Donor News Caring Since 1893 A Newsletter for Supporters of the Masonic Care Community We begin with a story about a special donor to the Masonic Care Community, Joe Leblang. Eighty-one years ago, on January 14, 1939, Joe and his brother Al came to what was then the Masonic Home. Having lost their father, their mother Bella was having difficulties caring for her sons on her own and made the brave decision to move Al and Joe from New York City to Utica, New York. At the time, Joe was 11 years old, and Al was only ten. Bella also came to Utica and secured a job in the community to be close to her sons and to keep the family together. Years later, Joe married a Utica girl, served in the Army and then settled his family in Pittsburgh PA, where his children still live. Today, Joe reminisces about his time here at MCC and the wonderful memories he has of living on campus. In 2014, he and his brother Al made a homecoming trip to the MCC to attend a reunion of the Masonic Kids at Round Lake. During this trip they connected with an old friend and another “Home Kid”, Iris Powell who was living at Acacia Village. e trio spent a wonderful evening together sharing memories and returning to the days of their youth. e following day, all attended the reunion at Round Lake Camp and reconnected with other Masonic Home Kids. Nearly 1,000 children lived here on the Masonic Care Community campus, and with their offspring there are thousands of individuals who benefited from the charity shown by the Masonic Fraternity. Sadly, in 2019, Al passed away. Joe, who now lives in Palm Beach Florida, keeps in touch and we look forward to his regular phone calls and seeing him during our Florida sojourn visit with the New York State Masons where he recently received an apron and pin honoring his 70 years of service in Masonry. Because the Masonic Care Community holds such a special place in Joe’s heart, and because he believes in our mission, he makes annual donations to MCC. Joe believes in giving back to the organization which gave so much to him, and the place that he called “home” for so many years. In addition, Joe has included MCC in his estate plans because it is important for him to help ensure that MCC is here in the future for others that need our programs and services, as he did. We are especially grateful to Joe and all of our donors who are committed to supporting MCC and our work. Joe Leblang as a child. From leſt: Al, Iris, and Joe. Donor Spotlight: Joe Leblang IN THIS ISSUE Donor Spotlight Pg. 1 Message From the Exec. Director Pg. 2 Dementia Training Pg. 3 Honoring R:. W:. Kurt Ott Pg. 3 Horticultural Center Update Pg. 4 District Visits Pg. 4 MCC Welcomes Mara Roberts Pg. 5 As we begin 2020, we are proud to share this issue of our newsletter now entitled Donor News as it is our supporters and contributors that help make our work possible.
Transcript
Donor NewsCaring Since 1893
A Newsletter for Supporters of the Masonic Care Community
We begin with a story about a special donor to the Masonic Care Community, Joe Leblang. Eighty-one years ago, on January 14, 1939, Joe and his brother Al came to what was then the Masonic Home. Having lost their father, their mother
Bella was having difficulties caring for her sons on her own and made the brave decision to move Al and Joe from New York City to Utica, New York. At the time, Joe was 11 years old, and Al was only ten. Bella also came to Utica and secured a job in the community to be close to her sons and to keep the family together. Years later, Joe married a Utica girl, served in the Army and then settled his family in Pittsburgh PA, where his children still live.
Today, Joe reminisces about his time here at MCC and the wonderful memories he has of living on campus. In 2014, he and his brother Al made a homecoming trip to the MCC to attend a reunion of the Masonic Kids at Round Lake. During this trip they connected with an old friend and another “Home Kid”, Iris Powell who was living at Acacia Village. The trio spent a wonderful evening together sharing memories and returning to the days of their youth. The following day, all attended the reunion at Round Lake Camp and reconnected with other Masonic Home Kids.
Nearly 1,000 children lived here on the Masonic Care Community campus, and with their offspring there are thousands of individuals who benefited from the charity shown by the Masonic Fraternity. Sadly, in 2019, Al passed away. Joe, who now lives in Palm Beach Florida, keeps in touch and we look forward to his regular phone calls and seeing him during our Florida sojourn visit with the New York State Masons where he recently received an apron and pin honoring his 70 years of service in Masonry.
Because the Masonic Care Community holds such a special place in Joe’s heart, and because he believes in our mission, he makes annual donations to MCC. Joe believes in giving back to the organization which gave so much to him, and the place that he called “home” for so many years. In addition, Joe has included MCC in his estate plans because it is important for him to help ensure that MCC is here in the future for others that need our programs and services, as he did.
We are especially grateful to Joe and all of our donors who are committed to supporting MCC and our work.
Joe Leblang as a child.
From left: Al, Iris, and Joe.
Donor Spotlight: Joe Leblang
IN THIS ISSUEDonor Spotlight Pg. 1Message From the Exec. Director Pg. 2Dementia Training Pg. 3Honoring R:. W:. Kurt Ott Pg. 3Horticultural Center Update Pg. 4District Visits Pg. 4MCC Welcomes Mara Roberts Pg. 5
As we begin 2020, we are proud to share this issue of our newsletter now entitled Donor News as it is our supporters and contributors that help make our work possible.
