Vets honored around county Chris Rosenblum and Ed Mahon www.centredaily.com Friday, November 12, 2010
BELLEFONTE — Whether they wore a helmet, carried a rifle or a pen, all veterans earned David Dimmick's gratitude on Thursday.
As the keynote speaker for the Veterans Day ceremony in front of the Centre County Courthouse, Dimmick lauded the contributions of everybody who served in the military throughout America's history. And that included the dozens of veterans sprinkled throughout the audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me say, each one of you is a hero, whether or not you saw combat," said Dimmick, a local retired Pennsylvania Air National Guard lieutenant.
On a clear morning, the ceremony was one of a few held locally to thank those who wore their country's uniform in war or peace. The Penn State Veterans Organization and Brookline, a retirement facility in College Township, also sponsored tributes.
In Bellefonte, Dimmick said, men and women answered the call in each of the nation's wars, ensuring "free will could be defended and tyranny defeated" in World War I and saving "the planet from madmen" during World War II.
He commended the Korean War and Vietnam War veterans present, as well as the current generation of veterans who served in Iraq and "the cold, barren mountains in Afghanistan."
"For accepting that responsibility and accepting that sacrifice, it just seems right that we stand here to honor you," said Dimmick, the father of a Navy combat pilot.
Jim Shreffler, a Bellefonte veteran, walked over in his old Navy destroyer jacket "to honor all the veterans, past and present." That covered his family: His grandfather served in the Army, his father and two uncles fought in World War II, another uncle went to Korea and another pulled two tours in Vietnam.
At Brookline, retired Col. Gerald Russell told about his World War II experiences during the Battle of Iwo Jima, which lasted 36 days in 1945 and left 6,821 Americans dead.
On the second day, Russell was hit by shrapnel in the cheek, earning his first Purple Heart.
On the fifth day, one of his fellow Marines spotted something atop Mount Suribachi.
"We could see a small group of individuals. The wonderful part of it was we could see old glory... We knew what we were there for," Russell said.
As he told the story, he sat in front of a banner that said "Thank you for your service to the country" created by Easterly Parkway Elementary School students, an American flag, and one of the original copies of the iconic photo of the flag-raising.
Russell recalled a tough gunnery sergeant who cried when he spotted the flag.
"God that's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," Russell recalled him saying.
At the end of Thursday's celebration, World War II veteran and two-time Purple Heart recipient Ray Fortunato asked those present for a favor: Go find a veteran.
Events raise funds for Alzheimer′s research Anissa Rupert Ilie From Helping Hands, www.centredaily.com Wednesday, September 22, 2010
As you read these words, 5.3 million Americans—according to the Alzheimer′s Association—are afflicted with Alzheimer′s disease. The 2010 Alzheimer′s Association facts and figures report states that, as the most common form of dementia and the seventh leading cause of death in the country, Alzheimer′s claims as much as 24 percent of Pennsylvania′s population alone, based on statistics between 2000 and 2005.
That′s why each year Team Brookline takes fundraising for the local Memory Walk very seriously. The team, led by Liz Plozner, activities director at the Terrace at Brookline, consists of Brookline staff, family and friends all focusing on the common goal of ending the devastating disease.
Just weeks after each year′s Memory Walk ends, Team Brookline kicks off its fundraising efforts for the next year′s walk with the annual Fall Festival at Harner Farm on West Whitehall Road in Ferguson Township. The event features activities for families, including pumpkin decorating, a corn maze, fall foods, kids′ games, clowns, face painting, a bake sale and Harner′s delicious hot apple cider. This year will mark the third year for the festival, slated for noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 24.
