Summer Time Fun at Valley Manor

This past week the staff at Valley Manor held their summer picnic out on the courtyard at Valley Manor. A staff committee planned the event and with help from the HR and Food Service staff, summer time tropical fun was in full bloom.



It started with cold, refreshing tropical drinks and a food buffet that included chicken, pork, white hots, veggie burgers, potatoes, rice, salad and more. Perhaps the biggest hit was the home-made tropical beef dish provided by Brent in the maintenance department. Who knew that Brett could fix up dinner as well as he can fix up equipment?





After lunch, the competition began and it got very competitive as staff played for extra raffle tickets to increase their chance of winning any of the many prize packages on display. I don't like to brag, but the CEO plays a mean game of "ladder ball" and "can jam"!





It was a hot and sunny day, which made the ice-cream desserts a welcomed treat and nobody seemed to mind the occasional watering from some errant squirt guns. Staff never seem shy about shooting the CEO.......... although it is all in good fun.




Good food, fellowship and fun was the order of the day at the Valley Manor staff picnic. I really enjoy watching the staff have at fun at work and I cherish the opportunity to jump in with them. For a few hours we forgot about our work roles and just enjoyed each others company as we got silly and had some good old-fashioned summer fun.


When the party was over, it's back to work. But our batteries are recharged, our bodies refreshed and our hearts lifted as we resume our work roles and come together again as a team, serving our residents and clients.


Thanks for all you do every day. Individually, you are all unique and wonderful individuals. Together, you are an amazing staff!

Getting Wet & Wild at Kirkhaven!

Kirkhaven held a fun water day event that both residents and staff had a wet & wild time with. A picture tells a better story, so "read on" and enjoy...................



Double-fisted and dangerous!






















Just shoot me already








Death by water can be fun?

Approach at your own risk!

I may be the pastor, but I'll shoot if you make me.

I got you covered.

That has to hurt!

Don't mess with my residents!

Don't mess with the "Terminator"!

Everybody messes with this guy.

I got your back Mable.

That still hurts!

I mean business!

Still Friends!

The Sage Project

After months of planning and planting, the Seniorsfirst "Sage Project" rolled out with great fanfare and success this past weekend at the annual Park Avenue Festival.

The Sage Project was an idea designed to blend public relations, resident activities and fund-raising into a fun event. Every year the Park Avenue merchants hold a massive festival that attracts thousands of people looking for crafts, food, entertainment and fun. Since Kirkhaven resides on the avenue, we often participate in some small way. But this year we decided to step it up a notch.

With so many of our residents being avid gardeners, we decided to engage them in an herb growing activity and then pot and sell the herbs at the Park Avenue festival to raise funds and awareness towards our wonderful home. The Sage Project involved residents from our nursing home, assisted living home and adult day program. It extended to our staff and several community volunteers.

It literally began with seeds and tending of the gardens. It then proceeded to potting and arranging. Finally it came to the event set-up and sale. With the help of a "Bright Spot" that advertised our event on the local news the day before and a beautiful day that brought out huge crowds, the foot traffic into our courtyard along Park Avenue resulted in plenty of sales. I was amazed at the positive interaction between customers and residents. I was pleased to hear the pleasant comments about our Kirkhaven home and the Sage Project. I was humbled by the show of gratitude and support from the volume of sales. On more than one occasion, people would simply give us a donation or tell us to keep the change.

The project was a great success on every level. The residents enjoyed the meaningful activity and the opportunity to interact with each other, staff and the community. Seniorsfirst enjoyed wonderful public relations in getting the good word out into the community about our innovative communities and services. We sold over a thousand dollars in herbs with the net proceeds to go towards our resident activity funds.

As our VP of Marketing said afterwards, "the smiles on the faces of the residents and staff/volunteers add another million dollars in value to the project!" With the lessons we learned and the success we had, we will definitely bring the Sage Project back next year.

The Man Behind the Room

For the past 18 years, when there was a need for a group of people to meet and dialog on important work related to the Kirkhaven mission and operation, chances were the meeting was held in the Wilcox Board Room.

In 1992, when the south wing addition was built, the conservative but eloquent board room was named after one of Kirkhaven's premier pioneers-Harris Wilcox. For those who often use the Wilcox room and utter its name regularly, I thought you might appreciate a bit of history about the man behind the room.

Harris Wilcox, a prominent area businessman, internationally renowned Auctioneer and Realtor, Chairman of the Board of Harris Wilcox Inc, a generous benefactor of Charitable, Civic and Youth Organizations and a lifelong devotee to American Agriculture, was born in Bergen, NY on 1919 and recently passed away in July 2010.

Mr. Wilcox was a devoted Christian and member of the Bergen Presbyterian Church who lived his life in direct relationship to his faith. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kirkhaven from 1980-1985, the period of Kirkhaven's initial start-up and development. A time of both challenges and opportunities that might never have been navigated successfully had it not been for the unique style incorporating knowledge, energy, humor, stamina, and the "larger than life" presence that defined Harris Wilcox.

