Coming Home to "Family"

This past holiday I was invited to prepare dinner for my sister and her husband's close friends, for a New Years Eve celebration. All of them in some way are service connected with the Army. Some actively serve in our country through infantry, cavalry, intelligence, and the EOD (explosive ordinance disposal). Some are protecting our home soil while others are in Iraq and Afghanistan...and then there are the wives who support them from home. I was honored to be able to prepare a home made meal, far different from the MRE's they were used to. So, I hit the local market, planned a hearty meal and added loving touches to make the whole experience special for them. The otherwise embattled gentleman were hanging out in the kitchen while I was finishing the preparation of the meal. They were asking questions about the ingredients, appreciating every little detail and moment that was occurring. After browning the chicken, preparing the tomato base with garlic, capers, peppers, sopressato, and a few other secret ingredients, I added the chicken back into the base to finish cooking. I felt as watched as Julia Child and as appreciated as a Steeler's football game during play offs!

In the meantime I iced the Sour Cream Chocolate Cake (to which they were drooling). The Halloumi cheese Potato casserole was cooling and it was time to shred the cooked chicken breasts. At one point my brother in law exclaimed: "you SHREDDED the chicken, WOW, that looks amazing!" For a man who earned a Purple Heart in Iraq, it brought tears to my eyes to see the joy for the simple things. He appreciated the effort, and I was humbled by all the appreciation. How could my little meal compare to his sacrifices for our country?

While the water was boiling for the linguini, I laid out the Brie cheese platter, decorated with red raspberries and star fruit. Again, the excitement broke out. It was enough to draw the gentleman away from their competitive Wii sports game... (that water was taking FOREVER to boil, so they jumped on the opportunity to play!) It was adorable, during off turns they kept jumping up to grab bites of the Brie, shrimp platter, and other foods prepared by the ladies.

Finally, that darn linguini had boiled to Al Dente and dinner was served. One of the wives brought the traditional Sour Kraut and Kielbasa to add to the meal. The food was abundant and the cocktails delicious as we shared a celebratory meal together as a "family." After several more games on the Wii sports resort, and the chocolate cake, the ball dropped and the new year rang in...and not too much after that we all tucked in for a safe and happy New Years!

That rather tall and commanding gentleman pictured above, carrying the flag in the center, was one of those in attendance. His girlfriend traveled home to the US from her teaching in Korea to celebrate this holiday season. They both came such a long distance and I was proud to be even a small part of their joy while home.

That feeling of home and coming home is important to individuals at all ages. I feel the work I do for families and Residents here at Juniper has provided me with the insight to recognize that those boys deserved, (and on some levels needed) the warm homecoming and "family" dinner. No one enjoys leaving home, whether it is to war, out to the market on a blustery day, or to move altogether into a different environment. I rely on my compassion for families and friends and I pull from my own personal experiences each day as I meet new families that perhaps have just sent a son off to war recently and today are inquiring about Dad needing to move from his home due to safety concerns. Families are experiencing emotion at different levels and intensity for many reasons, and I understand sometimes they don’t even know where to start when faced with an aging loved one in need.

I speak to Veteran's every week who gave to our country and are now in need or are planning for Assisted Living. In fact, 65% of those who moved in last year were Veterans or spouses of Veterans utilizing the Aid and Attendance benefit. I take special interest in helping those gentleman and ladies of the service and have gathered the resources in order to educate families on how the benefit can improve the financial situation for Veterans and their surviving spouses. The little bit of extra effort it takes to coordinate a Veteran's move in is nothing in comparison to the sacrifices they made for our country...I was reminded of that again this New Year's Eve while in the company of some who still choose to fight for our greater good. Again on New Year's Day, as I jumped out of bed to prepare a breakfast for champions, I smiled as I reminisced about the evening festivities.

