From the “Desk of Todd” CROSAIRES

Never tell a
person how to
do something.
Tell them what
to do and they
will surprise
you with the
ingenuity.
George S. Patton
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
From The Desk 1
of Todd
* Patterns,
* Sewing.
* Pillows!
1
The Word
“STILL”
2
2014
Relay for Life
2
Wrap Up
Ancora Imparo
3
Potter Park Zoo 3
Surprise!
Sweet and
Stinky...
4
CROSAIRES
“Where Care and Community Intersect”
J U L Y
2 0 1 4
From the “Desk of Todd”
Well the summer of 2014 is officially upon us
and at Crosaires we have already begun to
embrace this long awaited season. Hard to
believe that as of recent we were still hearing
that Lake Superior still had chunks of ice on it!
Anyway time to move forward and enjoy the
next few months.
purchase with all proceeds going
back to the local food bank of
Williamston.
I am already envisioning how several
of the elders will partake in this
wonderful project. From wheeling
Our garden is well under way and thanks to
the stand to the end of the driveway
one of our team members, Jon, the weeds are each morning, to stocking and
at bay and the crops are beginning to really
re-stocking the stand with produce
take shape.
to counting the profits and finally
One current project that aligns with our
delivering a check to the food bank.
mission and vision is the recent creation of our
This is our mission/vision and in the
very own vegetable stand. This stand is fast
approaching completion and by the next
meantime, giving elders the
newsletter you will see photos of this beauty. opportunity to contribute, have
How this vegetable stand aligns with our
worth, provide meaning!
mission and vision is that later this summer,
we place our abundance of crops at the end of Happy summer to all!
our driveway for the folks driving by to
EMPOWERMENT=ACCOUNTABILITY
It has now become an expectation of all team members to turn in, on a monthly
basis, three ideas/actions in which they spearheaded in order to combat the three
emotional plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness and Boredom as well as fulfill our
mission/vision statements. I continue to be very humbled by the creativity and
commitment by team members and below is what Darla Weismiller did;
I brought in the rest of the supplies needed so that the pillows could be
completed. Lois had started this project by cutting out patterns and sewing pieces
together. She had chosen to make some of the pillows round rather than square,
so I brought in stuffing and buttons to finish off the project. Gina decided she
would like to get in on the project as well and once given the supplies, the two
worked together to finish and place around the living and sunroom areas!
Our Own
“ARTFEST!”
Dr. William Thomas….. “STILL”
As you may recall from the June newsletter, a group of us from Crosaires had the
opportunity in May to hear my dear friend and mentor, Dr. William Thomas speak
and promote his new book…. “The Second Wind.”
The rain held off on
One of the many profound and interesting points that Dr. Thomas touched on that
the morning of
day was with the word… “STILL.” He stated that as long as individuals are “ABLE”, we
June 4th as the
are not “old.” Examples include, “He is still able to drive, live alone, manage his daily
backyard at
affairs, etc.” When we need assistance with such areas of our lives, we are
considered “old” and viewed as no longer productive, valued, etc. This is wrong as
Crosaires was
we are supposed to grow old, yet we are locked into a world that is fast paced, high
turned into an
outdoor art studio, productivity focused. The more we can accomplish and in the quickest amount of
time is what is valued. We have a lot to lean from our elders and in next month’s
all while elders and
newsletter you will see the importance of slowing down, living in the moment.
staff enjoyed a
wonderful
breakfast amongst
2014 RELAY FOR LIFE WRAP UP!
local artists working
Well we may not have hit our
their magic!
Local artist and
friend, Mark
Mehaffey joined
other friends to
paint the beautiful
array of Iris’ at
Crosaires.
What a wonderful
experience for all
and we are already
looking forward to
Fall!
$2,000.00 team goal, the overall
individual team membership down
and overall attendance lower than
last year from the Williamston/
Webberville communities, but it was
a stunning weekend May 31-June 1st
as the weather could not have been
more perfect and the McCormick
Park a more conducive venue.
As we draw closure to the 2014
American Cancer Society/
Williamston/Webberville Relay for
Life, I wanted to once again thank
everyone who played a part in its
success. The 2015 walk will be upon
us sooner than we can imagine and it
is never too early to start thinking
RELAY and putting together your own
team or thinking about
what part you can play!
“YOU WANT THEM TO LIVE A LONG TIME.”
Time for a self
evaluation! This
month I ask all of you
to look at the ways in
which you may be
“ageist.” That’s right,
in your comments to
others, or individual
thoughts and or fears
about growing old.
You see it is important
to recognize our own
negative ideologies in
order for us to begin
moving forward on a
different path of what
it means to grow old,
thus producing a social
change!
Ancora Imparo—famous
words once spoken by
Michelangelo which
mean…. “I am still
learning.” It is true that
we remain ourselves as
we age, just ask elder
Virginia Ellefson who at
the beautiful age of 95
was right out in the
strawberry patch this
past month picking with
the best of them!
So why do we hold onto
our youthful ways?
Answer, we are afraid as
we age that we will lose
our wisdom. So where does satisfaction come in
old age?
1. When we look forward to our next day.
2. When our lives are filled with meaning and
purpose.
Just recently a home care nurse was at Crosaires
attending to the medical needs of one of the
elders. After being welcomed into our “home”
she was warmly greeted and witnessed two
elders washing and preparing close to 11 quarts
of strawberries we had picked the day before. As
the nurse continued with her “tasks” she made
the comment to me that she really liked what she
was seeing at Crosaires and that I must “want
them to live a long time!” THEM??? Pronouns
used again to identify individuals….WRONG!
Secondly it is not about living a long time, it is
about looking forward to our next day and
making sure it is filled with meaning and purpose!
Potter Park Zoo…… “SURPRISE!”
Well as the year of “SURPRISES” continues it is hard to imagine we are already almost half way
through 2014! Where has the time gone since we first had out limousine ride in January?
Thanks to my friend, Jen Anibal, who was able to hook us up with Carolyn Schulte, an employee
and friend from the Potter Park Zoo. Not only did Jen hook us up with Carolyn, we received an up
close and personal visit with creatures of the wild! As elders and staff gathered close around
these enormous creatures the smile and delight on the faces of each individual told the story. It
is not every day that you have the opportunity to reach out and get close and personal with a
Rhinoceros! Thanks Jen and Carolyn!
CROSAIRES
An “Aging in Community”
Residence.
5829 Zimmer Road
Williamston, Michigan
Phone: 517-599-8210
Cell:
517-898-1715
Fax:
517-655-1455
www.crosaires.com
Email Address:
[email protected]
“Where Care and
Community Intersect”
Sweet and Stinky Experiences!
Two of the highlights from this past month included our annual trip to the Diederich’s Berry Farm in
Webberville for our strawberry picking extravaganza! This year four of us headed to the strawberry patch
and within a very short period of time, over 11 quarts of beauties were picked, taken home, cleaned,
de-stemmed and frozen to be used for summer treats all season long!
Then on Monday, June 22nd we headed to the Michigan State University Plant Biology Conservatory to
partake in the phenomenon of the “CORPSE:” plant! This rare species originating in Indonesia was not in
full bloom when we arrived, but like hundreds of other spectators we eagerly awaited the beautiful blooms
to open. Beautiful blooms for sure but also one heck of an odor described by some as rotting socks or
better yet, a dead animal. Any way you look at it, we all had a great time as this was rare, and brought a lot
of variety and spontaneity into our lives. Thanks Alex Takis for dressing the part for our visit, (wearing all
black).