The Franciscan Center: The Skills and Talents of Many...

All contributing teams have given their best to create a safe and beautiful sanctuary for our members so that the members can focus on enhancing their optimal health by exploring the entire spectrum of wellness!

The Franciscan Center: Detailed Look!

~Photos submitted by project photographer Denise~

Team Health Care Center: Freedom Fighters!

Freedom Fighters Then & Now

Veterans at St. Leonard Health and Rehab center received visits from serviceman Master Chief Master Diver Joseph Howard and Chief Air Crewman Thomas Wollney of the United States Navy. Visits were to pay tribute to the veterans and to thank them for their past service. In all nineteen veterans received visits.

Words cannot describe the emotions felt as our residents reminisced with the sailors about their personal experiences serving our country.

Team Assisted Care: Crafting Fun!

The ladies of Assisted Care, and sometimes an independent resident will join in the fun, are having a wonderful time making little hot air balloons during their time together. The balloons were made with Reese's cups, straws and marshmallows, so the residents were able to eat them. Um...um...good!!! ~Submitted by Sister Christine Doerger~

The Franciscan Center: The Team is Looking Forward to Meeting You!

Jon Dolph! Anna-Bridgette Graham! Dr. Jack Harless! Kristin Pitstick!

Team Spiritual Care: Vital Life No. 2

Vital Life: A Friar's Experience Fellow Residents and Staff,

As a child and adolescent, I enjoyed school and did well in it. History was my favorite subject, teachers were my role models, and I wanted to teach history. In 1970 I began teaching social studies at Franciscan high schools in Cincinnati and later in Fort Wayne. I enjoyed the kids but was not very good at teaching. While I in Fort Wayne, I was ordained to the ministerial priesthood by Bishop Joseph Crowley, the auxiliary bishop of the diocese.

In the summer of 1977 Lily, a mother of two of our students, called and asked for a priest to celebrate Mass at a camp south of town. I volunteered. The camp, it turned out, was for migrant farm workers, most of whom were Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who spoke little or no English. Lily herself was not only the mother of two of our students but also the director of the diocesan office for Spanish-speaking Catholics. Summer was tomato season, and the people had come to pick the crop. The camp consisted of central showers, toilets, and tap water, and fifteen or so one-room cabins, with a whole family, parents and children, assigned to a cabin. A slightly larger building served as a common meeting place, and that was where the Mass would be celebrated. Lily assured me that I could celebrate the Mass in English. The people might not know the English words, but as Catholics they would understand the central mystery of the Mass. When I arrived at the camp, to my own surprise I determined to celebrate the Mass in Spanish. The only Spanish that I knew was "Si." I did not know the words of the Mass, and I pronounced them as though they were English. Little kids giggled, but the people appreciated my effort. That summer evening transformed me. For the first time in my life I was engaged in something bigger than myself. I did not have to be a failed high school teacher. I could touch people's lives. I learned Spanish and ministered to both migrant and settled Hispanic Catholics for nine more months. The Holy Spirit had touched my heart. How has the Holy Spirit changed you? In the words of Saint Francis, Peace and every Blessing! Loren Connell, OFM, sacramental minister

September 1, 2011

September 2011 Employee Wellness Moments

Physical Environment Find a fun cardio fitness program! Explore ways to use planet-friendly products Join a yoga class! Explore your department's relationship or role concerning environmental wellness Sign up for a dance class! September is national mold month…check plants and containers for mold in your area Try indoor water fitness classes! Update your hand hygiene practices Sign up for fall bike rides! Find ways to make hurried tasks safer Social Spiritual Start you indoor social gardens early this fall Prepare and plan for the holidays as a team, taking into consideration beliefs and traditions other than your own Back to school party (mix and match your grade school pictures) Have you integrated your beliefs and values into daily actions yet? Sept. 6th is National Procrastination Day (Have a goodie grab bag filled with office organizers) Offer a quiet moment or human touch to someone in need Synchronize office block (department) parties Try an appropriate guided meditation program Have a lottery lunch (participants bring a covered dish to enter a drawing for a gourmet lunch) Try a walking meditation by being aware of your surroundings and taking note of the sounds and the smells of early fall Nutritional Occupational Create a nibbles afternoon snack from farmer's market specials List the ways that you contribute to the success of your organization Plums are in season! Plan a cobbler taste-test bake off! List all the new skills that you have learned since assuming your current position Blackberries are great afternoon pick-me- ups! Perhaps, try blackberry tea! Reflect on the reason that you accepted your current position Plan ahead to make your snacks for football season healthy and fun! Reflect on your value to the organization, while remaining humble to the mission September 26th is Johnny Appleseed Day! Exchange apple recipes! Let someone else know that they are appreciated for their contributions Intellectual Emotional Identify what interferes with clear thinking (Is it a combination of food, stress, or lack of sleep?) "If your attention is spread too thin it results in stress" Release or delegate one task. How do you protect intellectual property? Take note of the times that you feel good and when possible plan a do-over Do you learn new things because you want to? Explore what is interesting to you. Find ways to give of your time and talents Practice observing what is around you; discover something that you may have overlooked. Take care of your physical needs so that you do not feel personally neglected Plan a day where you do more listening than talking…What did you learn new? Identifying and solving problems is emotionally healthy. Tackle something that has been troubling you. The employee wellness ideas listed above are low cost/no cost activities that you and your employees can mix or match with previously submitted monthly wellness ideas. These ideas can be used to create wellness moments that focus on the eight dimensions of wellness to enhance your Vital Life Community!