The least we can do for our Veteran's, younger and older, is to show appreciation and honor their service to our country. Whether they acquire their application from the Courthouse VA, VFW, American Legion, or the DAV, all of these agencies serve the same purpose, in terms of Aid and Attendance; they assist families in completing the Aid and Attendance application for the benefit. Fred Cunningham, Tammy and Diane, down at the Veteran's Administration in the courthouse, serve our local Meadville area and truly go above and beyond when working for the Veterans they serve. I am proud to have been a part of helping the 65% who moved in with that benefit. Many of them walked in not even knowing about the benefit and walked out a part of our Juniper Family. Please take the time to learn about this special Pension benefit for you or your loved one. You may contact Juniper Village directly at 333-4400 for information related to Assisted Living and how this benefit can help your family.

Mandy Maruska
Director of Community Relations
Juniper Village at Meadville

Food Drive Finale!

Totaling over 800 pounds, the well needed food donation was picked up by the Center for Family Services last week. The Food drive continued through the end of November as Residents, Families, Staff and Community members brought in their donations. Those who donated goods received a complimentary Juniper Tote as a Thank you for the kindness and to further lessen the impact of plasic bags on the environment.

We all wondered who received the food donations and if it would be enough. We pondered how to thank all those who donated to our Meadville Community. We were wondering...could we have done more? JUST as we were reflecting, Tonya Moyer, Adminstrator at Juniper, and I took pause to peer out the window at the beautiful snowflakes. We saw a gentleman exit his car, Juniper Tote in hand. It brought a smile to our faces, proving to us that kindness is everywhere. "I wonder if he donated to the food bank!" Tonya exclaimed. We giggled at the timing and glowed with pride at the impact our Juniper Family may have made on another family this Season.

When Diane Byrne, Vice President of Program, Development, Training and Operational Oversight, outlined to each Juniper Village, the expectations for the community food drive, we never imagined our small community would give so much. Diane has a way of explaining, even a seemingly unsurmountable task, in a way that inspires one to want to succeed. Those who know Diane, know it to be true that she believes in her local community, our Meadville Community and the Juniper Family culture. What a wonderful way to give back! Thank you for inspiring us, Diane.

Meadville took the food drive challenge and we all knew we could make a difference for local families. I observed individuals giving of themselves, who did not have much to give and local businesses rising to the challenge. Byham's Insurance brought in over 100 pounds of food alone. It inspired our Juniper Community to want to give more. We challenged eachother to bring more, and to give of ourselves more. So, although we fell slightly short of our goal, we feel good about the work we put forth to bring in the donations. After all, it is about the Journey, right?

When Tonya and I saw the gentleman on the street, sporting his Food Drive tote, we were reminded that kindness shows up at the least expected moments. Slow down and Celebrate the Little Things : Cherish the Journey...had we not stopped to appreciate natures blanket of snow, we would have missed that Joyful moment.

Those wishing to still donate to the Center for Family Services Food Pantry can contact them at 814.337.8454 or take their donations to the Food Pantry located at the old Talon building on Arch Street. Happy Holidays!

Celebrate the Little Things

Recently, I was reminded of one of my own family traditions around the Holiday season...The Sears catalog wish list adventure! I wonder if this tradition extends clear back to 1886 with the catalog creation itself?


Certainly, in the 1800's, the catalog was created out of necessity for rural Americans who needed an option against the higher priced goods in department stores, not for children's wish lists... However, out of supply and demand, the catalog grew to include household items, sewing machines, building supplies and even toys. In 1908, the first home catalog was sent out. In this home catalog pictured, you could buy an entire house for $725. These Sears homes still stand in many areas of rural America.


I was neither thinking about the impact of the ingenuity at age 7, as I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Holiday catalog, nor was I thinking about how generations before me had done the same thing. So, today when one of our Residents brought this catalog to me to share in his memories of his catalog adventures, I was taken by his familiar story and my own memories came back sharp and clear. O' the excitement I had as I would feverishly open the catalog and create my Holiday wish list for Santa Claus! I rooted through mom's desk and found a hearty pen/marker to start circling my dreams. Somehow, I thought Santa would see it, doesn't he see everything? And every year, as Christmas Eve approached, I would remind my parents that they might want to look at the Sears catalog, JUST IN CASE there was something they needed...in hopes they would see my wish list too!


