Back in 1987, the Associate Board of Shalom Geriatric Center (Village Shalom’s predecessor) initiated a large-scale annual race to raise funds that would benefit dementia-care programs for SGC residents. Associate Board members Jennie Stolper and Dr. Andy Jacobs co-chaired what was then called the “May Day Run.”

With no prior experience in organizing an event of that magnitude, Stolper and Jacobs oversaw the logistics of that first race, set in the heart of downtown Kansas City. They pursued every available avenue to secure sponsorships and donations, and to solicit free radio airtime to advertise the event. Jennie said, “It was just so amazing to see everything actually come together that first year.”

Being a new mom at the time, Jennie brought her baby, Jeff, along to some of the race-planning meetings. It must have made an impression on him.

Twenty-five years later, Jeff Stolper is now president of the Village Shalom Associate Board, and is overseeing the various plans for this year’s silver anniversary race – now called the Father’s Day Run/Walk. The event coincides with Village Shalom’s centennial year.

A couple of years ago, when Jeff decided to become involved in volunteer work, he naturally gravitated to Village Shalom, where his mom had invested so much of her energy years earlier. “I had been looking to get involved with a charitable organization, and wanted to make sure it was going to be something I legitimately cared about,” commented Jeff. Coincidentally, Jeff’s grandfather, Robert Navran, was temporarily residing at Village Shalom for physical therapy and rehabilitation. Jeff visited him there every day for two months. During those visits, Jeff saw “what a great place Village Shalom is, and I thought it would be nice to help out.”

His mother, of course, suggested that he join the Associate Board, which is aimed at developing volunteer and leadership opportunities for young Jewish adults. Now in his second year as a member, Jeff serves as its president. “I was born and bred to do this,” he quipped.

Jennie Stolper and her son, Jeff, have maintained a family tradition of involvement in Village Shalom’s Father’s Day Run/Walk. This year marks the 25th annual event.

Added Jennie, “The fact that it’s a full circle now, with Jeff being on the Associate Board, and the fact that he did actually come with me when he was a baby to meetings – it’s pretty special.”

It’s a tradition that Jeff hopes will continue. “After seeing my grandfather come here,” he said, “I know that Village Shalom still needs to be here when I’m ready. For now and future generations, I think it’s extremely important to have a stable, solid place” to care for Jewish senior adults.

The community is invited to join in Village Shalom’s family tradition, the 25th Annual Father’s Day Run/Walk, on Sunday, June 17, at 5500 W. 123rd St., Overland Park, KS. Race-day registration begins at 6:00 a.m., and the 5- and 10-kilometer event begins at 7:30 a.m. The event will also feature a Kids’ Fun Run and other family attractions.

Funds raised through race sponsorships, donations and registration fees will help to provide essential support for Village Shalom’s programs and services that directly benefit individuals and their families confronting the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

For sponsorship opportunities, to register for the race or to make a donation, visit the race Web site, www.fathersdayrun.org, or call Monica Pontarelli, Village Shalom Development Associate, at 913-266-8469.

Village Shalom’s newly elected Villa Residents Association Executive Committee recently assembled for the first meeting of their two-year term. Officers are (from left, seated) Betty Blanche, alternate member at large; Marna Dolginoff, secretary; Herb Fishman, member at large; (standing) Maarten van Swaay, vice president; Ann Cohen, treasurer; Marge Novorr, member at large; Mel Mallin, president. Not pictured is Penny Donnici, member at large. The association serves as a forum for planning Villa resident activities and interfacing with the Village Shalom management team and board of directors.

The Kansas City Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to host the 2012 biennial competition of the Greater Kansas City Area Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts with Women to Watch 2012: Focus on Fiber & Textiles, a group competition and exhibition featuring works by artists Jessica Kincaid, Tracy Krumm, Marcie Miller Gross, Sonié Ruffin, and Debra Smith. This 2012 competition represents a partnership between KCJMCA, the Greater Kansas City Area Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

The opening reception for Women to Watch 2012: Focus on Fiber & Textiles is Sunday, May 20, 2012 from 1-4 p.m. in the Epsten Gallery with artists remarks at 2 p.m. Women to Watch 2012 remains on view through Sunday, June 24, 2012. (All events are free and open to the public.)

Women to Watch 2012: Focus on Fiber & Textiles
Jessica Kincaid, Tracy Krumm, Marcie Miller Gross, Sonié Ruffin, Debra Smith

Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1981 by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her husband Wallace Holladay, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) mission is to redefine traditional histories of art, and it is the only museum dedicated to celebrating the diverse artistic achievements of women. NMWA’s biennial Women To Watch program is an exhibition series that features emerging and underrepresented artists from states and countries in which the museum has outreach committees, and each biennial competition highlights a different media. Curators from these respective regions are invited to jury a selection of five representative artists to serve as finalists from whom NMWA curators select one artist to participate in representing that region within a national group exhibition in Washington D.C.

In 2011, KCJMCA Executive Director/Curator Marcus Cain was invited by the Greater Kansas City Area Committee of NMWA to organize the 2012 biennial competition, which has a focus on fiber and textiles. Cain organized a Nomination/Selection Committee of five local arts professionals to identify a pool of 24 candidates from which he and 2010 Women to Watch Juror Rachel Blackburn Cozad, Director/CEO of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art selected five women artists working in the medium of fiber/textiles to exhibit at the Epsten Gallery: Jessica Kincaid, Tracy Krumm, Marcie Miller Gross, Sonié Ruffin and Debra Smith. (On April 6, 2012, NMWA Curators announced their selection of Tracy Krumm to represent Kansas City in the national group exhibition in Washington, D.C.)

In 2009, the Greater Kansas City Area Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts invited Rachel Blackburn Cozad to jury finalists in painting and local artist Julie Farstad was ultimately selected to exhibit in Washington, D.C. in 2010.)

2012 KCJMCA / Greater Kansas City Area Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts Jurors and Nomination/Selection Committee:

Jurors
• Marcus Cain, Artist; Director/Curator Kansas City Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art
• Rachel Blackburn Cozad, Director/CEO Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; Independent Art Appraiser; Juror, 2010 Women to Watch: Painting

Nomination/Selection Committee
• Kate Hackman, Co-Director Charlotte Street Foundation/Urban Culture Project; Curator; Writer
• Anne Pearce, Artist; Director of the Greenlease Gallery, Rockhurst University; Art Instructor, Rockhurst University; Finalist, 2010 Women to Watch: Painting
• Jason Pollen, Artist; Professor and former Chair of Fiber Department, Kansas City Art Institute
• Raechell Smith, Director/Curator of the H&R Block Artspace of the Kansas City Art Institute
• Arzie Umali, Artist; Curator; Assistant Director, Women's Center, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Fifteen-month-old Garett Van Buskirk accompanied his grandmother, Bunni Glasberg, on a recent visit to Village Shalom. Glasberg had come for a meeting to plan details of an upcoming art opening at Village Shalom’s Epsten Gallery. She often babysits for her grandson, and was certain he would play quietly while the brief meeting took place.
Instead, Garett was a bit fussy and wanted his grandmother to hold him the entire time, Glasberg recalled. When the meeting ended, she headed for the main entrance, still holding Garett. She stopped briefly at the reception desk to chat with a friend who had just entered the building. “If I hadn’t stopped to talk to her,” recounted Glasberg, “I would already have been in my car. Garett would have been in his car seat behind me – facing backwards – and I never would have known what happened.”

