Nurturing the Spirit of FUN

Juniper Village at Brookline celebrated its 2nd Anniversary in style with a week dedicated to Staff Appreciation. Staff were informed the week prior to dress in certain themes for each day of this week of fun. On Monday, staff had the choice to dress in Juniper giraffe apparel or any giraffe themed clothing and accessories. Many residents also carried on this theme and took part in the afternoon ice cream social. Sports day followed on Tuesday and staff chose their team colors to show off during the day. The community was flooded with town-favorite, Blue & White, but scattered throughout was Silver and Green (Philadelphia Eagles) along with Black and Gold (Pittsburg Stealers.) Wednesday was decorated in a Hawaiian theme and staff & residents were treated to a lunch of Hawaiian fare with an afternoon Pina Colada mocktail. Thursday was the day to pull out the old poodle skirts and leg warmers, for Decades Day. Residents enjoyed an afternoon activity of watching staff compete in the Just Dance Wii game followed by treats of tie-dyed cupcakes made by the Juniper dining staff. To end the week, an all-day carnival was held in the Pines front lawn, complete with cotton candy, a bounce house, and dunk tank. Residents, family members, and staff watched throughout the day as different leadership team members voluntarily sat in the dunk tank waiting to take the plunge! Many smiles, laughs, and hugs were shared in a week where staff felt love and appreciation for all the work they do each day at Juniper.

Welcome Katie!

Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care is very excited to welcome Katie Kensinger to their Leadership Team. Katie joined the Juniper family in June as the Senior Director of Community Relations for Wellspring. Katie, at native of Martinsburg, PA, comes to Juniper with eleven years of marketing experience in the industry of senior care services. She earned her degree in Marketing and Strategic Management at Juniata College and moved to the State College area six years ago. Outside of work, Katie volunteers in the community and her passion is in musical theatre and dance.  She is active both on and off the stage with theatre companies throughout the region. In June, Katie performed at the State Theatre as Janet Van de Graff in the The Drowsy Chaperone, but her favorite role was playing Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls. When not balancing work and rehearsal schedules, Katie enjoys hiking and watching her favorite baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. With her bright smile and warm personality, Katie has quickly become a great asset to Wellspring as well as the entire Juniper Village at Brookline campus. Welcome Katie!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Juniper Village at Brookline has a long history, a 25 year history to be exact, of celebrating Independence Day in style. In keeping with tradition, the weekend prior to the Fourth of July, Juniper Village at Brookline hosts an annual Resident and Family Picnic. Such a picnic isn't complete without professionally installed circus tents, tables and chairs set for 600, the local Lions Club roasting chicken, The Deacons of Dixieland band, and locally made ice cream.  In addition to the chicken and ice cream, guests enjoyed traditional picnic foods of hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit salad, chips, potato salad, cherry and apple pie, and assorted beverages.

To add flair to the festivities, all staff dressed in reds, whites, and blues. Those in attendance enjoyed some new attractions this year including free caricatures by local artist Chip Mock, a beer truck, and chalk drawings. The weather was perfect for this years' picnic and residents from all Juniper Village at Brookline buildings enjoyed the day with their family and staff. One lucky attendee went home with a hand-made crocheted American Flag blanket made by Juniper Village at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Executive Director, Kathy Russell.

The Family Picnic is yet another way for staff and residents to celebrate good times together.

July 2016 Events in State College, PA: Stand in Integrity

Ah...the good old summer time filled with lazy, sunny days, ice cold treats, Independence Day celebrations, and get-togethers at the beach. Another sure indication of summer is our Alive in All Seasons theme of Volunteerism.

July is the perfect month to honor all of the many volunteers who contribute thousands of hours of time in service to our communities. From our four-legged volunteers to those of the two legged variety we are proud to say we receive more than 10,000 hours of precious time each year. We simply could not do it without all of your help, and this month we honor you. We will also be promoting the spirit of volunteerism by volunteering our time to help others. If you have some spare time on your hands consider joining us for a volunteer activity or better yet volunteer your time with us, we’d love to have you. What qualities make a good volunteer? Energy, passion, flexibility, creativity, reliability, commitment and perhaps most important of all – integrity.

Volunteerism benefits all parties involved. In addition to making new friends, volunteering also helps increase your self-confidence, provides a sense of purpose, combats depression and helps you stay physically healthy. Helping others also kindles happiness, as the London School of Economics found the more people volunteered, the happier they were.

In addition to volunteering opportunities, plan to join us during July for our summer celebrations and share our thanks as we honor those who Stand In Integrity with us.

Our fabulous July 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Rehab and Skilled Care include our:

§  AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE as we team up with the American Red Cross to host yet another blood drive open to Juniper staff, family, friends and the greater community because with a great turn out in previous blood drives, this collaboration had to make another debut, and with each donation, the American Red Cross can save up to three lives, so we encourage you to stop on by on July 13^th from 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm. (Sign up at www.redcrossblood.org or call 814.235.2005.)

§  MILES FOR MEMORY our 2nd annual fundraising event where participants are encouraged to walk or run at their own pace to raise awareness and funds for our Skilled Nursing Facility’s Music and Memory program, so track your laps and be eligible for prizes and giveaways with light refreshments served on July 19^th with registration at 9:00 am and kick-off at 10:00 am. (No reservations required.)

§  THANK YOU FIRST RESPONDERS COOK OUT as you and your family are invited to a fun-filled afternoon with your local first responders; climb inside a fire truck and learn all about these great volunteers that keep our community safe while we enjoy grilled hot dogs, cool Rita’s Italian Ice and other yummy treats on July 30^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. (No reservations required.)

We look forward to sharing our July 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Rehab and Skilled Care with you as you Stand in Integrity.