Here comes Peter Cottontail...

With Easter right around the corner, the big guy himself made a recent visit to our friends at Wellspring. The Easter Bunny or "E.B" as we call him, hopped through the front door at 610 W. Whitehall Road, and residents and associates alike were hot on his trail.

E.B. joined us for some holiday goodies, and a few photo opportunities, reminding us that Spring is less than a week away! Be sure and join us for our Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza on Sunday, March 20th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Call 814-234-3141 to RSVP or for more information. We hope to see you there!

March 2016 Events in State College, PA: Your Treasure is Within

As we bring down the curtain on our Creative Expressions series we focus this month on Drama. Juliette Binoche said, “I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower.”

Through dramatic performance we are able to forget about ourselves while becoming someone else, if only for a moment. We can be transported to another time, another place and another way of thinking. With all of our inhibitions set aside we focus this month on breaking out of our shells to share a bit of ourselves with wild abandon through our weekly drama clubs which will culminate in a fantastic performance or reading of dramatic prose. We invite you to join us in this enlightening journey of self-discovery through the magic of theater this month. We will also be attending theatrical performances around town, where we can let our inner critic loose. One last opportunity to become someone else is offered during our Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, where everyone can be Irish for the day. Join us as we feast on traditional Irish foods such as corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, shepherd’s pie and more! Lastly, March would not be complete without honoring the dramatic achievements of others with our own Oscar Party. This month we invite you to let your inner star shine at Juniper Village.

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

§  Belly Dance Performance with one of our favorite local artists who will share her passion and pride with us on March 22^nd at 2:00 pm.

§  Penn State Hershey Lunch and Learn Colon Health with Erin Keen, RN, as she tackles the very important topics of colon health and colon cancer awareness, 

while we provide a light lunch on March 24th at 6:30 pm.

§  Irish Dance Showcase for an Irish extravaganza as we feature the PSU Rince na Leon dancer and local bagpiper, Tracey Moriarty with Irish-themed snacks, including Guinness beer bread, Reuben dip, and traditional Irish themed beverages will be on tap on March 30th at 6:00 pm. 

We look forward to sharing our March 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care with you as Your Treasure is Within.

The Art of Fundraising

For the second year in a row, Wellspring's resident art auction was a huge success! Over the last several months, resident artists have been working on a variety of projects including individual and group paintings, tie dye T-shirts, painted mugs, and more. Resident friends and families, Juniper associates, and State College area community members joined in for a fun evening of bidding and noshing on fine food and drink, all of which culminated in more than $600 raised for the Greater PA chapter of the Alzheimer's Association!

Pictured above (clockwise from top left) is resident artist, Lois Snavely; Deb Glenny, Director of Wellness; some of the works in this year's auction; custom-dyed shirts; and Mary Moss, resident artist. 

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.