As Glasberg stood in Village Shalom’s lobby cradling Garett in her arms, the baby had a seizure that caused him to lose consciousness, start twitching, and then stop breathing. While he had been running a low-grade fever earlier in the day, his mother, Melisa Van Buskirk, and Glasberg (Van Buskirk’s mother) both attributed it to teething. They later learned it was the beginning of a double ear infection, and the seizure resulted from a sudden spike in the baby’s fever.
At that same time in nearby Rachel’s Café, a balance class for Village Shalom residents was under way. Rachel’s Café is not normally a venue for fitness-related activities, but on this particular day the all-kosher restaurant was still closed to the public following the Passover holiday. The balance class was using the space temporarily because of unwelcome paint odors from repairs to the pool in the Spa & Wellness Center where the class typically meets. Spa & Wellness Center staff member Daniel Stoner, the balance-class instructor, had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to relocate the class.

Being within direct sight of the lobby during the class, Stoner noticed the emergency situation the instant it happened. And because he is certified in all modalities of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and lifesaving, he approached the panicked grandmother at once to offer help. “I looked her in the eye and asked her, ‘May I have the baby?’” Stoner said. Apparently reassured by his calm request, she complied. “When I took him, he started having convulsions. I put him down on the floor, and he stopped breathing at that point. I started CPR.”

Simultaneously, Village Shalom’s receptionist, Beth Miller, dialed 911. She also signaled a couple of nurse’s aides to alert another employee, Redempta Kimani, a registered nurse, who was on duty in a nearby assisted-living area. Kimani quickly appeared and began to assist Stoner in administering CPR to the baby. “I continued the breathing,” said Stoner, “while she did the chest compressions. We continued that until the EMS (emergency medical services) got there.”

Besides being trained in CPR, Stoner said, he also happens to be a chaplain. He sensed the grandmother’s intense distress in the situation, and asked her what the baby’s name was. “I reminded her that hers is the only voice here that he recognizes, and if she would say his name, he would hear her and it would calm him.” Stoner knew it would calm Glasberg as well.

Shortly thereafter, Garett was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at nearby Children’s Mercy Hospital South. “The ER is only six months old,” Glasberg later noted, citing another serendipitous circumstance boding well for Garett. She met up with her daughter at the hospital, where they learned that Garett was already recovering and would have no ill after-effects from the incident.

Two days later, a healthier and much happier Garett returned to Village Shalom with his mom, grandma, and a cake decorated with Garett’s picture – a small token of thanks to Village Shalom’s employees for their calm and quick actions in an emergency.

Village Shalom staff member Daniel Stoner waves a balloon for Garett Van Buskirk, being held by his grandmother, Bunni Glasberg. Garett’s mother, Melisa, is at left. The family returned to Village Shalom to thank Stoner and other employees for their lifesaving actions when Garett suffered a febrile seizure.

“It was by the grace of God that I was here at Village Shalom when it all happened,” Glasberg said. “Everyone was so caring and kind.”

Stoner shared Glasberg’s sentiments, adding his gratitude for his fellow employees. “We work as a team,” he commented. “When the EMS left, Redempta and I hugged each other. It all ended happily. And there’s even a cake!”

Perhaps the only retirement community-sponsored blog in the Kansas City area, VSLifeAsIKnowIt originated with Village Shalom Marketing Manager Sean Roark. He taught a course on social media for residents who participated in last fall’s inaugural “semester” of Village Shalom University. While computers, the Internet and online social networking were relatively unfamiliar territory for many seniors, Roark said, “I thought a blog would be a good outlet for residents” to chronicle their stories and viewpoints as they learn more about the technology that younger generations have embraced.

“When I introduced this, most residents didn’t even know what a blog was,” Roark recalled. “But once the option was there, they started to contribute a lot.” Three or four residents were quick to dive into the mysterious new environment of the blogosphere. Several others got involved after seeing the posts and getting a feel for what a blog actually looks like.

Ida Rose “Skipper” Feingold was the first Village Shalom resident to take the blogging plunge. Her post went live in March.

“It was totally new to me. I had seen the word ‘blog’ before, but I had never given it any thought,” she confessed. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to take inventory of my life – after all, I’m almost 93, and there is so much living in those 93 years. It’s an opportunity to see what I made of my life.”

Ida Rose “Skipper” Feingold (left) and her sister Zelda “Cookie” Reiz, performed as a sister tap-dancing act, The Luke Sisters, during their teen years. Skipper elaborates on her blog post.

Feingold said she loves to write, and has had much experience journaling about cruises and trips, or communicating with the parents of her young charges during the 40-some years she worked as a camp counselor and teacher. She even recalled that “when I first started dating, I’d come home and write about my date.

“The blog was different,” she said, “because I was writing about myself and my experiences. It’s a good exercise, to sum up your life. My kids loved it. They came over to help me with the computer, since I’m not really ‘computer friendly.’ And so many people have come up to me to say they read my blog. I hope they enjoy reading what I have to say.”

“Skipper got really excited when she saw her post go live,” Roark remarked. Just three weeks after that first post, the site had already received more than 1,000 “hits” and numerous comments and notes of encouragement from readers, most of whom are Village Shalom family members and staff. Roark hopes that over time, readership will grow as people subscribe and share the link via their social media pages and email.

Many of the entries are personal recollections and experiences. But, noted Roark, they also include commentary on residents’ various areas of interest. For example, Mary Anne Reardon, who has traveled extensively throughout her life, has offered several travelogue talks to her fellow Village Shalom residents. She captured some of those recollections and photos in written form for the blog. An avid reader and patron of the Olathe Public Library, Reardon is also making sure that her blog entries will be shared on the library’s Facebook page.

Another blogger, Maarten van Swaay, has utilized the online forum to share his experiences and observations on a multitude of topics. The retired Kansas State University professor has already posted blog entries as diverse as the story of his first boat as a boy in his native Netherlands; how he met his wife; and a personal commentary on society’s “taboo” on discussing highly opinionated topics like politics and economic policy.

“I have a habit of writing things up to find out if my thoughts make sense,” van Swaay commented. While he is quite comfortable with computers and keyboards, he noted, “I still write with a fountain pen.”

Even residents with little or no computer experience can share their ideas on the blog, said Roark. “We wanted to make it accessible to residents who aren’t comfortable on the computer. We’ve gotten volunteers involved to help them with typing. The residents can edit as much as they want to make sure it’s exactly what they want to post.”

“Everything is written from the residents’ point of view, and in their voice. It’s really something that can be passed along in their family,” Roark remarked. “It has the potential to be posted for a long time. We don’t plan to ever take the posts down.”

Even audio and video posts are a possibility in the future. While none have been submitted yet, they present the potential for the blog to serve as a multi-media archive of residents’ lives, ideas and comments, available online for posterity.

“I just want to be sure the blog continues,” Roark added. “I can see some residents potentially running it themselves as a sort of online newspaper. It’s all just a matter of social media – friends sharing it with friends. It takes time, and it is very grassroots, but blogs are definitely here to stay.

“Our residents still have a lot to contribute,” Roark said in summation, referring not only to the blog, but to life itself. “This is just another way for them to do it.”

Life as I know it will serve as a chapter in history from the residents of Village Shalom. Resident bloggers will turn to the keyboard to document the events that have shaped their lives in hopes of sharing them with the world. This lifelong learning initiative was developed to provide residents with an outlet to not only share their incredible life stories and experiences, but also simultaneously learn a thing or two about blogs, social media and other forms of technology. Resident blogs will begin appearing at www.VSLifeAsIKnowIt.wordpress.com starting the week of March 19th.

The residents of Village Shalom will join the blogosphere starting next week.  

Several residents have already submitted blogs and many more are in process. Resident blogs will cover a wide range of topics – from areas of expertise to reflections, travelogues and editorials. The only requirement is that the stories are written or told from the perspective of our residents.

Life as I know it will be what our bloggers and readers collectively make of it. I hope you will subscribe to the blog and share the posts with your friends and family. I also encourage readers to engage our resident bloggers with comments. They have worked incredibly hard on these blogs, and your feedback will be their compensation.

