PIPER CITY REHAB & LIVING CENTER in PIPER CITY, joined other Petersen Health Care facilities, unveiling Chloe’s Promise at its recent 2011 Annual Awards Banquet in Sullivan, Illinois.  Chloe’s Promise was founded to help support the needs of  the patients at the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria, IL. The campaign, part of an annual appeal to each of the company’s facilities throughout the Midwest, finalized its effort at the company’s Awards Banquet last Thursday by creating a foundation “Chloe’s Promise” in honor of Owner, Mark Petersen’s daughter, Chloe. “Every year at our banquet we pay a tribute to St. Jude.  Over the years our goal has been to raise money to donate to St. Jude through local fundraising events in each of our communities.  This year our goal was higher than ever at $50,000 and I’m proud to say we greatly exceeded that goal” stated Susie Shaw, Regional Director and long time organizer of the company’s St. Jude mission. 

 “We have honored the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in the name of Petersen Health Care for the last six years, with each year getting bigger.  In the previous years we have raised money from community events held at various Petersen Health Care senior living communities. We have also collected and donated an incredible amount of toys including stuffed animals, bicycles, games and more.  In previous years, Petersen Health Care facilities contributed and were able to raise enough money to purchase games, two DVD players and three laptop computers to entertain children of all ages and help older children complete homework while receiving treatments.”  

Locally, PIPER CITY REHAB & LIVING CENTER was able to raise over $5200 to add to the company’s final total through the fundraising efforts of their Cash Bash & Softball Tournaments.  “Everyone from Petersen Health Care, including myself, would like to thank all who attended or has contributed to either of this year’s St. Jude’s events.  We hope to see each event continue to grow and, thus, enable us to make an even larger contribution to St. Jude in the years to come” added facility Administrator, Sharon Bargmann

 Petersen Health Care’s contributions to St Jude began six years ago, prompted by the true story of the battle fought by Chloe Petersen, the daughter of Mark and Vicki Petersen, owners of Petersen Health Care.  Chloe was diagnosed with Nephroblastomastosis, Cancer of the Kidneys, at age one.  After diagnosis, her treatment began in less than one month, which was the beginning of a long battle fought by Chloe, now 14 years old.  After receiving nine months of chemotherapy, the young Chloe had surgery followed by eight more months of tiring therapy.  Unfortunately, the tumors grew back after being in remission for four months and she again had to receive months of chemo.  She finished her long recovery just before starting kindergarten and has been in remission for eight years.

 “This was a very challenging time for our family,” stated Mark Petersen.  “The people at St. Jude were wonderful.  For our people to come together and do something nice for St. Jude gives me a great sense of pride”.  Vicki Petersen, Chloe’s mother, noted that they feel so lucky to have received the great care and compassion their daughter and their family received during their daughter’s fight.  “We feel so humbled by this gesture as we know many families go through what we have and not everyone has a happy ending. We want to make sure the community knows how important St. Jude is and how special they are.”

 For more information, please contact facility Administrator Sharon Bargmann at 815-686-2277

Donating over 400 pounds!

On Wednesday November 23, 2011, Courtyard Estates of Peoria delivered over 400 lbs of donated food to Salvation Army. Courtyard Estates of Peoria, Peoria’s newest Senior Living Community, sponsored a food drive to collect non-perishable food items to donate to the Salvation Army to help those in need during this holiday season.

 “Our community has so many seniors that truly believe in giving back and supporting the community and that is why this food drive was so successful.” States Ms. Amanda Hendricks, Admission and Marketing Director for Courtyard Estates of Peoria. “It truly is a blessing to be surrounded by so many kind hearted seniors”

 The food drive was a collaborative effort between employees, residents and their family and friends. Courtyard Estates of Peoria, as a business, and their residents believe in giving back to the community and helping to provide for those who are less fortunate. Residents and employees side by side banded together to collect food items to help those in need. In less than three weeks, over 400 pounds had been collected.

 “The holidays can be a difficult time financially for many families and we wanted to find a way to ensure that those families had Thanksgiving Dinner on their tables, it just seemed like the right thing to do!” stated Hendricks

 Laurie Paxton, Courtyard Estates Director stated “It was really exciting to see the residents talk about donating and really want to get involved with giving back. You could see the joy in their faces when they put their items in the donation boxes. That is a true sign of what a great community we have”

 After the great success of their Food Drive, Courtyard Estates of Peoria has decided to host a clothing drive in the month of December. They will be collecting all sizes of clothing including coats, gloves, hats and mittens between now and December 19^th. A drop box is available for donations in the lobby at Courtyard Estates of Peoria, 117 N Western Ave Peoria IL.

 For more information on Courtyard Estates of Peoria, please contact Courtyard Estates of Peoria at 309-674-2400.