Trustees of the Masonic Hall & HomeG. Stephen Getman - President Keith Heinrich Christopher Hough Nathan Lipper G. Michael Morris Joseph J. Saglimbene Michael J. SiegelDavid P. Spencer
Development Advisory CommitteeEd BarroneAnthony Battaglia Christopher Bray, Esq. Iris Buczkowski Kirk EvansWilliam C. Gaetano Judith Gorman Joan Grande Hedy Ann Hage Keith Heinrich John J. Livingston, Esq. Christopher Powers, M.D. Eve VandeWal
Contact us at:Website: www.mccny.com Email: [email protected] Phone: (315) 798-4703 Address: 2150 Bleecker Street Utica, NY 13501
Thank You From Our Executive Director
Robert Raffle Executive Director
Dear Supporters,
As I reflect on the many blessings of 2019, I want to thank you for your personal investment and support for advancing the mission of the Masonic Care Community. You make it possible for us to deliver life changing services and programs for people on our campus. Our ongoing commitment to you as a donor, and as a friend to MCC, is to keep you informed on how your contributions impact our mission and our cause.
One important way that donations are used at MCC is to help create and strengthen programming for our seniors. These services include our music therapy, Expressions Through Art, and gardening programs. This programming not only provides mental and social benefits to our residents, but health and wellness benefits as well. Your gifts help us to enrich and improve their lives.
I would also like to thank our donors who have generously given in support of our new Horticulture Center. You are helping us to create a beautiful space for the 500 seniors who call our campus home. Residents will have a special place to gather with friends, meditate, and garden. We will also grow fresh fruits and vegetables for use in our meal services, and will hold classes and intergenerational activities, in addition to community events. We look forward to the opening of the Horticulture Center this year, and the many benefits it is going to bring to our work, our residents, and to the local area.
At MCC, we believe it is an honor to care for so many people who have spent years of their lives caring for others. Thank you for supporting our activities through your generous gifts, and for extending a caring hand to the people we serve.
Best wishes,
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Slocum-Dickson Sponsors Dementia TrainingOn December 3rd and 4th, more than 170 staff members at MCC participated in Dementia Care Training to better serve our residents. This training was made possible through a generous contribution of $5,000 from the Slocum-Dickson
Foundation. The Foundation provides funding for health and medical projects that focus on education and training for the advancement of medicine, and MCC is very grateful for this support which will help us to better serve our residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. At MCC we have seen this first hand and have experienced an increase in the number of people we care for with dementia. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services are placing much more focus on facility interventions for behavioral challenges and dementia care. As a result, this training was critically important for our organization and for our staff.
Cat Salem, an educator specializing in continuing education for healthcare professionals for more than 30 years, led the trainings which emphasized the need for “person-centered”
care and employing interventions that are specific to each individual. It is a style of care suited to the needs of each person and organized around supporting a person’s existing abilities instead of focusing on impairments and losses. Staff learned about adapting their approach to align with the person whose memories, language, and thinking have diminished, and using verbal and non-verbal ways to promote communication while decreasing frustration, and increasing a sense of trust and safety.
Staff also learned alternative strategies to employ when residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s diseases are showing signs of agitation including music and aroma therapy. Studies have also shown that bright light is effective in treating seasonal affective disorder and can also reduce the effects of sun-downing which is when individuals with Alzheimer’s disease experience confusion and agitation as the day closes. Staff also learned about validation therapy which is to join residents on their mental journeys to the past instead of trying to pull them back to the present.
Again, we extend our thanks and appreciation to the Slocum- Dickson Foundation for their donation.
R:.W:. Kurt Ott passed away peacefully in December. He was a dedicated Mason who sincerely believed in the goodness of man and the fidelity of the Craft. Born in Germany, Kurt was proud to become a citizen of the United States in 1971. Kurt and his wife Ruth were married for 55 years. She passed away in February of 2019.
Kurt’s Masonic resume spans over 45 years in New York State Masonry. He was a member of several lodges and participated in multiple Masonic organizations including Scottish Rite, Royal Arch, NY Council of Cryptic Masons, the Knights Templar, the Red Cross of Constantine, and the Shrine and Eastern Star.
Kurt was active in the Dumont German Masonic Home where he served on the Board of Directors and held a variety of high ranking positions in the New York State Masonic Fraternity. In 2014, Kurt Ott was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund where he served with distinction. Kurt was Vice President of the Board for the last three years and was dedicated to service as a Trustee, taking special interest in the George Washington National Historic Site in Tappan, New York.
Those of us at the Masonic Care Community will always remember Kurt as a man of caring who embraced his role and was proud of his service to humanity. We will miss him.
