December 16, 2011 - Meredith Bay Colony Club

COLONY NEWS
A Weekly Newsletter for Members and Staff of Meredith Bay Colony Club
#64
December 16, 2011
ENTRYWAY DECORATION CONTEST RESULTS!
It was our own John Eaton’s idea to hold a contest to challenge Member’s
creativity in decorating their entryways. It was a great idea and a walk through
the building finds all kinds of wonderful displays. Our Housekeeping Staff were
the Judges and they chose the winners! Our thanks to Deb, Diane and Pam for
closely studying and evaluating all the entries!
1st Prize goes to Marjorie Maher in 114
with her display of two Santa’s guarding a
hand-made El Salvador carving sent to
Marjorie by her daughter who is in the
Peace Corp there.
2nd Prize goes to Marion & Steve
Riley across the hall in 113 who
have a very unusal Christmas Tree
that is also flanked by two Santa’s
and back by a poinsettia.
Congratulations!
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GIFTS ACROSS THE GENERATIONS
by John Koziol of The Citizen
CAROLYN SUTCLIFFE, left, a Member of
the Meredith Bay Colony Club, displays
a stuffed cow, one of the many toys,
articles of clothing and other gifts,
including a cash donation, that she and
her fellow Members of the senior
housing community on Upper Mile
Road in Meredith assembled and on
Friday donated to the Spaulding Youth
Center, whose vice-president for
development, Laura Chaney, was only
too glad to accept.
MEREDITH — In a show of love across the generations, the residents of the
Meredith Bay Colony Club put their heads and resources together to make sure
that children at the Spaulding Youth Center will have a very merry Christmas.
Located in Northfield, the Spaulding Youth Center provides “high-quality
therapeutic, educational, residential and foster care for boys and girls with autism
or other neurological impairments; boys with emotional and behavioral disorders;
and boys who are victims of sexual or physical abuse,” according to the youth
center’s website at www.spauldingyouthcenter.org.
The youth center was founded in 1958 with the merger of the Daniel Webster
Home and the Golden Rule Farm and it is among the oldest such child care
facilities in the nation. In 2010, the youth center served 98 children, most of them
from New Hampshire but also from other New England states.
Most of the children at Spaulding go home for Christmas but some do not or
cannot, and this year, some two dozen of them will be there for the holiday, said
Laura Chaney, the youth center’s vice-president for development who on Friday
afternoon was also the delighted recipient, on behalf of the youth center, of the
generosity of Carolyn Sutcliffe and her fellow senior-citizen neighbors at Meredith
Bay.
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Sutcliffe directed the credit for the largesse, which included five dozen small,
wooden tops that Charlie Chatterton made by hand, as well as knit scarves and
hats, dozens of toys, accessories and $370 cash, to Howard Chandler, vicepresident of the Meredith Bay Colony Club.
Chandler said that all he did was to innocently inquire whether Sutcliffe — who,
with her late husband, Doug, was a member of the Spaulding Board of Directors
— might be doing something charitable for a local cause, “and she [Sutcliffe] did
the rest. I didn’t say another word.”
Of the effort, Sutcliffe said simply that “it grew,” stimulated by Chatterton who
was expected to make 12 tops but instead made five times that number, staying
up late to do so in time for Friday’s pick-up.
“Seriously,” said Sutcliffe, “it was so easy. I just sent out a flyer” announcing the
gift drive for the Spaulding Youth Center, which she noted was one of her
husband’s passions and joys, and then watched as the donations flooded in.
“I kept saying to him [Chandler] that it’s magic.”
That magic, said Chaney, is very much appreciated.
“This community is helping ensure that there’s a gift for every child who stays on
campus,” Chaney said, adding that Santa Claus will deliver gifts to the children
during a Christmas party on Dec. 17. The Jolly Old Elf comes back on Christmas
Day for brunch.
While Sutcliffe downplayed the donations, saying, “We’re not kidding ourselves;
it’s not a big thing” when compared to the millions of dollars that the youth
center needs for an expansion and for its continued operation. She nonetheless
said the donation was made with great enthusiasm and the hope that it might
inspire other senior communities to do the same.
