Anna Née at Kennywood

What better way to spend a beautiful July day, then to visit one of America's most  historic amusement parks-Kennywood!  On Wednesday, July 5 over 20 residents, family members and guests from Juniper Village at Forest Hills  attended their annual outing to Kennywood Amusement Park in West Mifflin.  “ Kennywood has been around for over 125 years.  So all of our residents from this area grew up going to Kennywood every summer  with their families and friends.   It was great hearing the residents share their memories of the park and some of the attractions they enjoyed that are no longer there like; the old dance hall, the swimming pool and some of the rides. ” states Rosemarie Malanoski, Juniper Village at Forest Hill’s Connections Director. “And, although things have changed over the years…. you are never too old to ride the rides, eat the foods,  and enjoy the sights and sounds of Kennywood. “

Thank You

Each month Juniper Village celebrates a different theme.  This month, our theme is Volunteerism and Juniper Village at Forest Hills will be celebrating by thanking all of the volunteers throughout the year who gave their time and energy to make our community a special place to live.  As a way to say, “Thank You”, the residents at Juniper Village will be presenting boxes of wrapped chocolates along with hand written thank you note.  Yesterday, the residents were busy wrapping the chocolates and preparing their gifts to share with our  volunteers. 

July 2017 Events in Pittsburgh, PA: Stand In Integrity

Each summer Juniper Village begins our quarterly Alive in All Seasons focus on Staying Connected. We promote staying connected to the community, the environment and each other. In July we shed light on staying connected to our community through volunteerism. Do you know that, as a company, we receive more than 10,000 hours of precious volunteer time each year? We have many volunteers, both human and animal, who contribute to our mission of nurturing the spirit of life. Elizabeth Andrew said it best, “volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” This month we honor all of the wonderful volunteers who make time to share a bit of their heart with us. We appreciate those who lead groups in our communities; those who share their unique skills and talents with our residents; those who provide friendly visits to our residents and give a reassuring hug or comforting puppy kiss; and the many, many other special people who enhance our lives.

This month as we focus on volunteerism we invite you to find a way that you can make a difference. Whether helping us at Juniper Village or another organization, volunteering has countless emotional and physical health benefits. Volunteering gives a boost not only to those receiving, but to those giving of their time as well.

Review our full calendar and make time to join us for any and all events.

This month we highlight our Ambassador Program and other volunteer opportunities for residents. In addition to volunteer opportunities, we invite you to join us during July for our summer celebrations and share our thanks as we honor those who Stand In Integrity with us.

Our fabulous July 2017 events in Pittsburgh, PA at Juniper Village at Forest Hills include our:

§  4th of July BBQ as we enjoy a variety of traditional summer favorites with lunch that is free for residents and just $10.00 for visitors and guests with all proceeds benefitting the Disabled American Vets organization on July 4^th at Noon. (Due to limited space, tickets and RSVPs are required.)

§  Dementia Caregiver Support Group Meeting approved by the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and are affiliated with the National Alzheimer’s Association, this month’s topic will be on Ways to Manage Caregiver Stress on July 8^th at 10:30 am.

§  Understanding the Veteran’s Aid & Attendance Benefit Program if you, your spouse or loved one serve at least one day of active war time duty, you may be eligible for benefits to help cover the expense of long term care, so join us as Kim Dunn from Veteran’s Resource Solutions explains the Veteran’s Aid & Attendance Benefit program, how their benefits pay between $1100 to $2000 a month for Veterans and their surviving spouses, and how you or your loved one may qualify for these benefits on July 15^th at 10:30 am.

§  How To Become A Hospice Volunteer as we learn about Hospice a supportive service focused on pain and symptom management for individuals with a life threatening illness that allows the patient to have dignity, comfort and support when medical treatments are no longer an option with Molly Fischer from Gallagher Home Health and Hospice will be here to discuss Hospice services and how you can make a difference in someone’s life by becoming a Hospice volunteer on July 19^th at 1:30 pm. (Free for residents and guests, but RSVPs encouraged at 412-244-9901.)

We look forward to sharing our July 2017 events in Pittsburgh, PA at Juniper Village at Forest Hills with you as you Stand In Integrity.

Summer Picnic

On Thursday, June 22, the residents, staff, and family members from Juniper Village at Forest Hills' Wellspring Unit celebrated the arrival of Summer with an old fashioned Summer Picnic.  Everyone gathered in the Wellspring Unit and on the outside porch area for an afternoon of delicious picnic foods, conversation and fun!

Memorial Day Celebration

It was truly an old fashioned Memorial Day Celebration this year at Juniper Village at Forest Hills.  This year's event featured a delicious lunchtime BBQ with all of the traditional summer picnic favorites, along with a musical  presentation by The Olsons. A musical duo that performs a variety patriotic songs from days gone by....as you can see everyone was feeling rather patriotic! 

BINGO with Girl Scouts

On Wednesday, June 14, Girl Scouts from the Woodland Hills Troop volunteered to run a  Prize Bingo game for the residents at Juniper Village at Forest Hills. The Girl Scout Troop, which is led by Kimberly Webster,  is a combination of girls in ages from 8-15  from the Penn Hills and Woodland Hills school districts.  Eight of the members who attended said that their Troop tries to do some type of community volunteer project a quarter, and that they chose bingo because they know how much their grandmothers love to play bingo.  As you can see, everyone enjoyed their visit, and the Troop has already made plans to return for an arts and craft project in the Fall and a Christmas carol sing in December.   

Mother’s Day Tea Social

On Mother’s Day, the residents, family members and guests at Juniper Village at Forest Hills were treated to a special performance when Devin Arrington the musical entertainer for the Mother’s Day Tea Social invited his 4 year old daughter, Lily to  perform.   Accompanied by her father,  Lily’s violin solo was her first  public appearance!