Life as I know it also serves as an avenue for our residents to pass their story along to the next generation. The stories shared in these blogs have been written by our residents — providing future generations with the invaluable privilege of reading their ancestor’s firsthand account of the events that shaped their lives. We hope family members of our bloggers will not only share these stories with friends, but also save them to share with generations to come.
Keep an eye out for the first blog coming early next week.

Sean Roark is the Marketing Manager at Village Shalom. If you are interested in learning more or helping with the blog, please email blog@VillageShalom.org.

The award is being presented for Village Shalom’s original programming and educational initiative, Village Shalom University (VSU), which was debuted in September 2011. Developed to address residents’ requests for increased opportunities for personal growth, VSU was an intensive, week-long offering of courses that transformed the continuing-care retirement community into a virtual college campus, and engaged participants within and outside Village Shalom in a collaborative learning and teaching environment. VSU was so well received that plans are under way to make it an annual event.

Local author Joel Goldman taught the basics of writing a mystery novel.

LeadingAge Kansas (formerly the Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, or KAHSA) is an association of 160 not-for-profit providers dedicated to serving the needs of senior adults throughout the state. The Excellence in Innovation Award is presented to a LeadingAge Kansas member organization whose innovative programs and services focus on improved quality of life and quality of care for elder adults.

“What made VSU so unique was that it involved the whole community – Village Shalom and beyond – for multiple days,” said Eileen Miller, director of Resident Services. She, along with Paula Carpenter, director of Social Services, and Jill Craft, director of Assisted Living, spearheaded the novel programming concept, incorporating significant input from Village Shalom residents in planning the curriculum and scope of the event. “VSU included residents, staff, families, volunteers, vendors, rabbis and other members of the community,” Miller added. “All of those groups participated in both attending and teaching classes.”

In addition to the academic aspect of the program, Craft commented, “VSU really allowed everyone to have a good time together. Participants learned a lot throughout the week, and they had fun doing it.”

“It was wonderful to see residents and staff working collaboratively to put forth such a remarkable program,” remarked Matthew Lewis, president and CEO of Village Shalom. “VSU was such a success because it directly addressed our residents’ desire for more in-depth educational opportunities. It’s always gratifying when we can exceed their expectations and continue to find innovative ways to enhance their lives.”

Debra Zehr, president and CEO of LeadingAge Kansas, said, “Village Shalom University combines the experiences and wisdom of individuals, the natural learning lab of the retirement community, and the dedication of many people to bring a new idea to life. It is an example that I hope will be emulated by other aging service providers around the state and nation.”

The LeadingAge Kansas/KAHSA organization has recognized Village Shalom previously: Both Eileen Miller and Paula Carpenter were honored as Caregiver of the Year, in 2008 and 2011, respectively.

The award is presented on the basis of various landscape design and maintenance criteria, including overall appearance and attention to detail.

MAGI Council was formed in 1987 to help lawn care and landscape professionals provide education for industry members and the general public, to participate in legislative issues, and to promote success and professionalism within the industry. MAGI Council is also focused on raising awareness of the environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits of landscapes and promoting the significance of those who preserve and enhance green spaces at home, work and play. More than 150 member businesses comprise the regional association.

Marcus Cain

Cain was recently recognized for the latter by the Charlotte Street Foundation, which named him one of its three 2012 Visual Artist Award Fellows. He shares this year’s honor with artists Anne Austin Pearce, curator of the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University, and Luke Rocha.

The Charlotte Street Foundation was created in 1997 to support and recognize outstanding artists in greater Kansas City, and to present, promote and enhance the visual, performing and interdisciplinary arts. It has distributed more than $500,000 to scores of deserving visual artists in the ensuing years. Winners receive $10,000 each in unrestricted funds, with the aim of fostering their continued artistic and professional development. “It’s a way to acknowledge artists who have contributed something to the community,” Cain commented.

Cain has been nominated 11 times previously, and was among some 150 applicants for this year’s award. He says that he has continued to reevaluate his own work and has taken it in new directions every few years as a result of the Charlotte Street Foundation application process.

Though he is not certain how he will spend his winnings, he hopes to use some of the funds to prepare for upcoming exhibits of his paintings. The work of all three 2012 Visual Artist Award Fellows will be included in a group show at the H&R Block Artspace in October 2012.

That is the premise of “ARTicipation: Pop Up Studio,” which revisits the notion of who is an artist and what is exhibit-worthy. It puts the creation and display of art together in a single, 1,000-square-foot space, and transforms every willing visitor into a museum-caliber artist. The project of the Kansas City Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art (KCJMCA) has engaged participants of all ages with on-site workshops, art-therapy sessions and master classes – or invited them simply to stop in and create an impromptu art piece. On exhibit are many of the resulting works, as well as a continually changing “graffiti wall” that beckons to everyone who can wield a piece of chalk.

The ARTicipation opening event attracted Village Shalom residents and community members of all ages to try their hand at creating art and adding to a graffiti wall.

It all takes place in the Epsten Gallery, an established contemporary art museum that, not coincidentally, is situated within Village Shalom. An intrinsic part of the 26-acre senior-adult residential campus since the facility opened in 2000, the gallery is intended as an innovative way to bring contemporary art, senior adults and the general community together.

As the formal gallery space of the KCJMCA, the Epsten Gallery regularly features exhibitions on Judaic themes as well as secular ones. For the most part, its shows have been limited to the work of recognized, professional artists of regional, national and international repute.

“The KCJMCA spent a lot of time and resources to make sure the gallery was taken seriously, and many programs through the years have served to do that,” commented Marcus Cain, KCJMCA executive director and curator. “But what got lost in the process was the accessibility to the community – what the space can mean to the (Village Shalom) residents and their families.”

Enter ARTicipation. The idea first surfaced in 2008, when the KCJMCA was considering an interactive alternative to its annual UrbanSuburban fund-raising art auction.

“We thought it would be interesting to pair up artists and art therapists with Village Shalom residents” as part of a community-wide event to support the organization, Cain explained.

But the idea of exhibiting residents’ art lay dormant until 2011, when a couple of the gallery’s exhibits featured interactive components that proved quite popular. At that point, Cain approached art therapist Sherri Jacobs about mounting a show involving the work of Village Shalom residents. Jacobs has conducted weekly art therapy sessions with residents for the last 10 years, and she has coaxed many of them into discovering their “inner artist.”

“If we didn’t do it,” Cain said of the ARTicipation concept, “we’d never know whether it could work.”

It has worked well beyond expectation. Just halfway into the five-week ARTicipation run, attendance at workshops had already topped 350, and capacity crowds were expected for the remainder of the show. Extra art tables were brought in to accommodate the increasing need for “studio” space. Participants, ranging in age from 2 to 104, have taken paintbrush in hand, and those who never considered themselves artists were turning out creations suitable for framing.

While ARTicipation may appear to be simply a series of art classes and craft projects, the program actually entails three “layers” of participation, Cain noted: “community activity involving families and student groups; smaller groups that get an introduction to art therapy more directly; and one-on-one, intensive art-therapy sessions.”

It is the art therapy facet of the program that propels ARTicipation to a greater level of intensity, helping to fulfill the gallery’s mission of engaging senior adults in meaningful art experiences.

Cain explained that art therapy is particularly important as it applies to aging and end-of-life situations. “The elderly are in an environment where others make so many decisions for them that they can forget how to make their own decisions. So this enables them to make personal choices about color or design. It’s also an opportunity to create something and be productive. And it helps them get past the notion of not wanting to try something new.”

Village Shalom resident Eliot Berkley, 87, was of a mind to try something new as he ventured into his first ARTicipation workshop. This particular session focused on the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish celebration of arbor day, in which participants were invited to paint their own renderings of trees. Seated at tables alongside other Village Shalom residents, staff members, and a group of visitors including students from the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, Berkley dabbed his brush into paint and onto the paper. As he worked, he denied possessing any artistic talents.