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THE CHRISTMAS ENTRYWAYS OF MBCC
If you haven’t already you should go on ‘tour’ around and about the building to
see all the wonderful ‘displays’ that Members have created at their entryways. A
few samples photographs are included to help get you motivated!
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‘AGING WELL’ ON THE RADIO
Each Wednesday at 8:35 on WEZS 1350 AM MBCC Sponsors ‘Aging Well’ a talk
show that invites a special guest to talk about issues of special interest to Senior
or that showcases the special of work of Seniors.
VOLUNTEER DRIVER PROGRAM WITH SUSAN JUTRAS
This past Wednesday my guest Susan Jutras the
Volunteer Driver Program Coordinator for the
Belknap & Merrimack County Community Action
Program. Her program works with – and does
not at all try to take the place of – existing
volunteer transportation programs such as the
Community Caregivers of Meredith/Center
Harbor/Moultonboro.
Susan notes that in
some other areas of the two counties only
medical transportation is available and her
program fills the gap by providing transportation
for shopping and nursing home visits and the
like. They are very willing to coordinate rides to Concord, Lebanon, Manchester
and Boston for medical appointments. Volunteers are reimbursed 41 cents a
mile. If you would like to volunteer you can reach heart 224-8043 and if you
would like to request a free ride you can call 225-1989. At the bottom of Susan’s
email is a great unattributed quote:
“Volunteers are seldom paid, not because they are worthless, but because they
are priceless!”
CLUB MEMBERS WITH JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
January 12th
January 23rd
Susan Humphrey
Ann Stevenson
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KURT’S KORNER……………………….
A FEW REMINDERS………..
The Terrace Dining Room is closed tonight
(Friday December 16th) in order to allow our
Staff to attend our Staff Christmas Party. We
have a number of Members who have made
arrangements for in-Residence Dining tonight
and with thanks to the very thoughtful offer of
Nancy and Terry Thomason we have two
Volunteers to deliver those meals! Thank you
Nancy & Terry and once again our thanks to all
of our Members for your understanding!
Still Time for Christmas Day Dinner at 1:30 Reservations!
With a menu that offers Prime Rib, Baked Shrimp, Duck and Salmon --- how can
you go wrong – especially at that price! We don’t want to disappoint you – so
please make your reservations as soon as possible but no later than the 20th.
Give Kurt a call at 279-1504. Right now we only have 18 seats left – and once
they are taken the best we can do is to put you onto the Wait List.
POINSETTIA ALERT! PLEASE DO NOT WATER!
We are killing our Poinsettia’s with love! Kathy
reports that we have already lost a few of our lovely
plants to over watering. Did you know that when
over watered that Poinsettias droop in the same
way that looks (to me) as though they need water.
What we do need is for you to report any plants you
suspect of being dehydrated to Naella (or to one of our lovely Housekeepers).
That way instead of 5 people watering (and thus over-watering) the poor little guy
--- it will get the proper attention. We don’t want to appear ungrateful and we
certainly don’t want to discourage individual initiative --- but this is one of those
times where coordinated activity is needed.
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YES WE HAVE A SUGGESTION BOX!
And it is located in the CLUB
HUB (aka The Store). At one of
our meetings a while back it
was suggested that we have a
suggestion box in order to
provide another avenue for you to share
compliments, question, concerns and criticisms.
We value your input and while we are
wonderfully small enough that most of that
comes from meeting with you individually – it never hurts to have additional ways
to stay in touch.
Box Updates:
1.
Suggestion made for an ‘Identify the Doorway Contest’ to encourage
everyone to take a close look at all the great decorating that has gone on.
Unfortunately your humble editor does not have the time this year to put
together the photo and paperwork aspect of the contest --- but hopefully the
photos in this issue will tease you to get out and take a walk around.
2.
A January Yankee Swap?
Suggested is a gathering for some Friday this
January where the price of admission would be a wrapped gift with a maximum
value still to be determined. I’m assuming that this gathering will be in the Bistro
and involve food and beverage. Let me know if you are interested?