Other fundraisers held in the past year have included weekly staff dress-down days at Brookline, where employees can donate a dollar to dress down on Fridays; a Christmas in July sale, featuring local retailers and vendors selling their wares, with each donating a portion of the proceeds to the cause; sandwich and pizza sales; a candle sale. There′s also a public staff and resident yard sale where, in addition to the basic donated items, resident volunteers from Brookline′s Windsong, The Inn and PineCastle hand-crocheted dish clothes to be offered at the sale. One resident even offered one of her handmade quilts to be auctioned at the event. The top State College Memory Walk fundraising team in 2009, Team Brookline is working toward that goal again.“It′s a great feeling for us to band together, serve our community, and help make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer′s,” Plozner said.
Memory Walk is the Alzheimer′s Association-Greater Pennsylvania Chapter′s signature event. It is attended annually by almost 7,000 people in 20 walks held in the 59 counties served by the chapter, according to the organization′s website. This year′s local Memory Walk will start at 9 a.m. Oct. 2, at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg.
More information is available at www.alz.org. Anissa Rupert Ilie is the marketing and public relations director at Brookline. She can be reached via e-mail at marketing@brooklinevillage.com.
Ladies meet to discuss service By Anissa Rupert Ilie From Helping Hands, www.centredaily.com Wednesday, May 26, 2010
In January, when Bridget Torsell, Brookline's assistant activities coordinator for independent and assisted living, was tasked with designing and facilitating a new resident activity for an empty afternoon time slot, she knew just what to do.
Having come to Brookline two months earlier, she had been waiting for just such an opportunity to implement an idea she'd envisioned long before then. With combined passions for her job, social justice and community service, Torsell officially began the Ladies' Afternoon Coffee Club. While aptly named, because members do gather twice a month for socializing, warm beverages, and snacks -- many of which they make themselves -- the purpose of the group is much greater.
Every other Tuesday afternoon, between 10 and 20 ladies assemble in Brookline's PineCastle building to take on one humanitarian project after another. In four months, they've participated in many charitable ventures.
The ladies' first mission was collecting hundreds of used greeting cards from friends, families, staff and fellow residents for donation to the St. Jude's Children's Ranch. This nonprofit organization, with three U.S. campuses, houses and cares for abused and neglected children. The children of St. Jude's take the fronts of the cards, attach new backs and sell the recycled greetings to help fund the program's services.
Another big undertaking was a springtime food drive benefiting the State College Area Food Bank and the FaithCentre Food Pantry in Bellefonte. Residents and staff collected nonperishable food items and supplies, and the coffee club members sorted, packaged and delivered the goods. The club also has participated in the collection of towels, blankets and pillows for the Centre County Women's Resource Center, and helped to gather books for Monica's Heart Greyhound Adoption organization in Altoona, where retired racing greyhounds are placed in caring foster homes until they can be adopted by loving families.
Torsell says the residents enjoy helping those in need and often ask what else they can do to help. Looking ahead, the Ladies' Afternoon Coffee Club members plan to collect some of their favorite family recipes and compile them into a special holiday cookbook that they'll make available free of charge to Brookline residents, families, friends and staff. Other future plans include sending greetings to members of our military and fundraising for this year's Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk.
"When the opportunity arose for a new program, I thought,'What better time than now?'" Torsell said of the club. "We've had such a positive response from residents. It gives them an opportunity to gather with friends while giving back to the community, which makes them feel good about taking part in something so worthwhile."
Anissa Rupert Ilie is the marketing and public relations coordinator for Brookline Independent and Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, and Alzheimer's and Dementia Assisted Living facilities in State College. She can be reached at 689-2400 or marketing@brooklinevillage.com.
Community Bulletin Board www.centredaily.com Monday, May 3, 2010
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, left, presents Fairways at Brookline resident Sui Fong with her Pennsylvania's Empowered Expert Residents completion certificate as her husband, Lim Fong looks on.
PEER
has
expended across the commonwealth and includes participation of residents
and family members, advocates, long-term care ombudsmen, clinicians and
caregivers from all levels of care from independent living to skilled
nursing facilities.
The program encourages long-term care
residents to
learn how they can improve and uphold the quality of care they receive
by becoming advocates for themselves.
Photo provided
PSU Players make friends off field from Midday Report, www.centredaily.com Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Smiles, autographs and new friends.