Village Shalom resident Eliot Berkley, at right, explores color and design as he creates a painting for the Epsten Gallery’s ARTicipation exhibit.

“I just came to see what was going on,” said Berkley. “Everybody seems to be having a good time.”

He commented that he was impressed with the caliber of art already displayed on the gallery walls – most of it created by other Village Shalom residents. And by the time he was finished with his own painting, Berkley held it up for others to see, remarking, “Isn’t this fabulous?”

“ARTicipation : Pop Up Studio” ends Feb. 26, but the interactive art component that is its signature element will be incorporated into the Epsten Gallery’s exhibits through the remainder of the year.

“ARTicipation is an experience that crosses age barriers,” curator Cain maintains. “It brings out artistic abilities in all age groups, and makes everyone peers. That potential energy resides in all of us. We just have to choose to tap it.”

A discussion on art therapy in health care and long-term care settings was featured on the Feb. 15 segment of KCUR-FM’s local radio talk show, “Central Standard.” KCJMCA’s Marcus Cain and art therapist Sherri Jacobs were featured guests on the program, offering comments about various aspects of the ARTicipation exhibition in the Epsten Gallery at Village Shalom. A podcast of the program is available at http://www.kcur.org/central-standard-program-archives.

Available attached villas can be customized and ready for a springtime move.

This spring looks to be especially busy as we are celebrating our organization’s 100th anniversary with a fabulous new VIP Club incentive. Now through April 16th, new VIPs will be able to choose one of the following incentives when they make their move to The Villas – be it tomorrow or ten years down the road.

    • $10,000 off entrance fee
    • Waive the $20,000 entrance fee for couples
    • Three months of free monthly fees
    • $10,000 upgrade allowance (Currently $5,000)
    • $5,000 in move-in coordination services (Currently $1,200)
    • 5% off any villa entrance fee from 2013-2017

There are many other advantages to our VIP Club future resident program. VIPs enjoy a lot of of the same luxuries as our residents, such as priority access to our short-term rehabilitation facility, a free one-year membership to the Spa & Wellness Center and access to resident special events and outings. Members also have the opportunity to meet and mingle with future neighbors at exclusive VIP Club events and outings.

Regardless of when you plan to move, be sure to take advantage of this deal before it expires on April 16th. Call 913-266-8407 for details or to set up a time for a tour of The Villas. We have a few villas available now that can be ready just in time for a spring move.

Meseret Mulatu

Tami Middleton, Director of Human Resources for Village Shalom, made the presentation at a gathering of staff and residents. She thanked the Wolff family for making the award possible. “Eleanor Wolff was a Village Shalom skilled-nursing resident for six years,” she explained, “and after her death, her sons established the Joseph and Eleanor Wolff Excellence in Care Giving Award to show their appreciation for the extraordinary kindness and wonderful care she received.”

The award is presented twice annually to a Village Shalom employee who provides direct care to residents of the continuing-care retirement community’s skilled-nursing areas. Candidates for the Wolff Award are nominated by Village Shalom residents and their family members, as well as by co-workers. Mulatu was selected for the honor from a field of 16 nominees.

A member of the Village Shalom staff since July 2009, Mulatu received nominations from residents, family members and co-workers alike. They all cited Mulatu’s friendly nature and professional demeanor. One resident’s comments, echoed in other nominations on her behalf, thanked Mulatu for “treating residents with respect. She is a team player and cooperates with others well. She communicates with everyone professionally, respectfully and pleasantly. She has a kind touch, and you can see her smile from a mile away.”

Mulatu received a check for $750 and a commemorative plaque in recognition of the honor. Her name will be added to a permanent display of Wolff Care Giving Award winners.

Members of the 2012 Village Shalom Associate Board include, from left: Louis Cohn, Neil Miller, Alice Megerman, Mika Cohn, Merissa Rittmaster, Blaine Coppaken, Jeff Stolper (president), Todd Coppaken, Aaron Goldman, Brian Furey, Renee Polsky Silver, Becca Winner, Jennifer Polsky, Ruthie Bergman and Ariella Addadi.

Jeff Stolper is president of the Village Shalom Associate Board; Ariella Addadi and Todd Coppaken are race co-chairpersons. Members are Ashley Alpert, Jeremy Alpert, Ruthie Bergman, Michael Brown, Louis Cohn, Mika Cohn, Blaine Coppaken, Rachel Feldman, Brian Furey, Aaron Goldman, Michael Kricsfeld, Brad Jacobs, Jay Lieberman, Alice Megerman, Neil Miller, Jennifer Polsky, Renee Polsky Silver, Merissa Rittmaster, Sharna Rittmaster, Danielle Weeks and Becca Winner.

“This year’s race is going to be exceptional,” said Stolper. “Not only is it our 25th anniversary of the Associate Board sponsoring the race, but 2012 marks the 100th year that Village Shalom and its predecessor organizations have served the needs of Kansas City’s older adults. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as president of the Village Shalom Associate Board and to act on behalf of such an important organization in our community. We have a lot to celebrate, and we look forward to making this year’s event bigger and better than ever.”

For more information about the Father’s Day Run/Walk, visit www.fathersdayrun.org. To learn more about the Village Shalom Associate Board or Village Shalom’s memory care programs and services, contact Sally Beyers, Director of Development, at 913-266-8412 or sbeyers@villageshalom.org.

January 22-February 26, 2012 at Epsten Gallery

5500 West 123rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66209

Gallery hours: 11am-4pm Tues-Fri; 1-4pm Sat–Sun

913.266.8413 | www.kcjmca.org | mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com

PLEASE CONTACT THE EPSTEN GALLERY PRIOR TO EACH EVENT
AS CALENDAR SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND CANCELLATIONS.

(Celebrating National Activity Professionals Week January 22-28, 2012)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 1 – 4 PM

EPSTEN GALLERY EVENT: FOR THE PUBLIC & VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

Opening Reception

Featuring:

1-4 PM: Graffiti Wall

Artist Phil Shafer (aka Sike Style) will kick off the Epsten Gallery’s graffiti wall self-guided project with a freestyle graffiti demonstration and workshop with Art Therapist Nicole Martin.

1-4 PM: Artist Trading Cards

Create your own unique work of art on one of the 2.5x3.5” artist cards provided by the Epsten Gallery and trade with others who participate in this self-guided project.

1-4 PM: ARTicipation Workshops

Sign up for free workshops planned as part of ARTicipation: Pop Up Studio or engage one of the self-guided project stations in the Epsten Gallery.

MONDAY JANUARY 23

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:45 AM-12 PM: Esther Galmarini: Painting Class

Artist Esther Galmarini will lead a weekly painting class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

THURSDAY JANUARY 26

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

4-5 PM: Sherri Jacobs: Art Workshop with Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Cub Scouts

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead this special Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation for the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Cub Scouts and residents of Village Shalom

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

FRIDAY JANUARY 27

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:30-10:30 AM: Sherri Jacobs: Torah Portion Art Therapy Session

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead a weekly Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

1-3 PM: Sherri Jacobs & Janet Peterson: Puppet Making Workshop

Art therapists Sherri Jacobs and Janet Peterson MA, ATR-BC, LPC will lead this children’s workshop on puppet making.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

MONDAY JANUARY 30

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:45 AM-12 PM: Esther Galmarini: Painting Class

Artist Esther Galmarini will lead a weekly painting class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:30-10:30 AM: Sherri Jacobs: Torah Portion Art Therapy Session

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead a weekly Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

12-2 PM: Kelly Reichman & Laura Aube: Paint Like Picasso

Artist and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Instructor Kelly Reichman will work with Art Therapist Laura Aube MA, ATR-BC to lead this intergenerational workshop on how to paint like the famous 20^th century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 6

