All Hail the King & Queen

Wellspring King & Queen of Hearts: Mary Moss and Joe Costello

On Sunday, February 14th, Wellspring residents, friends, and families celebrated Valentine's Day with a spaghetti dinner and festive celebration that culminated in the crowing of our 2016 "King and Queen of Hearts."

When the votes were tallied, residents Mary Moss and Joe Costello were crowned. Congratulations to Mary and Joe, and thanks to all of those who came out to help us celebrate!

Artist in Residence:Mary Moss

Ninety-two-year-old Wellspring resident, Mary Moss is one spunky lady! Very active in our Connections program, she is a great lover of the arts, and has been kind enough to share some of her works with us here. A true painter at heart, Mary began her craft at the age of 25. "I stared with painting walls around the house," she shared, adding, "I suddenly felt like every wall needed a pop of color."

After painting her entire house, Mary decided that it was time to move on to something more challenging, and so she tried her hand at oil painting on canvas. "I've probably painted close to 50 pieces since then," she said. "My favorite things to paint are outdoor scenes with trees and waterfalls." The bridge picture above, she said, was something that she once saw in a photo and later painted from memory.

While she prefers to paint in solitude, Mary has become fond of creating with fellow Wellspring residents, including several pieces that will be displayed during our 2nd annual resident art auction on February 23 at 6:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

Music for the Heart

This Valentine's Day, the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra (PCO), The American Heart Association, Penn State Hershey, and Juniper Village at Brookline teamed up to present "Music for the Heart," a combination of lecture, concert, and celebration in honor of heart health in our area. The February 14th extravaganza began with Dr. Paul Haidet's lecture on the health benefits of music at Penn State's Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. Immediately following, was a collection of movements from Mahler's 5th Symphony, courtesy of the orchestra and choral group, the Concordia Singers. 

Later that afternoon, Juniper Village hosted approximately 100 concert-goers at a post-show reception in its Willows Dining Room. Guests were serenaded by vocal soloist Danya Katok and PCO's conductor, Yaniv Attar on guitar. A proceed of all concert tickets was donated to the American Heart Association. Juniper Village at Brookline is supporter of the Centre Region Heart Walk held each spring in State College.

February 2016 Events in State College, PA: Awaken Your Passion

In February we turn our Alive In All Seasons focus to art and invite you to awaken your passion with us. Leo Tolstoy defines the activity of art as “To evoke in oneself a feeling one has experienced, and... then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling.”

This month we will transmit our feelings using many different mediums to let other share in our experiences, feelings and passions. We will travel through art around the world and experience art as it is meant to be – inspirational and transformative. We will feel the cool breeze and smell the fragrant blossoms of Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France as we gaze upon In the Garden and the Water Lilies series. We will feel the angst of Vincent Van Gogh as we admire his passionate works such as Vase with Twelve Sunflowers and The Starry Night. We will also pour our passion into our own creations evoking memories of the past to share with the future.

Please join us on this journey as we visit local art museums and create our own art through weekly craft programs. Celebrate with us as we recognize Valentine’s Day with sweets for the sweet and Fat Tuesday foods and fun at our Mardi Gras party.

Our fabulous February 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care include our:

§  Art Therapy for Seniors informational dinner with Erin Carter featuring our Mardi Gras finest fare will grace the tables with favorites like Creole shrimp and grits and traditional King Cake on February 9^th at 5:30 pm. (Please RSVP to 814-235-2041.)

§  Sip and Paint event to unleash your inner artist and brush up on your painting techniques during this Happy Valley Sip and Paint event as we’ll relax and unwind with a Big Spring Spirits Distillery signature cocktail and traditional hors d’oeuvres, so create your very own masterpiece on canvas to take home and enjoy on February 19^th at 6:00 pm. (Please RSVP to 814-235-2041.)

§  Second Annual Resident Art Auction to benefit the Greater Pennsylvania chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Music and Memory program at Wellspring, as the residents provide various creations through different mediums, the community, family, friends and referrals are all invited to the auction to view and purchase original artwork, jewelry, and personalized clothing items, while sampling a wide spread of delicious hors d'oeuvres and refreshments on February 23^rd at 6:30 pm.

We look forward to sharing our February 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care with you as we Awaken Your Passion.

Mini THON!

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately known as THON, is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. Since 1977, THON has raised more than $127 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. THON 2016 is taking place from February 19th-21st at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. However, our residents at Wellspring won't be able to make it to the actual event, so we hosted our second-annual Dance MaraTHON (or mini-THON) on site!

This year, members of the PSU THON committee paid a special visit to Wellspring, as did family members and friends. Our residents danced for 30 minutes, hydrated, and then danced for 20 more minutes! Juniper Village at Brookline is also a corporate sponsor of this year's THON activities.

Dinner & Discussion with the PA Centre Orchestra

Karen Blair Brand, board vice president for the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, recently joined us for an evening of euphonious education, exploring the history of orchestral music and the Centre Orchestra. Accompanied by the trio of James Lyon, Kurt Kroeker and James Nackley, Blair Brand captivated the audience with everything from little known musical facts to the orchestra's upcoming season. During the presentation guests dined on a delightful chicken scaloppini dish prepared by senior living chef, Kris Kishbaugh.

The Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra is the only professional orchestra in Centre County. They perform an average of six concerts per season.

Robert Jackson Earns Juniper Spirit Award!

Resident Services associate, Robert Jackson received the first-ever Juniper Spirit Award at Brookline's Wellspring Memory Care. This bi-annual honor is awarded to associates who consistently go above and beyond in their work duties and facilitate positive team work, exemplifying the true spirit of the Juniper mission. Jackson, a Juniper associate in housekeeping for five years, says that his greatest reward is getting to interact with our residents on a daily basis. "It's what makes me want to come to work every day," he said, adding, "It just makes me happy to be here."

Executive director, Liz Plozner-Chalfa shared that Robert not only talks-the-talk, but also walks-the-walk when it comes to great resident care. "Robert is a true joy to work with and to be around," said Plozner-Chalfa. "He always has a smile on his face and a kind word for our residents, family members, and fellow associates. He is wonderful asset to our team!"

Congratulations, Robert!