A few Penn State football players visited the residents at Brookline last night for a pancake supper benefiting the Alzheimer's Association.
Photographer Michelle Bixby went along, and we can make you smile today when you visit us online and see the football players greeting the residents.
This goes on a lot but we don't often get to photograph it, so we'll top the midday report with a great visit by several players, including freshman quarterback Kevin Newsome, linebacker Navorro Bowman, and defensive tackles Abe Koroma, Ollie Ogbu and Jared Odrick.
Image:
Laughter is the best medicine By Gail Franklin, For the CDT Sunday, February 15, 2009
"Excuse me, I have an official job here," said Sunflower on Saturday as she walked into the room of 98-year-old Bill Brown at the Fairways at Brookline nursing and rehabilitation center. "I have to check your smile."
Brown was being treated to a surprise visit by the clowns of Happy Valley Alley on Valentine's Day, and after the brightly colored visitors were done giving him stickers, a red balloon hat and a sampling of their best puns he passed a 'smile test' given by Sunflower, also known as Peggy Cole, of State College.
A few minutes later, the group in pink wigs, baggy clown costumes and painted faces were doing their routine for another resident.
Members of the local clown troupe, which has about 20 members, often do
community service performances like their hour long tour of Brookline.
In
fact, Brown said he recognized one of the clowns from his recent stay
at Mount Nittany Medical Center after he broke his hip. Several of the
Happy Valley Alley clowns regularly visit patients and their families
at Mount Nittany.
Also on Saturday, the group met to practice for another free public
event that will be offered on Feb. 28, which will be Good Humor Day in
State College.
From 11 a.m. to noon the group will offer a free
performance at the Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St.,
including skits, balloons, face painting and a karaoke machine.
It
is the fourth annual performance since Mayor Bill Welch signed a 2006
proclamation that named the last Saturday in February to be Good Humor
Day "for as long as there are winters."
Two of the newest members
of the troupe, Terrence Saylor, 9, and his 6-year-old brother, Zane,
practiced on Saturday for Good Humor Day, which will be their first
public performance.
Terrence Saylor, or Lazybones, practiced a
magic trick in which he pulled a bird out of an empty paper bag, sort
of, while Zane, or Pistol Pete, practiced a new rope trick. They joined the Alley with their mother, Rachelle, about two months ago as a way to spend time together.
"I
think it will be entertaining for me and for the audience," Lazybones
said of Good Humor Day. He's also looking forward to performing for
some of his friends from Corl Street Elementary School who have
promised to attend.
Two of the clowns from Happy Valley Alley will
also perform at today's SpikesFest, a free family event at the Penn
State Multi-Sport Facility from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The group's
mission is to "activate humor in every heart," and most of the clowns
say it serves as a stress reliever for them, too.
Connie Peters,
or Freckles, put on a borrowed costume for her first clown appearance
nine years ago at a local nursing home, and said she was hooked right
away.
"I had a fabulous time," she said. "Believe it or not I'm
shy. My husband says I have a whole different personality when I'm a
clown."
Toodles (Lisa Heckman), Buttons (Linda Forrest) and Max Confer. CDT/Melissa Doss
Toodles the clown hugs Brookline resident Olive Williamson. CDT/Melissa Doss
Happy the clown (Tina Campbell) talks with Theresa Pagano. CDT/Melissa Doss
Fairways resident Bill Brown. CDT/Melissa Doss
Peters, who is president of the group this year, works in the
Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State as a staff assistant and does
clowning as a part-time business, but she said volunteering at nursing
homes is her favorite clown activity.
Toodles the Clown, or Lisa
Heckman, said a friend signed her up for a clown convention several
years ago as a way for her to blow off some steam. She quit her desk
job two weeks later, which she called the best decision she ever made.
"When
I was 33 years old, I finally figured out what I wanted to do in life,
and it was clowning," she said. "I love sharing laughter and smiles
with kids of all ages."