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:45 AM-12 PM: Esther Galmarini: Painting Class

Artist Esther Galmarini will lead a weekly painting class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

2:15-3:30 PM: Barb & Sherri Jacobs: Tu B’Shevat Seder & Tree Painting Workshop

Artist Barb Jacobs and Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead this tree-painting workshop in the Epsten Gallery as part of the Tu B’Shevat Jewish holiday with participation from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy students during ARTicipation.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:30-10:30 AM: Sherri Jacobs: Torah Portion Art Therapy Session

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead a weekly Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

1-3 PM: Kelly Reichman: Paint Like Van Gogh

Artist and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Instructor Kelly Reichman will work with art therapists to lead this intergenerational workshop on how to paint like the famous 19^th century Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 13

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:45 AM-12 PM: Esther Galmarini: Painting Class

Artist Esther Galmarini will lead a weekly painting class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

2-4 PM: Maryellen Munger, Carlyle Rain, Amber Conover: Painting and Collage Workshop

Artists Maryellen Munger and Carlyle Rain will work with Art Therapist Amber Conover MA ATR, LPC to lead this painting and collage class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:30-10:30 AM: Sherri Jacobs: Torah Portion Art Therapy Session

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead a weekly Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

1-3 PM: Gina Kaufman, Margaret Shelby, Janice Mead: Memory Net

Writer and orator Gina Kaufman and artist Margaret Shelby will work with Art Therapist Janice Mead MA, ATR-BC, LPC to present an intergenerational storytelling workshop using the net as a narrative and metaphoric object for gathering stories.

Limit: 20 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413

MONDAY FEBRUARY 20

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:45 AM-12 PM: Esther Galmarini: Painting Class

Artist Esther Galmarini will lead a weekly painting class in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: FOR VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS

9:30-10:30 AM: Sherri Jacobs: Torah Portion Art Therapy Session

Art Therapist Sherri Jacobs will lead a weekly Torah Portion Art Therapy Session in the Epsten Gallery during ARTicipation.

Limit: 10 Village Shalom residents (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26

EPSTEN GALLERY ACTIVITY: OPEN TO VILLAGE SHALOM RESIDENTS AND THE PUBLIC

1-3 PM: Hugh Merrill & Noel Kearns: Mask Making for Purim

Artist Hugh Merrill and Art Therapist Noel Kearns will lead this intergenerational mask-making workshop in preparation for Purim with students from the Community Arts Class of the Kansas City Art Institute.

Limit: 25 guests (free). Rsvp to mdc.kcjmca@gmail.com or call 913.266.8413.

KCJMCA would like to acknowledge the following

ARTicipation Participants:

Laura Aube MA, ATR-BC, Benedictine College Students in Free Enterprise, Dr. Irene Bettinger, Amber Conover MA, ATR, LPC, Emporia State University Art Therapy Program, Esther Galmarini, Barb Jacobs, Sherri Jacobs, Clay Johnston, Kansas Art Therapy Association, Gina Kaufman, Noel Kearns, Nicole Martin, Janice Mead MA, ATR-BC, LPC, Hugh Merrill, Maryellen Munger, Janet Peterson MA, ATR-BC, LPC, Carlyle Rain, Kelly Reichman, Phil Shafer, Margaret Shelby, Village Shalom Residents and Staff, and additional participating artists and art therapists to be announced.

ARTicipation Supporters:

Herb & Bonnie Buchbinder Donor Advisory Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Gould Family Foundation, Helen & Sam Kaplan Memorial Fund, Beniah Leuschke Art + Service,

Menorah Women’s Foundation, Jackie Slutsky, US Toy, Utrecht, Village Shalom

The opening reception for ARTicipation is Sunday, January 22, 2011 from 1-4 p.m. in the Epsten Gallery. ARTicipation will remain on view through Sunday, February 26, 2012. All related activities are free, and please visit www.kcjmca.org for an updated calendar of both public and private events.

ARTicipation: Pop Up Studio

KCJMCA is pleased to present its newest initiative, ARTicipation: Pop Up Studio, a five-week pilot program that will launch January 22-February 26, 2012 at the Epsten Gallery and become an ongoing component of KCJMCA’s 2012 exhibition season.

ARTicipation is a new art therapy program that offers a forum for arts and health professionals to collaborate in the design and implementation of interactive workshops for residents at Village Shalom as well as the whole community. This program represents an exciting new partnership between the region’s arts and therapy communities as they work together to demonstrate how arts-related health and well-being programs for those living in continuum-of-care environments may be an integral part of a whole community’s development.

KCJMCA believes the creative process has the ability to bring different communities and generations together for meaningful shared experiences. During ARTicipation, KCJMCA will transform the Epsten Gallery into a temporary art studio for the creative exploration and application of art-and-therapy-based ideas and practices, in both self-guided and assisted creative workshops. Objects created in this environment will become part of a growing display of artwork created by Village Shalom residents, staff, walk-in participants and student groups visiting the Epsten Gallery.

In 2012, ARTicipation will include the following partnerships: Benedictine College Students in Free Enterprise program to conduct a marketing and impact survey; the Kansas Art Therapy Association to provide licensed, professional art therapists as collaborators; Emporia State University’s Art Therapy Program to launch a new internship program at KCJMCA’s Epsten Gallery; Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and Kansas City Art Institute’s Community Arts students for youth and young adult participation; and individual artists, musicians, performers, curators, art educators, health care professionals and community volunteers from the fields of art therapy, medicine, and health & human services, who will collaborate in ARTicipation’s creative community workshops.

For a complete list of related public and private events scheduled for KCJMCA’s pilot program of ARTicipation January 22-February 26, 2012, please see the attached calendar and visit www.kcjmca.org for the all the latest changes, additions and cancellations.

Matt Homan, Clinical Nutrition Manager, was named Employee of the Year.

Chris Burgos, Villa Concierge and Volunteer Coordinator, was named Rookie of the Year.

Introducing the presentation of the awards, President and CEO Matt Lewis remarked about the extraordinary dedication of the entire Village Shalom staff in serving the needs of residents. “Not a week goes by that I don’t receive a letter or phone call commending our staff for the wonderful work they do,” he said. “The impact that our employees have on the lives of others is profound, and I’m proud to work with so many wonderful people. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, I want to thank all of you.”

Lewis explained that Village Shalom is able to recognize outstanding employees throughout the year because of the Charles M. Helzberg Employee Recognition Fund, which was established when Village Shalom opened in 2000. “Charles Helzberg is a strong believer in recognizing and rewarding staff for the important work they do at Village Shalom,” Lewis said, adding that the fund “makes it possible for us to provide a meaningful monetary reward to our Employee and Rookie of the Year.”

Employee of the Year Matt Homan joined Village Shalom in March 2009, having been with Village Shalom’s food services provider, ARAMARK, since August 2005. He previously worked at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. As Clinical Nutrition Manager, Homan is responsible for the resident nutrition needs for the entire campus. He reviews menus for nutritional adequacy, performs assessments on all new residents and monitors their nutritional status to ensure compliance with regulations. He participates in resident care conferences and interfaces with their families on an ongoing basis. He also hires, trains and supervises servers in four dining rooms throughout Village Shalom’s resident areas.

Matt Homan, Village Shalom Employee of the Year

Sharon Lab, Director of Dining Services, presented the award to Homan, saying, “Matt provides quality care to all residents in a professional, gentle, caring manner. We routinely get praise from residents and families about Matt. An example is how he helps with birthday dinners: Matt is the one who stays late to make sure the birthday celebration is a wonderful experience for the resident and family. He also is exceptional in working with staff, as he trains, encourages and mentors them to achieve high levels of service. He is an excellent complement to the Dining Services management staff, jumping in to help in all areas. He is incredibly reliable and has excellent follow-up on requests and projects. I am proud to have him on my team.”

