Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It has been a very busy last few weeks and my weekends have been equally busy. But welcome back and thanks for visiting my blog for an update on what's happening.
On October 15, several of our board members organized a very nice staff appreciation event at both Kirkhaven and Valley Manor. Board representatives came in on all three shifts to pass out treats and express their thanks and appreciation to the staff for all they do. What a nice expression of gratitude, which the staff absolutely loved. At Kirkhaven, the board also included with every treat bag this thoughtful poem about our culture change "Pathways & Conversity" program:
It once was just a start, but you have taken these two words and placed them in your heart. You've gone from there and learned to care in a whole new way, it's true, and you've become the REAL person that's you, as only you can do. With thanks and appreciation for all you do............from the Board of Directors.
My wife and I took some time off from work and drove down to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit our grandson (and his parents) on his 1st birthday. Dylan DeVoe is a real cutie and it is amazing how much they change in just the 3 months since we last saw him. We had a great time and loved every minute we got to hold or play with him. By the time we left, I think our little grandson loved his "ma and pa DeVoe" and we can't wait for our next visit.
Here is a nice picture of the 4 generation DeVoe boys...............................
and here is grandpa and grandma with the birthday boy.............
The following week was hectic as we made final preparations for our annual Seniorsfirst Gala. We were well prepared, but it is amazing how many little details and last minute items have to be dealt with to ensure a well run and enjoyable event. When Saturday evening, October 25th finally came and went, the Gala was a big success and all our hard work was worth it.
We had about 175 guests that started out with a lovely reception that provided a nice opportunity for fellowship and featured a display of our preliminary design drawings of the new Kirkhaven. We then had a marvelous dinner prepared by the Rochester Riverside Convention Center chefs followed by a short program. The program featured the premier showing of our new Seniorsfirst marketing video and the presentation of our 2 feature awards: Community Visionary and Ancora Imparo. The evening ended with 2 hours of casino games where guests won as much "money" as they could for chances to win great raffle prizes at the end of the night.
The Gala was very successful in that it helped spread the great news about Seniorsfirst's mission and vision for senior services and it raised $30,000 toward that end. Thank you to all our participants, sponsors and supporters. Thank you also to the staff and board who worked so hard to make the Gala another big success.
In between all this, it was business as usual as we held our October board meeting and discussed such issues as: occupancy strategies at Valley Manor, progress and planning with the Kirkhaven replacement project, 3rd quarter financial reports and investment funds performance.
We are also very busy with the 2009 budget process. All of our leadership staff have submitted their department budget requests and the finance office is compiling them along with revenue assumptions. Balancing revenue with expenses is always challenging. Balancing mission with margin is always frustrating. Balancing competing needs is always an art. Balancing the known with the unknown is often insane. In short, the budget process is a blend of art, science, data, instinct and statistical estimates, but it provides us with a reasonable road map to gauge our progress and recognize when we need to change direction.
In closing, here are some Gala pictures. Thanks for visiting my Blog. Be sure to visit again soon as I report more on our budget & finances, Valley Manor initiatives, Kirkhaven project and more!
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