “did” for us. They were wonderful cooks — I think each family tried to outdo the others whenever they invited us to dinner! People were always available to babysit for us, and they showered us with gifts — from meat, to fresh-baked pies, to a tiny puppy!
Our next church is where I learned about the emotional work that ministry demands. It was hot and muggy in that Mississippi river town, and many days involved a lot of physical labor on the homefront. I remember spending one summer day cleaning, scrubbing, and perspiring — I was tired! And then Archie came home from a day of visiting widows and shut-ins (there were 32 of them), and he said he was tired. I thought, “You’re tired? I worked!” At Christmastime he invited me to join him when he made his visits. It took us two days to visit them all, and by the end, I understood! I was really tired!
Then we moved to Denver, Colorado, for a very enjoyable season of ministry. The huge, new parsonage was a dream. My favorite aunt lived a block away. We loved the mountains. The children were happy. And our church grew. We set up chairs when the pews were full, then put a TV screen in the basement for the overflow crowd. It was exciting and busy — and then (suddenly, I thought) Archie felt the Lord was calling him elsewhere. I was stunned. He hadn’t shared anything about being unhappy with his work. Of course, I also hadn’t shared my grief at the loss of our stillborn baby boy. For a while, we seemed to stay emotionally distant from each other. It was a hard time.
But we moved (somewhat begrudgingly) to Indiana, where Archie was excited about his new church, Munster Christian Reformed Church. I was unhappy. He was very involved in projects, programs, and preaching — and I was trying to help our children through some difficult teenage years. It seemed we had an unwritten rule that Archie would put the church first, and I would put the family first. I did a lot of crying and praying and losing sleep. Feeling completely lost one night, I gave the children to the Lord and promised Him I would work for Him in exchange.
Around that time, D. James Kennedy and Coral Ridge Ministries started the “Evangelism Explosion.” Our church signed on, and I was hooked. Coffee Break was just the beginning, and I jumped in with both feet. I became the director of that program at our church, and it grew from 20 to 120 women, as many Coffee Break programs around the country did during that time. It was an exciting time to be used by God!
The church I didn’t want to go to became the one I didn’t want to leave! It was there I found my voice and my ministry strengths. Archie and I were in service together, and it was exciting.
But after 30 years there, retirement began to sound good to me, and we said goodbye to Munster and moved in to the Fairways at Village Woods. I loved the freedom, but Archie missed the people, the ringing phone, the doorbell. He wondered what the Lord would have for him next.
As always, God had a plan. Soon after we moved in, Village Woods needed a Chaplain, and they asked Archie if he would be willing to spend some of his retirement time serving them. He quickly agreed.
Archie appreciates making connections with the residents and their families — without the same type of pressure that a church pastorate demands. I’m not sharing the ministry with him the same way I was at our previous churches, but I’m surrounded by friends and other opportunities for service.
Our loving Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need. Looking back over 60 years of ministry, I can see the truth of His promise in Jeremiah 29: 11 —
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Amen! There’s no such thing as retirement from the Lord’s service! And I’m glad He is still able to use us. Our God is so good.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
Village Woods, the Providence Life Services community in Crete, Illinois, is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. At an Open House on a rainy Saturday in September, people mingled and shared stories about what makes a “community.” The photos, captions, and video below will give you a glimpse of not only the 30th anniversary celebration, but also the history and people whom God brings together to form a Christian community.
The Village Woods building was originally a Holiday Inn. In the late 1970s, the Balmoral Woods Country Club took ownership of it, and it was known briefly as the Balmoral Inn or the Balmoral Woods Inn (although most people continued to refer to it as the Holiday Inn).
In 1980, Don Mortell (center) of the Balmoral Woods Country Club, signed the building over to Rest Haven, and we began transforming it into a Christian community for seniors.
Carol Novak actually worked at the building while it was still the Balmoral Inn. At the time Rest Haven bought it, banquets and retreats were a primary part of the ministry, and Cindy stayed on to manage that. Today, 32 years later, she's still on the Dining Services team, ministering directly to residents. "It's nice to have a job where you can help people," she says. "And it's nice to work with a good team of people, people who want to make a difference."
Art Ruiter (far left) was Administrator at Village Woods for 18 years, retiring in 2005. He took advantage of the Open House to spend time with family and friends. In the photo above, he greets Rich and Linda Schutt (far right), and Linda's father, Bob Vanderbilt (second from left).