As Employee of the Year, Homan received a certificate, a statuette and a check for $5,000.

Rookie of the Year Chris Burgos joined Village Shalom in February 2011 as Villa Concierge. In that role, he handles a broad range of services and requests for residents in the independent-living Villas, including coordinating programs, delivering meals-to-go and assisting with other resident needs as they arise. In September, he assumed additional responsibilities as Volunteer Coordinator, managing the activities of volunteers from within Village Shalom as well as the general community. He handles both jobs with skill and aplomb.

Chris Burgos, Village Shalom Rookie of the Year

“Chris has been a wonderful addition to the Village Shalom team,” said Eileen Miller, Director of Resident Services, in making the award presentation. “He's been very willing to help out in a variety of departments outside of his own, from covering the front desk to providing music therapy sessions in various resident areas. He's never said no to anything that's been asked of him. He has implemented new policies in the Villas and has coordinated some large, successful new Villa events. It's my privilege to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. He is currently working toward a master’s degree in social gerontology at the University of Central Missouri.
His Rookie of the Year award included a certificate, a statuette and a check for $1,000.

Annalyne Muttai, recipient of Village Shalom’s Allen and Gloria Block “Champion of Culture Change” Award.

Allen (of blessed memory) and Gloria Block established the annual award in conjunction with the Menorah Legacy Foundation in 2008. It was created to recognize and reward an outstanding Village Shalom staff member who is dedicated to the concept of “culture change” and who exemplifies that philosophy in working with and caring for residents of the continuing-care retirement community.

“Culture change” in the long-term care industry is a national movement for the transformation of older-adult services based on person-directed values and practices in which the voices of elders and those working with them are considered and respected. Core person-directed values are choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living.

Muttai has been a member of the Village Shalom staff since November 2004, beginning as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). She took additional training as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), and then returned to school to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). In her current role at Village Shalom, she supervises five staff members and oversees the care of 24 residents in the memory-care area, collaborating with families, physicians and the entire health care team to ensure that all resident needs are met.

“Annalyne represents the true meaning of culture change,” said Tina Munger, Director of Nursing, in making the presentation. “She is an advocate for residents and their rights, and she motivates her staff to do the same. She frequently tells staff that we do things for the residents, not for our own convenience. Having gone from a CNA to CMA to LPN, she has really grown in her professional career at Village Shalom.”

Added Kelly Powell, Clinical Service Manager, “I have watched Annalyne expand her skills and knowledge from CNA to full-fledged nurse, and I am proud of how she has become an active advocate for residents who are memory impaired. She expects the same level of advocacy from her staff, and she truly inspires them.”

Muttai feels that Village Shalom has provided much encouragement in her professional development. “I was motivated by the other nurses” to go back to school, she said. “I feel so satisfied every day, because I know we have done everything we can to meet the residents’ needs. Everyone here wants to accomplish Village Shalom’s mission, and I feel very privileged to work here. It’s a good environment to work in.”

The “Champion of Culture Change” Award, presented each December, includes a monetary gift of $1,000 to the honoree.

Lora will have a major role in helping Village Shalom prepare for the changeover to electronic medical records that is required by 2014.

Lora has more than 20 years’ experience in information technology, and most recently served as director of IT for the Gardner-Edgerton School District in Edgerton, KS. Previously she was a systems engineer for the school district in DeSoto, KS. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, MO.

Lora Baugher

Matthew Lewis, President and CEO, said, “Lora is a great addition to our team. Her extensive knowledge of the IT field will be a tremendous benefit to Village Shalom, especially as our industry adapts to more sophisticated technologies and requirements in the future.”

Dolores Reaves

Dolores has been an activity professional for more than 30 years, and holds the national designation of Activity Director Provisionally Certified (ADPC). She joined the Village Shalom staff 10 years ago as Day Stay Program Coordinator. More recently, she has assumed the role of Program Coordinator for Village Shalom’s memory care area.

KCAAP, the local section of the National Association of Activity Professionals, is composed of activity professionals working in primarily senior-adult settings. The organization provides opportunities for its members to achieve professional development and personal growth.

The evening’s guest speaker was Jeffrey Zaslow, Wall Street Journal columnist and co- author of the new book, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, as well as several bestselling books including The Last Lecture.

The event raised more than $254,000 in support of Village Shalom’s financial assistance program, which provides vital support for residents who otherwise could not afford the cost of their care.

Members of the Wang family honored at the Village Shalom Ages of Excellence Celebration included (from left) Missy Wang Love, Bill Love, Danna Kriser, Timothy Wang, Nicole Wang, Michael Klein, Myron Wang, Murray Hendel, Pauline Hendel, Michael Liss, Michele Kaplan, Beth Liss, Jonathan Freiden, Bari Freiden, Darlene Zimmerman, Dr. Floyd Freiden, Gary Zimmerman.

Norman King (second from right) received the Stephen J. Schoenfeld Volunteer Recognition Award from members of the Schoenfeld family (from left): Brett Schoenfeld, Marcia Schoenfeld, and Stacy Schoenfeld Curtis.

Gathered at the beginning of the evening were (from left) Matthew Lewis, president and CEO of Village Shalom; Karen Glickstein, chairperson of the Ages of Excellence Celebration and member of the board; Michael Abrams, chairman of the Board of Directors; and Jeffrey Zaslow, guest speaker.

The opening reception for Stephanie Kantor: Mapping and Overland will be this Sunday, November 6, 2011 from 2-4 p.m. in the Epsten Gallery with artist remarks at 3 p.m. Both exhibitions will remain on view through Sunday, January 8, 2012. (All events are free and open to the public.)

Stephanie Kantor: Mapping

In Stephanie Kantor’s latest work she explores a sense of place with an emphasis on mapping. Interested in an investigation of sites and structures that may often go unnoticed on many of our daily routes throughout the city and surrounding suburbs, Kantor depicts our community grids across the three dimensional structures of her vessel forms. Drawing many of her images from Google Maps, each of Kantor’s forms offer of a bird’s eye view of places that may seem at once familiar yet rediscovered as the artist places these locales into an entirely different context.

The opening reception for Overland is Sunday, November 6, 2011 from 2-4 p.m. in the Epsten Gallery with artists remarks at 3 p.m. Overland will remain on view through Sunday, January 8, 2012.
(All events are free and open to the public.)

Overland
Marci Aylward • John Davis Carroll • Lisa Grossman • Mary Ann Strandell • Jane Voorhees

As a subject, the landscape is as old as art itself yet it still manages to capture our collective imagination. There is something primordial in one’s response to the depiction of land and sky – swaths of blue and green divided by the plumb-line persistence of the horizon. Our eyes are unable to escape this relationship save for a gaze up at the stars or a glance down at our feet. As perpetual dwellers of the space between land and sky we cannot help but wonder what lies beyond our perpetual foreground existence. The next great vista or open expanse must lie somewhere just beyond that last grove of trees … or row of buildings.

In Overland, artists Marci Aylward, John Davis Carroll, Lisa Grossman, Mary Ann Strandell and Jane Voorhees each explore the relationship between land and sky, foreground and vista, flat and infinite, and life at human scale set against nature’s epic backdrop. Moving between studio environments both inside and outdoors, each artist explores this subject relative to different issues of remoteness, memory, humanity’s impact upon the environment, relationships between the organic and inorganic, and nature’s own evolutionary ebb and flow.

More than simply a day at the races, it was an opportunity to experience physical and mental activity that incorporates real-life activity, with an added element of fun.

Rehabilitation residents (from left) Virginia Bono, Olive Drew and Theresa Navickas await the start of the race.