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COLONY HOMECARE UPDATE…………..
It remains our commitment to you to provide the most flexible and the most
affordable Home health options for you but we have had to review our pricing
and also need your help to ensure that we keep all of the needed paperwork up
to date.
Scheduled services --- the kind that you plan ahead for --- are not a problem for us
to manage at all. Our challenge is with unscheduled mini-emergencies that can
sometime require more than one Staff Member and can often require a
significant amount of time.
This is not to suggest that we cannot be of help --but it does mean that we will need to call somebody in to provide the
care/services needed. State labor law requires anyone called in to be paid a
minimum of two hours and those hours understandably will be at premium rates.
What we never want to do is to over promise and under deliver. Our Staff is here
around the clock to serve you and we want you to push that call button any time
that you need to
Along with a new rate sheet you will also be receiving a new enrollment form
ready for your signature. That form is important for us to have on file In order to
comply with state regulations and to be sure that we are never delayed by the
lack of needed paperwork to provide you the care and services that you require.
Thank You!
SUPERVISORS OF THE CHECKLIST MAKE HOUSE
CALLS!
Lucienne
Boulanger
and Nancy Jewell were
in last week to both
enroll new voters and
distribute applications
for absentee ballots.
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MOVIE FRIDAY NIGHT:
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART
Friday at 7:30 p in the First Floor Community Room
Starring Susan Hayword and David Wayne in this musical biography. Why not
stop by tonight to take a look!
CLOSING NOTES……………..
Weekend Volunteer Receptionists Doing Great!
Our new program is off to a
great start thanks to Members who have been very enthusiastic about being
willing to take a 2 to a 4 hour shift on either Saturday or Sunday to help provide
directions and a friendly welcome to our Visitors. Many hands make for light
work and some additional Volunteers are needed to help round out our roster.
Please check in with Naella to find out what would work out best for your
schedule!
‘Handling the Holidays After You’ve had a Loss’ is the title of a special
bereavement support group that is being sponsored by The Retreat at Golden
View in collaboration with Community Health & Hospice. This is open to all and
there is no cost. If this is your first Christmas since losing someone --- then this
could be extremely important. There is a session next Monday December 19th
from 2 to 3p and also on Wednesday December 21st from 10 to 11a. Please call
Goldenview at 279-8111 to make your reservation.
This Newsletter Update: In addition to posting this newsletter to our Website
and on Facebook we are now sending it out via email to those on our Priority Wait
List, Staff and to others who request it. If you or anyone you know would like to
receive this via eamil – just let me know (the best way being by email). We are
also going to get the Newsletter out to The INN and GARDEN Members in a more
timely manner!
Nativity Display; We all owe our own John Eaton a debt of gratitude for his
sharing with us once again his amazing collection of Nativities or Creches. It is no
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small job just to unpack and pack them and add to that the personal touch that
John provided by being present during the time that the display was open to the
public means that John has gone above and beyound! Thank you John! It is also
great community relations bringing in people who might not otherwise know that
MBCC even exists. John did all his own publicity work with the newspaper and
area churches – and it was very effective in bringing in some very respectful
people from the community.
New Year’s Eve: I will admit that I have now and always had a terrible memory
for events from year to year so I don’t know what we did last year – but now is
the time to ask what you would like to see for this year! Let me know.
This and That: A wonderfully busy time of year. I hope we can get Diane to
share the words of her new Christmas Song with us. A great performance last
week and we all wish her well in what we hope and expect will be a commercial
success as well! Be sure that you do not get left out of Christmas Dinner. If you
are not sure – make your reservations and if you need to cancel then just please
be sue to do so as soon as possible. It has been wonderful to see the children’s
groups come in to sing for our INN and GARDEN Members – opportunities that
are of course open to Club Members as well. It has also been wondeful to see
how busy the Bistro has been at lunch time. It’s great to hear the sound of
laughter! Don’t forget the movie tonight and Dorry’s Holiday Celebration on
Sunday! Thanks again for making it possible for our Staff to be able to attend the
party tonight!
Have a Great Weekend!
Howie
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