Masonic Village Sweeps PTRS Programming Category

(back row, left to right) Lynn Yost, recreation therapist; Stacy Cathrall, intern; Cynthia Hollinger, director of volunteer services; Kirk Rakos, therapeutic recreation supervisor; Becky Kandrac, recreation therapist; (front row) Joy Stahl, recreation therapist; Rosemary Merwin; Kim Glass, recreation therapist; and Linsey Yecker recreation therapist

A culture characterized by optimism, trust, generosity and quality living inspires residents and staff at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown to constantly seek new ways to enrich their own lives and the lives of those around them. Their efforts earned Masonic Village four out of seven awards at the Pennsylvania Therapeutic Recreation Society (PTRS) Awards Dinner on June 9. Masonic Village's recognitions included the Outstanding Programming of the Year, Outstanding Special Event of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Student of the Year awards.

Masonic Village received the Outstanding Programming of the Year Award for "Our Community to Their Community." This program provides a therapeutic intervention to combat the feeling of helplessness people feel when they always receive care and never give it. Through this program, residents help others by volunteering to package kits of various supplies to give to people in need. Within the past months, Masonic Village residents, family members, employees, volunteers and community members collaborated to collect non-perishable food items for food banks to provide holiday meals to local families. Many of the same donors rallied to collect supplies for a federal nursing home in Vietnam. Residents, with the help of students from Elizabethtown College, compiled the items into care packages and sent them to Vietnam through a service project with the college and Brittany's Hope.

"Our Community to Their Community" was recognized as an outstanding program for demonstrating a unique and innovative service to residents because they feel needed and can make a difference in the world. The program helps build stronger community relationships and further the therapeutic recreation field, as some of the college students have become regular volunteers on campus. Ultimately, people in need also benefit from the supplies they receive.

Masonic Village also took home the Outstanding Special Event Award for the Masonic Village Cruise Week. During this "Imagination Vacation" aboard the "Masonic Village Fantasy Cruise Line," residents participated in a multitude of cruise-themed events including a Set Sail Party; cruise bingo; a presentation about missions around the world; the Captain's Moonlight Dance, which included music therapy students from Elizabethtown College; and a Ports of Call tour. During the tour, every neighborhood (unit) in the Masonic Health Care Center set up a booth with food or drinks, information, artifacts and passport stickers from a specific destination. At the end of the adventure, residents could play musical instruments from around the world, have a picture taken with festive props and take home a passport stamped with the "countries" they visited. All departments were encouraged to participate in this week-long vacation. The greenhouse, physical therapy and occupational therapy departments and the neighborhoods all decorated their spaces, while the music therapy and nursing staff incorporated the theme into their daily routines.
"Events of this caliber promote relationships among employees and departments," Joy Stahl, recreational therapist, said. "The event brought many disciplines together for one common goal-to increase the quality of life for our residents here at the Masonic Village."

The Outstanding Special Event is given to a therapeutic recreation or activities department from Pennsylvania for an event that demonstrated a unique and innovative service, benefited residents in a unique way and/or brought recognition to the therapeutic recreation field. This is the seventh time Masonic Village has won the special event award since the award's creation in 1999.

Rosemary Merwin, a volunteer at and resident of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, received the PTRS's Volunteer of the Year Award for 2011. Rosemary began volunteering at Masonic Village in 2003, bringing her St. Cavalier Spaniel, Fergus, to visit residents. When Rosemary and her husband, Tom, moved to Masonic Village, she quickly found her niche on several committees, including the Resident Wellness Committee. She contributed to the creation of a quarterly book which provides a comprehensive listing of classes, events, trips, spiritual programs and more available for residents. Rosemary also teaches classes on cupcake decorating and leads bus tours of the local community for new residents.

Rosemary often leaves anonymous gifts of appreciation and notes of encouragement for anyone she knows. "Rosemary is a wonderfully selfless lady who understands the value of giving from the heart! We are fortunate and appreciate her compassionate and happy care as a volunteer," Cynthia Hollinger, director of volunteer services, said.

Finally, PTRS awarded the Student of the Year award to a therapeutic recreation intern at the Masonic Village, Stacy Cathrall. Beyond the professionalism, leadership skills and educational achievements this York College student displays, Stacy understands and practices the culture of putting residents first. In addition to her internship, Stacy volunteers at ACES Social Group at Easter Seals by leading activities and outings for children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome or High Functioning Autism. All the while, she has maintained academic excellence.

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