“We’re really big on thinking outside the box,” explained Jessica Williams, Village Shalom’s therapy coordinator. “We want to get our patients outside the four walls (of the rehab center) and have them do more than just kick their legs 20 times. While that is important to help them build strength, we want to do more than that.”

The idea for an outing to the speedway originated with Village Shalom’s Director of Nursing, Tina Munger, who had conducted a similar therapy-related activity several years ago at another long-term care facility. Village Shalom’s therapy department immediately latched onto it as an opportunity to combine multiple therapy exercises into an exciting excursion.

“We had them walking on uneven surfaces and parking lots, walking around curves, and navigating ‘community distances’ (large public spaces),” said Williams. Additionally, the outing offered a variety of therapy-related exercises such as standing and balance tolerance (standing in line) and even money management (making change at the concession stand). That last one is “good for occupational and speech therapy,” noted Williams.

“We have a lot of people – whether they’re in rehab for two to three weeks, or two to three months – who are used to being active in the community,” she added. “We want to get them back to where they can function at their previous level. Getting them outside to an activity like this really helps their motivation.”

The honorees include children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Sarah and Philip Wang:
Nicole and Myron Wang, Pauline and Murray Hendel, Frances and Jerald Gershon (both of blessed memory), Edna and Meyer Finkel (both of blessed memory), Michael Klein, Beth and Michael Liss, Rebecca Dragon-Freiden and Jonathan Freiden, and Robyn and Seth Freiden. Since 1948, when Philip Wang became secretary of the Board of Directors of the Appleman Home for Jewish Aged (a forerunner of Village Shalom), subsequent generations of the Wang family have maintained an uninterrupted tradition of service to the organization.

“This is a family whose commitment is remarkable not only in the number of continuous decades they have served, but in the scope of their involvement,” said Glickstein. Among the honorees are past chairmen of the Board of Directors (Michael Klein and Myron Wang), board members (Meyer Finkel, Murray Hendel, Michael Liss, and Nicole Wang), an officer of the Women’s Auxiliary (Nicole Wang), and Associate Board members (Rebecca Dragon-Freiden, Jonathan Freiden, and Seth Freiden). Through the years, the honorees have also contributed significantly through volunteerism and financial support.

“It is so meaningful for us to recognize the exceptional commitment that was begun by Sarah and Philip Wang early in our organization’s history, and its exponential growth in successive generations,” Glickstein added. “In many ways, this family’s longstanding dedication is a significant factor in enabling Village Shalom to mark its centennial year in 2012. They embody the idea of continuity.”

The evening will also include presentation of the Stephen J. Schoenfeld Volunteer Recognition Award to Norman King, who has personified the true meaning of volunteerism by enhancing the spiritual life of Village Shalom for more than a decade.

Jeffrey Zaslow, columnist for The Wall Street Journal and best-selling author, will be the featured speaker of the evening. He is perhaps best known as co-author of The Last Lecture with Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, and his other books include The Girls From Ames, a tribute to the power of friendship among women, and Highest Duty, the story of US Airways captain Sully Sullenberger and his role in the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

Proceeds from the Ages of Excellence Celebration will help to provide financial assistance to senior adults who rely on Village Shalom for vital programs and services.

For more information about the Village Shalom Ages of Excellence Celebration, contact Sally Beyers, Director of Development, at 913-266-8412 or sbeyers@villageshalom.org.

Armed with September back-to-school spirit, Village Shalom launched an intensive, week-long offering of courses, transforming the continuing-care retirement community campus into a place more closely resembling a college setting. “Professors” were recruited from among the staff, the community, volunteers, family members, and the residents themselves. Instructors were invited to develop their own courses based on personal knowledge, interests and experience. The resulting range of topics appealed to a broad spectrum of students that included residents, family members and staff.

All told, Village Shalom University’s course catalog contained more than 40 courses taught by as many instructors. More than 100 students enrolled – many for multiple classes throughout the week – and “walk-ins” were not uncommon, sometimes filling a classroom to capacity. Courses ranged from the academic (“American Jewry and the Holocaust,” “A History of European Art”) to self improvement (“Constructive Rest,” “Intro to the Internet”) to sessions aimed at more entertaining avocations (“Juggling for Relaxation,” “A Tour of Wine Country”). Comments like “wonderful,” “really interesting” and “very, very nice” punctuated conversations in the corridors as each class let out.

Author Joel Goldman explained the elements of plot and character development in his course, “Writing a Mystery Novel.”

As a place where multiple activities and programs for residents already are offered on a daily basis, what prompted the creation of “VSU”?

“It evolved as a direct response to our most recent resident satisfaction survey,” explained Jill Craft, Director of Assisted Living at Village Shalom. “Residents indicated they wanted more opportunities to grow as a person. But we realized that residents don’t typically have a way to plan ahead to attend an event unless it is something that happens on the same day, month after month."

“We also knew that residents don’t tend to venture outside of Village Shalom for these kinds of activities, even though opportunities are all around us at places like the Jewish Community Center, etc. And we knew that we have a lot of intelligent, resourceful people who have so much to share with others. It just seemed natural to offer scheduled classes here at Village Shalom that could provide a structured setting for people to teach and learn from each other.”

Learning at any age offers significant benefits beyond the basic acquisition of new information. For senior adults in particular, ongoing education can help defend against the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, studies have shown. While Village Shalom offers learning and “brain fitness” opportunities as part of its regular resident programming, VSU was a chance to take that concept several steps farther.

“Personal growth for the residents was our primary goal,” suggested Eileen Miller, Director of Resident Services, who, along with Jill Craft and Director of Social Services Paula Carpenter, spearheaded the inception of Village Shalom University. “We also wanted to offer opportunities for residents to discover how much they can learn in just one session, with the hope that they will continue their learning in the classes and programs we offer throughout the year.”

“It was also a way for staff to find out more about residents’ interests, and vice versa. It gave staff and residents a chance to participate with each other as ‘classmates,’ developing bonds in a different way than they normally do,” Miller added.

Most of all, it was fun. A “senior skip day” and a graduation party helped to capture the social side of a shared learning environment.

“I can see this becoming an annual thing,” Craft surmised. “Everybody had such a good time being students again.”

Merla Temple, a resident who attended many of the courses focused on Jewish studies, summed up her VSU experience: “It’s been a real enlightenment for me. The handouts are very helpful, especially if you want to use them as a resource for additional study. There’s so much to grasp, but life should go on in this manner. We should never quit learning.”

Roberta Pollack and Sam Goller were married recently in a traditional Jewish ceremony in Village Shalom’s Appleman Synagogue, with nearly 100 family members and friends attending from across the country. The couple chose Village Shalom not only for the synagogue’s beautiful setting, but to enable the groom’s grandmother, Rose Stolowy, to attend with ease. Rose, a Village Shalom Assisted Living resident, is 100 years of age.

The bride, Roberta Pollack, and groom, Sam Goller, celebrated with Sam’s grandmother, Rose Stolowy.

“We were looking for a space that could be our space,” said Sam, explaining how the couple chose the venue. “We were here for Grandma’s 100th birthday party last spring, and we liked the beautiful stained glass and the homey feeling of the chapel. The bonus and benefit is that Grandma is here. We’re excited to share it with the Village Shalom community.” He added with a chuckle, “We hope to be trendsetters.”

The couple was married by Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz of Springfield, MA. Rabbi Katz, who lived in the Kansas City area for a number of years, had developed a close friendship with Roberta. Although she now is the spiritual leader at Temple Beth El in Springfield, Rabbi Katz made a special trip to Kansas City to officiate at Roberta and Sam’s wedding.

She remarked during the ceremony, “It’s very special that you are having your wedding at Village Shalom. You are bringing your joy to the community, to the residents – and your grandmother will walk through this place and have special memories of this day.”