Sears got it right when they marketed to Americans to bring affordable household goods to rural America. As my friend and I glanced at the catalog and we discussed the days when a tricycle was $1.25 and a baby doll was .50 cents, we both chuckled about ordering our Christmas gifts out of THIS catalog. The Sears catalog has come a long way in the past 100 years, but what remains the same is how it moves people to dream and elicits memories through the ages.


As we Celebrate the Little Things with our Juniper Family this December, remember those little things that brought your families together as children. Bring in some photographs and memorabilia to share with your loved ones on your next visit and just see what happens. Because, although 63 years separate my friend and I, we found today, as children, our dreams weren't so different. Celebrate the Little Things! Happy Holidays from our Juniper Family to yours.

Juniper Village is feeding body and soul this November with a Food Drive to benefit the Local Food Bank. Hunger affects people of all ages and we want to help. You may drop off food from November 1 - 30 at Juniper Village. Local area businesses such as Byham's Insurance and the Market House are also designated drop off locations. Our goal is to collect 1000 pounds of food for the food bank. Join us in our efforts to support our Meadville Community. 100% of your donation will stay local and be delivered to the Food Bank on December 7th. To inquire about volunteering for the food drive, please call 814.333.4400.

The Great Pumpkin Escape!

Was it friend or foe? Who helped Tammy's Pumpkin escape into the night?!

Or...was it her lonely Pumpkin himself, donning his cape of glory and flying out into the crisp Autumn air to celebrate Halloween with a deserving family of children? We may never know!

Demonstrating our Green Canopy Program

Is it Christmas already? No, that’s Chef Erin demonstrating how Juniper Village recycles their cardboard, paper, plastics and glass under the Green Canopy Program. Juniper Village purchases products when ever possible, with reduced packaging. However, at times we are left with bulky cardboards and packing materials. During Environmental month, Juniper Village gave away travel coffee mugs to the community. The boxes pictured have been saved for recycling in the connections program for an activity. The minute Jennifer Musone, Connections Director, saw the shipment of mugs and the extra packaging, she instantly chimed in with a repurpose for the boxes. Great teamwork, Jennifer and Erin! The Juniper Spirit is evident in your efforts to reduce our environmental impact.

Summer Travels

Recently, this Juniper Berry took some time to focus on Nurturing her own Spirit. My Travels out West landed me on top of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah. The 8 hour hike was breathtaking, literally! Being a lowlander here in Meadville at 1099 ft above sea level, the 10,380 ft that Emerald Lake stands on was a challenge to my lungs. "Breathe in your nose!" My friend said. "Don't fall off the Mountain!" is what I was thinking. Pictured to the left is my vantage point about 2.5 hours into the ascent. I remember feeling overwhelmed by the experience and the humbling effect of the magnitude that Mt. Timp exuded. In my naivete, I wondered how far we were to travel this day. The Summit of that mountain in the top middle of the swale was to be our destination, to my surprise. We traversed that swale dozens of times to reach our goal. A family of Mountain Goats welcomed our trio as we hurdled the last leg of the hike. I swear I heard the little "kids" say "you are almost there!" I rounded the last switchback and peered ahead to discover what beauty a 300 million year old Glacier can create. I took a moment to connect with my family back home as I absorbed the sun's Vitamin D and Mother Nature's serenity. At the end of the day, I remember never feeling so exhausted and fulfilled at the same time. I recommend the experience. I challenge all of you to get out there and focus on Nurturing your own Spirit of Life! "The Environment, Breathe in Life" is Juniper's August Message, and I can't think of a more fitting educational piece than my experience in Utah. I look forward to sharing my adventures with the Residents.

-Mandy Maruska, Director of Community Relations