Calvin Coolidge Middle School Band

On Thursday November 10, 2011, Calvin Coolidge Middle School Band visited Courtyard Estates of Peoria for a Veterans Day program and lunch. The Band played a wealth of patriotic songs and said a few words in honor of our Veterans. Majority of the male residents at Courtyard Estates of Peoria are Veterans so this was a great opportunity for Calvin Coolidge Middle School to give thanks to those who have served. All the residents, Veterans included, their families, friends, and Courtyard Estates employees were very excited for this event. After the program subsided, the children ate lunch and visited with the residents of Courtyard Estates of Peoria. Courtyard Estates of Peoria thanks all who helped make this event a huge success.

 “The event was a huge success and we can’t thank Calvin Coolidge Middle School and all those who made this event possible enough! Not only did the Calvin Coolidge Middle School band enjoy their time presenting their program but they also received an opportunity to speak to our residents, many of whom are Veterans” stated Ms. Hendricks, Admission and Marketing Director for Courtyard Estates of Peoria. “Our Residents really enjoyed their presence and the opportunity to get to talk with these kids about their experiences in both the service and throughout their lifetime.”

 Libby Vrabel, Event Coordinator, for Courtyard Estates of Peoria states “Our Residents have been talking about the event for weeks and were very excited for it. Everybody enjoyed their time- people were singing, tapping their feet and even dancing!”

 “In my mind, this event was a win-win! The Middle School Band at Calvin Coolidge was able to show off their wonderful talents, they were able to give back to their community & the Residents at Courtyard Estates of Peoria were able to enjoy spending time with these kids and the Veterans were able to share their memories and war stories” stated Hendricks “ I think that it’s important that those stories are shared especially with the younger generations so nobody loses sight that freedom doesn’t come free and we always remember those who fought, do fight and will continue to fight for our freedom.”

 For more information on this event or Courtyard Estates of Peoria, please contact Courtyard Estates of Peoria at 309-674-2400

Roseville Rehabilitation and Health Care’s St. Jude 3rd Annual Chili Cook-off another great success!

Janet Leonard made this Chili Pepper Cake!

There were 14 entries for our chili cook-off.  Each entry provided their own receipt of chili, decorated tables, and homemade desserts.  All were delicious and had distinctly different flavors.  Our illustrious judges were Mary Grant-Citizens Bank, George Enderlin, Farmland Foods, Patty Parkins- ICS Nurse and Great Friend to all of us, Lauren Ragone, Beacon of Hope Hospice, and Dave Ferris-Husband of our Fearless Regional Director.  Thanks to all of them. Entries included 5 teams from Roseville Rehab and Health Care, 3 teams from Roseville Lanes, Aegis Therapies, 2 teams from Roseville Kids Places, OSF Hospice, Hospice Compassus, and Harbor Lights Hospice. $633.00 was raised for St.Jude’s!  Thanks Roseville We Love You!

•  The Best Dessert-Office Witches-Roseville Rehab and Health Care-Lori Enderlin-Ethel Logue-Adriene Wickline
• The Hottest Chili-Frankie and Bat Brew-Kids Place
• The Most Unique Chili-Roseville Rehab Dietary Department
• The Best Chili-Ashley Gordon from Harbor Lights Hospice
• The Best Table Decoration-Roseville Rehab and Health Care Activity Department-Karen-Tonya-Sarah
•  We had tons of fun and for a great cause.  Come join us next year because we are adding more categories.

Florence and Amie

Employee of the Month

Residents at LaHarpe Davier Health Care Center voted on employee of the month for September.  Amie Thrapp was nominated.  Amie has worked here since 2007 in housekeeping.  She is married and has two little girls named Auslynn and Cydni.  Amie is an animal lover and has all sorts of pets from a snack to a chinchilla named Cheech.  She has brought him in to see the residents before and they loved him!  Amie is always smiling and always willing to help out wherever she can.  She is a great addition to LaHarpe Davier Health Care Center. 

Mr. Bill Shaheen and Danielle Vance

Pleasant View Rededicaton

Pictured are Mr. Bill Shaheen, the son of Mr. Sol Shaheen, and Danielle Vance of Pleasant View.  Mr. Sol Shaheen was the head of the Whiteside County Board nursing home committee. This committee made the dream of Pleasant View a reality in 1974. The ten year planning committee consisted of Sol Shaheen, Norm Schuneman, Harry Hurd, Clark Stanley, and Coe Gaulrapp. 

The 2011 Re-Dedication consisted of guest speakers, including: Mr. Ray Redell (long time friend of Bill Shaheen), Ms. Elise Grimes ( Sol Shaheen’s daughter), Morrison Mayor, Roger Drey, and Fr. William of St. Mary’s Parish. 

Courtesy of Mr. Ray Redell, a dedication plaque is now placed in the entry way of Pleasant View.  Listed on the plaque are the committee members who saw the needs of the county and community and whose dedication, passion, and hardwork is still appreciated today.

 We had an estimated 80 people in the building for this great event…many of which flew in for this event. 

$1800 dollars raised!

Palm Terrace Chili Supper

On Saturday October 15 Palm Terrace held a chili supper to raise money for Operation Sleigh Ride and Shop with a Cop. We served chili and peanut butter sandwiches, had several raffles and later in the evening the band Suede played.  It was a successful event and in total we raised $1800 which was split between these two organizations.  We want to thank everyone who came out and helped make this a great event!