A reception followed in the adjoining Gerson Social Hall. As the festivities commenced, a passerby in the corridor learned that a wedding had just taken place at Village Shalom. He commented, “This really adds a whole dimension to this place. It shows that this really is a community – it’s full of life!”

L’chaim!

Beti Weber Moskowitz

“I have loved art since I took my first art history course as a college freshman. When I took a junior year study abroad program in Bruges, Belgium part of the adventure was travelling and visiting museums across Western Europe. This has become a wonderful avocation for my family whether at home or away. It’s really a dream come true to be able to use my areas of expertise at KCJMCA,” says Moskowitz.

Moskowitz was raised in Washington, PA, attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, graduating Cum Laude with a BA in Economics. She also attended Columbia University in New York City, where she graduated with an MBA in Marketing and Finance. She worked in New York City for nine years in a series of marketing positions, managing new and established products, before marrying Jules Moskowitz in 1986 and moving to Kansas City the same year. Together they have raised two children in Prairie Village, KS: David, 21 and now a Senior at Hendrix College in Conway, AR; and Alex, 19 and now a Freshman at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA.

After moving to Kansas City, Moskowitz worked at Horizon Group a small marketing consulting firm before hiring on at Hallmark Cards, where she worked for 10 years, first in New Product Development, and then strategic planning, focusing on trend analysis. Following this employment, Moskowitz became involved in the Briarwood Elementary School Parent-Teach Association, working closely with the Cultural Arts Program. She later served as the PTSA President for the Center for International Studies, located at Shawnee Mission South High School.

Moskowitz has also been active in Jewish organizations in Kansas City, serving on the board of the Women’s Division Jewish Federation and as volunteer and Co-Chair for Interfaith Luncheons of the National Council of Jewish Women, both in Overland Park, KS. Moskowitz is also the recipient of the National Council of Jewish Women Emerging Leader Award and the United Way of Greater Kansas City’s Mission Award.

Moskowitz joins KCJMCA amidst preparations for the organization’s seventh annual UrbanSuburban Exhibition and Art Auction fundraising campaign, which is perhaps the busiest time of the year for the nonprofit. Organized over the entire year, KCJMCA’s annual UrbanSuburban event encompasses an invitational gallery exhibition of more than 80 artists and 100 works of art, the production of a glossy, 60-page catalogue, a private patron party, and a live and silent auction gala event.

“Due to the pace of our fundraising schedule, the creation and implementation of our new Development Director position received a great deal of consideration from our board,” says Marcus Cain, who has served as KCJMCA’s Curator since 2007. KCJMCA created the new position this summer following the announcement of Executive Director Eileen Garry’s retirement, which caps 20 years of service with the organization. “Beti has already hit the ground running, and I know she will do great things for our organization … we are all excited to have her on board,” says Cain who, along with KCJMCA’s Administrative Assistant Abby Rufkahr and Executive Director Eileen Garry, is already working with Moskowitz.

Retiring Executive Director Eileen Garry will receive the title of Emeritus at a private reception held in her honor this November, and she plans to remain active as a member of KCJMCA’s newly created Honorary Board. “Eileen has been a tremendous driving force within this organization, and she has become a very dear friend and mentor. I will greatly miss her daily presence,” says Cain, who will become KCJMCA’s Executive Director/Curator this November.

Marcus Cain

Chris Burgos

Burgos will manage the activities of volunteers from within Village Shalom as well as the many volunteers from the Kansas City area who generously contribute their time and skills to the continuing-care retirement community. As Volunteer Coordinator, he will provide guidance, support and the resources necessary to facilitate volunteer involvement in life at Village Shalom.

In his role as Villa Concierge, he also handles a broad range of services and requests for residents in Village Shalom’s independent-living Villas. Those responsibilities include coordinating programs, delivering meals-to-go and assisting with other resident needs as they arise.

The transition to a dual role was a natural fit for Burgos, explained Eileen Miller, Director of Resident Services. “There is a lot of overlap in the two positions, and Chris has managed to handle them both very skillfully. In fact, Chris has already increased the number of volunteers among our Villa residents. And because he is already familiar with the range of activities across the campus, he can easily match a volunteer’s skills and interests to needs as they come up.”

Burgos has a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. He is currently working toward a master’s degree in social gerontology at the University of Central Missouri.

“I am very excited to be working with Village Shalom’s volunteers,” said Burgos. “We are so thankful that our volunteers put their time, energy and talents into making Village Shalom a quality place to be. I invite anyone interested in volunteering at Village Shalom to call me at 913-266-8310 or email me at volunteer@villageshalom.org.”

UrbanSuburban 2011: Let There Be Light Exhibition and Art Auction

UrbanSuburban 2011: Let There Be Light represents the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Kansas City Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art (KCJMCA) and the organization’s Museum Without Walls program. UrbanSuburban in 2011 carries a special theme of illumination and features works of art by over 80 artists in a salon-style display within KCJMCA’s Epsten Gallery including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, fiber, mixed media, and jewelry.

The annual UrbanSuburban exhibition at Epsten Gallery offers audiences an opportunity to view a cross-section of established artists from the Kansas City region as well as a chance to discover some new talent from the community. This exhibition is also a popular destination for the region’s collectors and curators.

Participating UrbanSuburban 2011 artists include: Diana Abitz, Alberto Aguilar, Miki Baird, Jennifer Boe, Mark Cowardin, Melissa Eder, Andrea Flamini, Ryan Fletcher, Steve Gorman, Tom Gregg, Rain Harris, Tanya Hartman, Christopher Leitch, Marilyn Mahoney, Jason Pollen, Janet Satz, Mary Ann Strandell, Jane Voorhees, Chris Wright, and many others.

For a complete list of UrbanSuburban 2011: Let There Be Light participating artists, tickets to the auction event or patron information, please call 913-226-8413 or e-mail mcain@kcjmca.org.

Jeffrey Zaslow

Zaslow, who writes the “Moving On” column for The Wall Street Journal, is perhaps best known as co-author of The Last Lecture with Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch. The book covers Pausch’s final lecture at the university, an inspiring address on childhood dreams and life lessons presented in the last months of the professor’s life as he battled pancreatic cancer.

Other best-selling non-fiction accounts authored by Zaslow include The Girls From Ames, a tribute to the power of friendship among women, and Highest Duty, the story of US Airways captain Sully Sullenberger and his role in the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Zaslow’s latest book, The Magic Room, will be published in January 2012. He is currently co-authoring a book with U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut and NASA Space Shuttle Commander Mark E. Kelly.

“Jeffrey Zaslow is a gifted writer and engaging speaker. He has gained media attention himself because of the messages of strength and hope he portrays in his books,” said Abrams.
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists twice named Zaslow the best columnist in a newspaper with circulation of more than 100,000. In 2008, he received the Distinguished Column Writing Award from the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. He has appeared on The Tonight Show, Oprah, Larry King Live, 60 Minutes, The Today Show and Good Morning America.

The Village Shalom Ages of Excellence Celebration will also include presentation of the 2011 Helzberg Excellence in Aging Award to the Sarah and Philip Wang Family Legacy, representing three generations of Wang family members who have exhibited an extraordinary commitment to Village Shalom and its predecessor organizations. Recipients of this prestigious award are Nicole and Myron Wang, Meyer Finkel (of blessed memory), Michael Klein, and Michael Liss.

The evening will also include presentation of the Stephen S. Schoenfeld Volunteer Recognition Award to Norman King, who has personified the true meaning of volunteerism by enhancing the spiritual life of Village Shalom for more than a decade.

Proceeds from the Ages of Excellence Celebration will help to provide financial assistance to senior adults who rely on Village Shalom for vital programs and services.

For more information about the Village Shalom Ages of Excellence Celebration, contact Sally Beyers, Director of Development, at 913-266-8412 or sbeyers@villageshalom.org.