Honoring R:.W:. Kurt Ott
Orange-Rockland Sullivan District Visits MCCThank you to the Brothers of the Orange-Rockland Sullivan District for their generous donation to the Masonic Care Community in December. Brothers from the District brought not only monetary gifts, but transported a motorized wheelchair that is now being used by an MCC resident who could not afford to purchase one
Our visitors toured the Health Pavilion, Wiley Hall, the Daniel D. Tompkins Memorial Chapel, and The Livingston Library/Museum.
The group had a delicious lunch at Acacia Village, where
they also learned about the expansion of the campus in the coming months.
We welcome our Brother Masons and their lodges to visit MCC to learn more about our work and connection to the Fraternity. To schedule a visit, or for more information please contact Kathy Contino-Turner at 315-798-4768.
Exciting Horticulture Center UpdatesAs construction is nearing completion, we want to thank all of our donors who have supported our new Horticulture Center!
Your donations are helping us to build an amazing addition to the Masonic Care Community campus that will enhance life for our residents and for members of our community far into the future.
The Horticulture Center is 8,400 square feet, with the greenhouse area measuring over 4,300 square feet in size. The Center will also feature a classroom and a large meeting and common area. In addition, there will be storage, offices, and restroom facilities.
Over the next several months, we anticipate that heat controls and growing towers will be installed and we will start to train staff in how to support and manage the Center. By spring, we hope to see green when our first plants begin growing!
One area of the Center will be dedicated to “Aeroponics” where leafy green vegetables, herbs, and micro greens will be grown. Aeroponics differs from conventional hydroponics, aquaponics, and in-vitro growing, and is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment, without the use of soil or an aggregate medium.
In the greenhouse area, we will grow vegetables to use in our campus meal services, and flowers for the gardens and hanging baskets that grace our campus.
Our seniors will be able to garden and get their hands dirty in the soil, and we look forward to additional activities at the Horticulture Center including intergenerational learning
programs involving our residents and children from our childcare center, as well as campus gatherings.
We are also excited to be partnering with Cornell University and its Retirees in Service to the Environment (RISE) program. RISE is an environmental education and leadership training program for adults over 60 that responds to the intersection of two critical trends – mounting concern about environmental sustainability and the growing aging population. Our plan is to hold RISE trainings at the Horticulture Center this year.
If you have not yet done so, gifts in support of the Horticulture Center are still most welcome and can be sent in the enclosed envelope or by donating online today at www.mccny.com/give.
Again, we are so grateful to our supporters who have donated in support of the Horticulture Center. We will continue to keep you updated and look forward to sharing more news with you about the Horticulture Center and the impact it will have on our community.
Computer rendering of finished Horticultural center.
MCC Welcomes Mara RobertsThe Masonic Care Community is excited to welcome Mara Roberts as a new member of our staff. Mara joins MCC as the Director of Strategic Marketing and Philanthropy. Mara brings more than twenty years of experience in the non-profit field, working in both marketing and fundraising.
As Mara shares: “I first visited the Masonic Care Community campus when a family member chose rehabilitative care at the Health Pavilion following open heart surgery. That was when I saw firsthand the exceptional level of care and compassion provided by the staff at MCC. There is so much to be proud of here.”
Mara is looking forward to working with the team and the Board of Trustees to continue to build awareness for the programs and services of the Masonic Care Community, in addition to financial support for our cause.
“I am honored to be a part of the Masonic heritage to support, nurture, and educate those we serve to enhance their lives and futures. I have also joined MCC at a very exciting time as so much is happening on campus. From the new Horticulture Center, the renovation of the Administration Building, the launch of the Neighborhoods at Acacia Village, and more. Our campus is growing and expanding, and in turn, so is our capacity to serve additional community members and their families.”
Mara welcomes the opportunity to talk and meet with our supporters and Brother Masons, so please feel free to contact her at [email protected] or at 315-798-4703.
Making a contribution to MCC means giving the gift of community. Our charitable activities are supported by people who believe the work we do is important. With your support, we will continue to strengthen our MCC community through life-changing programs for our residents including music therapy, “Expressions Through Art”, and gardening programs.
Your gifts help us to enrich and improve the lives of the 500 seniors on our campus and continues the Masonic belief that charity is a distinguishable human virtue.
Please donate to MCC today using the enclosed envelope, or online at mccny.com/give. If you have questions or would like to learn more about donating in support of MCC, please contact: Mara Roberts, Director of Strategic Marketing and Philanthropy at (315) 798-4703 or [email protected]
Transforming Lives
A Newsletter for Supporters of the Masonic Care Community
MCC Celebrates Our DonorsIn December, the Masonic Care Community hosted a holiday thank you for the members of our 1893 Society.
Named in recognition of the year that the Masonic Care Community opened, the 1893 Society honors individuals and organizations that make an annual leadership gift of $500 or more. Members of the 1893 Society are essential partners in fulfilling our mission to bring exceptional care, comfort, and compassion to those who need it most.
The event included food, beverages, and music and members from the Board of Trustees were also present to personally thank our donors for supporting the philanthropic work of the Masonic Care Community.
