Birthstones

It was a gray Sunday at Juniper Village at Mount Joy, and there wasn't much fun to be had out of doors. So, as storms threatened throughout the day, our residents mostly stayed inside playing games or doing puzzles. In the afternoon, we learned a little bit about birthstones.

Did you know that birthstones are mentioned in the Book of Revelations? Or that wearing them in jewelry was made popular in Poland in the 1500's?

The most fun might have been figuring out what each of our birthstones are and what they mean. If you're born this month, your birthstone is Peridot. The precious gemstone is said to bring you success, peace, and good luck.

Patriotism and Irish Dance

As patriotism reigns through the month of July, we definitely heard our nation's independence ring as the choir from Mount Calvary treated residents to American-themed musical numbers and inspirational speeches on July 12th.

We were all over the rainbow on July 26th as the Rebel Heart Irish Dancers performed their very own choreographed interpretation of The Wizard of Oz. Set to the beloved music from the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, our residents couldn't help but be charmed by the sweet girls and their fancy footwork. It was so much fun, and refreshing, to see something as familiar as the Wizard of Oz transformed into an Irish dance performance.

Breathe in Life: August Events

Our Alive in All Seasons’ theme for August is The Environment. Our communities will focus their efforts on maintaining healthy environments through environmentally conscious activities. Our “Green Canopy” program emphasizes designing and operating buildings that meet new standards of environmental sustainability. We are proud to be the first long-term care company with a building in the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

According to research by Go Green, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour; 25 billion Styrofoam cups and 40 billion soft drink bottles and cans each year. Eighty-four percent of the average American’s household trash can be recycled. If we recycled just 1/10 of our newspapers 25 million trees could be saved. Are we all doing our part?

Join us this month as we learn more about the environment, expand our wide-scale recycling program, learn more about environmental sustainability programs and work with our community Green Teams to promote our “Green Canopy” initiative. We encourage you to accompany us on this environmental journey so that we can all continue to Breathe in Life!

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our “Dog Days” of Summer Dog Show featuring K-Pets therapy dogs and guests this annual event is sure to get your tail wagging and is open to the community with refreshments offered on August 7^th from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm (please RSVP by August 4^th to 717-492-9692); or the Mount Joy Chamber Chicken BBQ featuring delicious meats with all the traditional fixings, plus you can take home a free Earth-friendly, reusable shopping bag so your taste buds and the environment will thank you (held at the Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road) on August 16^th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Take a look at our calendar and join us for any and all activities that will help you make the most of these last few weeks of summer.

Sunday Sundae Funday

The sun was shining bright this Sunday at Juniper Village of Mount Joy, and our residents were in and out of doors all day. Sunday is a day for rest and socializing, and after lunch, we gathered for an ice cream social. Dubbed the Sunday Sundae Social, we had a lot of fun with our cool treats on this hot day in July.

And because we like getting cute and crafty, two of our residents took some time in the afternoon to paint wooden hearts. Plus, who couldn't use a little heart in his or her pocket to remind them how loved they are?

Stand in Integrity: July Events

July is the month in which we celebrate our nation’s independence with fireworks, cook outs and by cherishing our own personal freedoms. Nelson Mandela reminds us “to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” In that spirit join us as we honor those who “Stand in Integrity.”

Dr. Barbara Killinger, PhD, offers this definition of integrity: “Integrity is a personal choice, an uncompromising and predictably consistent commitment to honor moral, ethical, spiritual and artistic values and principles.” To “Stand in Integrity” does not mean that you are flawless or perfect, it means that you admit your shortcomings; you have influence, not because people like you, but because people trust you, believe you, and follow you.

We will also celebrate this month’s Alive in All Seasons theme of Volunteerism by volunteering our time to others, honoring those who volunteer with us, including our Resident Ambassadors; and learning more about volunteer opportunities in the greater community.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Mount Joy Chamber of Commerce Mixer celebrating the Chamber’s 75th anniversary on July 15^th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm; our Summer Music Series: Dixieland Express which will be the first in our three month music series that is free and open to the public where we invite you to grab your lawn chair, pick your spot off the back porch, to enjoy some tunes and refreshments on July 17^th at 7:00 pm; or our American Red Cross Blood Drive to give someone the gift of life this summer register for a specific convenient appointment by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or just come on over and donate to receive a special gift on July 23^rd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Take a look at our calendar and join us for any and all activities that will help you make the most of these last few weeks of summer. 

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

What's made of sugar and spice, and everything nice? Besides our residents, that's also what little girls are made of-- and on Sunday, our Living Room was overtaken by Daisy Scouts. The girls made so many of us smile with a sweet fashion show they put on. Then the girls spruced up our residents by making friendship necklaces for them.  

Speaking of sweet, our residents did a fun Marshmallow Sculptures activity. Armed with toothpicks and various sizes of the sugary treats, our residents created sculptures reminiscent of Tinker Toys.

Memorial Day Weekend

The town of Mount Joy held their Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, and our very own Miss Catharine Zeller was in it! She rode in the parade in commemoration of her father, a World War I veteran who fought in the trenches in France. This is the 100^th anniversary of the First World War, and Miss Zeller remembers her father actively participating in Memorial Day celebrations over the years. She also wanted to celebrate the memory of her brother, a paratrooper in the Korean War, who graduated from West Point.

Leading the parade, our Miss Zeller rode in a sky blue Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible. She said the experience was wonderful, and while she didn't recognize faces in the crowd, she knew many people had come out to see her.

 ---The photograph taken with Miss Zeller holding her father's photograph was taken for the newspaper and is credited to Jeff Ruppenthal.---