Marilyn Clarke has lived at Village Woods for 24 years, longer than anyone else. She is 94 years old and still enjoys a good party. Click on the photo to learn more about Marilyn from the blog we posted last year: "Short and Sweet."
At the other end of the spectrum is Maggie Diehl, who moved in just three months ago and is already appreciating the sense of genuine community she experiences. "It's really a nice place," she says. "The people are just wonderful."
Elton Schoon shared some fond memories of his time as a member of the Chicago Bulls' Swingin' Seniors dance team. Click the photo to view one of the YouTube videos about the Village Woods team.
Guests were treated to a grand display of appetizers and special dishes prepared by Chef Kevin Risner and his team. Click the photo to view the blog we posted about Chef Kevin earlier this year.
Harpist Jennifer Ruggieri, of Roosevelt University, set an elegant mood with her classical rendition of recognizable melodies.
In the East Dining Room, Jeffery Deutch entertained the crowd with piano music and humor.
CEO Richard Schutt attended the event and shared his memories of various events that helped transform a rural hotel into a genuine community. Click the video below to hear some of the stories he shared.
To view more photos of the Open House, visit the Village Woods Facebook page! If you were at the Open House, or if you have other memories of Village Woods, will you share a comment below or write on the Village Woods Facebook wall? We’d love to hear from you!
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
Cami Barreto leads a water aerobics class for Crete (Illinois) residents at the Village Woods pool.
Water aerobics offer a full-body workout that is low-impact enough for people who suffer from joint problems, arthritis, or muscle loss. At Village Woods, our retirement community in Crete, Illinois, Fitness Specialist Cami Barreto leads classes every weekday at 10:30am. Up to 20 seniors laugh together while stretching, twisting, and splashing in the pool.
The class is not limited to Village Woods residents. Part of Providence Life Services’ philosophy of ministry is for each of our communities to be a blessing in the greater community. (See “Fine Dining” for another example of this philosophy in action at Village Woods.) Because the Crete, Illinois, Park District does not have a pool, we have opened up the Village Woods pool to anyone who buys a pool pass (good from Memorial Day through Labor Day each summer).
View the video below to see how fun senior fitness can be!
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
“Visionary.” “Cutting-edge.” “Technologically savvy.” These are not usually the first phrases used when someone is describing a senior living community. More often, the people we serve want to be assured of tradition, familiarity, and community.
But Providence Life Services believes that visionary technology and traditional community do not have to be an either/or choice. Instead, we are using technology to enhance community.
For example, all of our locations — retirement living, assisted living, and skilled nursing — have a Facebook page. Staff at each location post news and photos that give people a sense of what life is like at that community. Birthday parties, Wii tournaments, chapel services, visits from local legislators — all these and more are highlighted.
Families are loving it.
“Wow!! This site is great,” wrote one family member on the Royal Park Place Facebook page. “Now I can talk to my father-in-law about the pictures we have seen, since we live in Florida and have not been [to his retirement community] yet.”
A young family in San Antonio, Texas, has used the Village Woods Facebook page to keep in touch with their grandmother, Helen. Via Facebook they have shared photos of their involvement in a 5K race to raise money for the American Lung Association, announced the upcoming arrival of Helen’s 100th grandchild, and posted photos of their three dogs. Village Woods staff print the family’s photos and announcements and deliver them to Helen, who loves being connected across the country this way.
Families are also using Facebook to express appreciation for the Providence staff who faithfully care for the residents. During National Nurses Week, our pages were filled with comments like this one from a Holland Home family member:
“My mom lives on the second floor. Any time she has needed more care, the nurses at Holland Home have been so wonderful…!!!! Everyone there is so nice…and it is so comforting to know that my mom is in such a caring place. She just loves it there. And I want to say Thank You all for what you do. It is so important, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Providence is even beginning to attract the attention of other senior living experts who want to understand the thinking behind our use of Facebook and other social media. Debra Sheridan, President of IVY Marketing, a consulting firm that specializes in the senior living industry, posted this article about Providence several weeks ago. And our participation in a “Social Media Insights” panel gave us an opportunity to help other retirement communities who are unsure about how to use tools like Facebook, blogging, Twitter, and YouTube.
Want to find us on Facebook? The links to all of our communities are included below. We hope you’ll “like” our pages, and interact with the information and photos we post. After all, that kind of interaction is what real community is all about!
In fact, if you have a favorite Providence community, forward its Facebook link to all your friends, and see which community can attract the most “likes”!
