Honoring the Rich Tradition of Volunteerism at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes
Dedicated volunteers by the hundreds routinely help out at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes in Chisago City, Minn., and last week the community honored them for their service with a lunch and award ceremony.
“The special people you care for can’t always thank you themselves, so as an organization, we’d like to say ‘Thank you’ for all you do!” said Mara Krinke, community outreach coordinator, in greeting the luncheon guests.
Ecumen Parmly LifePointes has about 350 active volunteers who have given more than 9,700 hours of service in the past year.
“Parmly’s rich history of 110 years can’t be talked about without mentioning the many contributions of volunteers,” said Executive Director Frank Robinson. “Your dedication and gift of time is critical to making a difference in so many lives and supporting our mission of ‘creating home for older adults, wherever they choose to live.’”
The top award is the Phyllis Lindquist Volunteer of the Year Award, named for an outstanding volunteer and later resident who gave her time for 55 years and was the first Volunteer of the Year. This year the award was given to four individuals: Jane Iverson, Virgi Johnson, Faye VanHorn and Jacob Frischmon.
Also, service awards were given from the President’s National Council of Service and Civic Participation, established in 2003 as a way to recognize the valuable contributions of volunteers and to encourage more people to serve. Recipients received a service pin, a personalized certificate of appreciation and a letter from President Obama.
Lifetime Achievement service awards went to Karen Gustafson and Faye VanHorn for giving 4,000 or more hours in a lifetime.
Gold Award winners for 500 or more hours of service in a year were Jacob Frischmon, George Pokorny Sr., and Carmen Ihlenfeldt.
Silver Award winners for 250-499 hours were Richard Carlson, Anne Henzlik, Elaine Schumacher and Greg Whitney.
Bronze Award Winners for 100 to 249 hours were Faith Boston, Bob Butte, Nancy Butte, Gail Gaustad, Heidi Gieske, Jeanne Hajnasiewicz, Richard Helgreson, Eileen Hoffman, Jane Iverson, Shirley ‘Sunshine’ Mollan, Joan Peterson, Chuck Roberts, JoAnne Robertson, Harriet Ryberg, Roman Seidel and Donna Spreitzer.
Volunteer of the Year Winners (left to right) Jane Iverson, Vergi Johnson, Faye VanHorn, Jacob Frischmon
Ecumen Century Club: Honoring the Always Positive Pearl Nelson, 103
Pearl Shoquist Nelson, a resident at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes in Chicago City, turns 103 today. She might celebrate a little, but mostly it will be like any other day. You can bet she will be busy all day. She will do her word games and write in her journal. She will read her daily devotional. She will exercise. She might crochet. And she will surely take time to be thankful.
“There’s always something good,” says Pearl.
Her friend Pat Achman sums Pearl up this way: “She’s never cranky. She’s always steady. She never says anything negative about people. Never a cross word.”
And consequently, Pearl has many friends, which is fortunate because she has no family. She was orphaned when she was eight years old and had no siblings. She married Elmer Nelson when she was 23, and he died when she was 71— 32 years ago. They had no children. But she does not dwell on the absence of family.
“The Lord made up for that,” Pearl says. “There have been so many wonderful people in my life who have been so good to me. I’ve had a good life. I’ve made the best of it.”
Pearl is a devout Lutheran. About the only time she turns on her television is on Sunday morning, when she faithfully watches evangelist Charles Stanley, who happens to be a Baptist. “I like him,” Pearl says with a wry smile, “because I can hear him.”
Pearl was born in Clinton, Minn., and grew up near Shafer, Minn. She was raised by her maternal grandparents. When she finished the eighth grade, she had to go to work — at first doing “odds and ends.” Later she got a job as a telephone operator first in Center City, then in Lindstrom. That job went away when the telephone company converted to the dial system, and she moved on to a job at the Lindstrom hospital, working in the central supply department.
When she stopped working, she started volunteering — at the hospital where she used to work and at Ecumen Parmly LifePointes, when Elmer’s mother lived there. In addition to being a selfless volunteer over the years, she also is a generous donor to Ecumen Parmly LifePointes, designating her regular donations to the memory care community.
“Pearl’s generous gifts over the years have made a huge difference in improving the quality of care at Parmly,” says Ecumen Development Director Amy Williams. “She is a very caring person who is committed to helping others.”
Pearl says she’s not sure about the secret of her longevity. Clearly, she points out, it’s not genetic. “Maybe it’s that I didn’t drink, and I didn’t smoke — never,” she says. “But I don’t know if that has anything to do with it.”
Or maybe it has something to do with finding the good in everything and caring deeply about the welfare of other people. Whatever it is, Ecumen honors you, Pearl Nelson. Happy 103rd birthday!
Ecumen’s Paul Libbon Named To Aging Services of Minnesota Board
Ecumen Regional Director Paul Libbon has been named to the Aging Services of Minnesota Board of Directors as a director at large for a three-year term.
Aging Services of Minnesota is the state’s largest association of organizations serving Minnesota seniors, encompassing more than 1,000 member organizations statewide. Aging Service’s mission is to create the future of older adult services through excellence and innovation.
“I am deeply honored to serve on the Aging Services of Minnesota Board of Directors,” Libbon said. “I believe we stand at a crossroads and that our success lies in the leadership we cultivate throughout the network of older adult services providers. I look forward to the opportunity to help advance our field to most effectively serve older adults in the places they call home.”
At Ecumen, Libbon oversees the operations of care centers, senior housing and assisted living at eight communities throughout Minnesota. He has held a variety of leadership positions at Ecumen, including campus administrator for Ecumen Lakeshore in Duluth. Libbon also has served as a mentor in Velocity, Ecumen’s employee leadership development program.
He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Morris, where he was a standout athlete in basketball.
Top Five Blog Posts - September 22
In case you missed out on one of our most popular Changing Aging blog posts, here are the stories Ecumen's online visitors found most interesting last week:
Her Cup Runneth Over: Ecumen Detroit Lakes Chaplain Vicki Marthaler Retires After 19 Years
Media Around Minnesota Discuss Ecumen Scholars Nursing Program
Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar - The Trail Less Traveled
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday, Anna Holst
To read more Changing Aging stories or to learn more about Ecumen, please visit ecumen.org
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 100th Birthday Olanda Merhar
Ecumen honors Olanda Merhar, a resident of Grand Village in Grand Rapids, Minn., who is 100 today.
Ecumen Blogger Jim Klobuchar — The Trail Less Traveled
No matter how old you are, there is always something to learn. For Jim Klobuchar, travel fills a deep need to connect with the world at large, and this time he's headed back to the soul-stirring Himalayas -- remembering another time and other lessons learned.
Media Around Minnesota Discuss Ecumen Scholars Nursing Program
Twin Cities Business Magazine, WJON-AM, Prairie Business Magazine, Duluth News Tribune and Worthington Daily Globe look at Ecumen Scholars program that's funded with $1.9 million grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and features partnership with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). Additional information and media here.
Her Cup Runneth Over: Ecumen Detroit Lakes Chaplain Vicki Marthaler Retires After 19 Years
Nineteen years ago, Vicki Marthaler became the chaplain at Ecumen Detroit Lakes — not quite sure what she was getting into. As it turned out, she got deeply into people’s hearts and souls, and they returned the favor, giving her riches beyond her wildest dreams.
Ecumen Century Club: Happy 101st Birthday Anna Holst
Ecumen honors Anna Holst, a resident of St. Mark's Living in Austin, Minn., who is 101 today.