Find us on Facebook:
Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center
• of Downers Grove
• of Palos Heights
• of South Holland
• of Zeeland
Providence Life Services (corporate office)
Chef Kevin Risner displays the packaging system that makes Feed Our Own such a convenient program for Washington Township residents.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
You might think Mark Trnka’s 30 years of experience in the food industry is what most qualifies him to lead Providence’s dining services. But it’s simpler than that. “I love to eat!” he laughs. And he wants other people to love it, too.
Mark empowers the dining staff at each Providence location with the flexibility they need to meet the needs of their community. This flexibility is essential because each of our communities is distinctly local.
Providence also believes it’s important for our communities to contribute to the life of the greater community where they are located. So when Chef Kevin Risner of Village Woods expressed interest in starting a new service for neighboring Washington Township, Illinois, Mark fully supported him.
The program is called Feed Our Own, and it is similar to the existing Meals On Wheels program that services the area’s lower-income seniors, though Chef Kevin explains, “We do similar things, but we are very different.” Kevin won the Township’s vote to support Feed Our Own when he brought sample meals to a board meeting to demonstrate the nutritional quality and the convenient packaging. The meals use fresh ingredients and follow ADA guidelines. Plus, they’re delicious!
The Feed Our Own program follows the same menu cycle that Village Woods uses. The Township pays Village Woods for the service, and Township volunteers coordinate sign-ups, drivers, and distribution routes, so the strain on Village Woods dining staff is minimal.
Most important to Kevin, the program is a way to be a blessing. “This will provide a needed service to our community,” he says. “It will serve people who otherwise would not have a nourishing meal or a healthy diet because of financial, physical, or mental limitations that also exclude them from conventional aid.” Not only does Feed Our Own deliver nutritional meals, it also serves as a well-being check: the volunteer drivers who deliver the meals will use the opportunity to make sure the recipients are healthy and safe.
“The Feed Our Own program is another way for us to live that promise to be ‘With You, for You,’” says Mark. “I’m really proud of what Kevin has done with the idea. He’s extending community beyond the walls of Village Woods!”
Kevin has already received some kudos for his work — he was mentioned in a blog by Peggy Mullan, who visited Providence Life Services a couple weeks ago and learned about Feed Our Own. The blog she posted is pretty long, and we don’t get mentioned until the second half, so keep reading to the end!
If you’d like to post your own encouragements to Chef Kevin and the dining staff at Village Woods, feel free to leave a comment below, and we’ll make sure they receive it!
[tweetmeme source=”provlife” only_single=false]
guest post by Rev. Archie Bazuin, Village Woods Chaplain
Archie Bazuin serves as Chaplain of Village Woods, a Providence Life Services community in Crete, Illinois.
No one can compare to Jesus when it comes to preaching and teaching. Even being nailed to a cross could not silence Jesus. While hanging from that cross, He preached from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon. He gave a sermon with seven points, and between each He gave long pauses for careful reflection on what He had said. Let’s look at His sermon:
In His first word from the cross, Jesus teaches us how to deal with those who mistreat us. He says a prayer to His Father for His tormentors: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) If that would be our practice as individuals — and even nations — how different our world would be.
Next He teaches us how to handle the outcasts of society: never consider anyone beyond the scope of God’s grace. A scoundrel hanging on a cross next to Jesus had one request — “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus tells him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
A little while later, Jesus teaches us how to be concerned about each other. He sees His widowed mother and His beloved disciple John at the foot of His cross. He says, “John, behold your mother,” and “Woman, behold your son.” (John 19:25–27) All of Jesus’ followers are family and must treat each other so.
Three hours pass before Jesus speaks again. During that time the sun disappears, and the earth is shaken. It is as if the God of all light has withdrawn from the earth, and our Savior experiences what all people without God will experience — an awful loneliness with no one to care. At the peak of His agony, Jesus calls out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:33–39) And then the sun breaks through. Call out to God when you are at the end of your strength, and He will lift you up.
The fifth word shows how human Jesus was. Bone dry and thirsty, He needed to be energized for His final shout of victory. He calls to those who had grossly mistreated Him, “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
Then Jesus musters up all His energy and proclaims, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Jesus had come to reconcile fallen man with the Holy Creator God, and that was accomplished.
Finally, Jesus concludes His message to us by giving Himself back to the One who had sent Him here: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
What a sermon! But it was not over yet. The Angel finished it on Sunday morning, the first Easter, when he stood out in front of the empty tomb and proclaimed, “He is not here! He has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Glimpses of Providence 