When I first met Mr. Wilcox, I was a 27 year-old, still "wet behind the ears" Director of Finance. I was in awe of the man and his gentle, yet determined, command of every encounter. His kindness and chivalry stood out among all others in the room and when he spoke, people would hang on his every word. His command of the English language, his tact, his decisiveness rarely left an inkling of doubt that if Harris was behind a project, the project would get done.

I remember the trials and tribulations Kirkhaven encountered with respect to the initial funding requirements of our H.U.D. financing program. The head bureaucrat at H.U.D. was a woman named Helen Moore, who dragged us through every regulation, code & rule she could find before we finally received project approval. The tactful, yet humorous, gentleman that Harris Wilcox was, could not resist taking a parting shot at the mortgage closing when he declared with much pride and determination, " We give thanks for this blessed day, for Lord knows we have been through hell-an-more".

As I sat through the funeral of Mr. Wilcox, I could not help but to reminisce about how far Kirkhaven has come since those early start-up days. Slowly we are losing the great pioneers, like Philip B. Price and Harris Wilcox, whose vision and dedication have led us to where we are today. But although these pioneers are gone, their memories and the lessons they taught us remain as a gift for all of us to carry forward.

My wish is that each of us will remember and respect the "presence" of Harris Wilcox whenever we sit in the Wilcox Room. The presence of a gentleman.......the authority of a born leader. Mr. Wilcox had it right when he would say, "Chivalry is not extinct" and "We have a Great God and a Wonderful Savior".

Thank you Harris for all you have given Kirkhaven. "Well done Thou Good and Faithful Servant".

BLOG Respite

If you are a regular visitor to my weekly Blog, you have probably noticed that I haven't been very timely or active with my Blog of late. Not sure why, but I guess I have just been busy with summer or have hit the "Blog wall".

It has been 2 years since I began my Blog and while I really enjoy the writing and sharing of stories, my creative energy and time appear to be fading.

Perhaps once summer ends I'll find that inner source of imagination and desire to capture my thoughts and share them with you within my Blog again. Until then, have a great summer.

Dream big, dream often.............................Jim.

Is the CEO really working?

I remember when I was just a young kid; there were three specific concepts that I had a hard time grasping. Of course my older and “wiser” siblings loved to mess with my mind and to this day still give me a hard time about these.

The first was my sister telling me that long before God created the world, there was nothing. No night and no day. No darkness and no light. Now to my way of thinking, that was impossible. If something isn’t dark it must be light and vice versa. “But no”, she would exclaim, “ there was no day or night, no light or darkness at that time”. That concept still drives me crazy to this day!

The second is a little embarrassing seeing that I eventually grew up to be a business and numbers guy. But as a kid I had a tough time grasping the concept of statistical odds. You see to my way of thinking back then, everything had a 50/50 chance of occurring. Either it would or it wouldn’t. I’m still teased to this day about the time I tried to convince my family, as we were driving up to our camp for the weekend, that there was a 50/50 chance that we would have a head-on collision with another car around the next corner. Either we would or we wouldn’t!

The third was the whole tree falling in the forest thing. If nobody was there to hear it fall, did it make a sound? “What are you talking about?” I would plead. “What difference does that make? Of course it makes a HUGE crashing sound. Haven’t you ever heard a tree fall?” But my sister would insist and try to explain that if the sound waves never hit an eardrum, no noise would be heard. Okay, I get it now, but you have to admit that is a tough concept for a kid!

Which brings me to the purpose of this particular Blog posting and a related question to pose. If the CEO is working alone in his office or out in the community, but staff isn’t there to notice, is he really working?


I only bring this up because this past week I had the luxury and joy of spending more time than usual out on the resident floors and at various staff and resident events. Heck, I even took a lunch break one day last week and showed up in the staff dining room. I received a fair amount of “Hello, where have you been?” or “Hi stranger, haven’t seen you in a long time,” or “Have you been on vacation?” or “Good to see you, you need to get out more.”

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the sentiment and folks appear genuinely pleased to see me. My concern is simply, what do they thing I’m doing when I’m not so visible to them? When I was the administrator and even assistant administrator, I took great pride in my visibility and day-to-day involvement in the operation. I knew the staff, residents and families, many by name. That was a key component of my role back then.

Some might argue it still should be as CEO, but the reality is it just can’t; at least not at anywhere near the same level. One reason is that I have to be respectful of those in the position now to fill the hands-on role. Another reason is that I have new responsibilities that require my attention to different priorities. My day is often filled with meetings, both in and out of the building. I spend the vast majority of my day on “big picture” items that involve strategic planning, community outreach, analysis and communications. I spend a great deal of my time doing office work, on the telephone, on the computer, meeting with contacts. I admit I missed the operational side of our business when I first transitioned to CEO, but eventually came to love the role and the work I do.

So, back to my original question posed. Is the CEO really working?

Well, I would hope the answer is as obvious as night and day, but then again maybe that concept isn’t all that clear. Perhaps I should suggest there is a 50/50 chance that I’m really working. Either I am or I’m not. Or is it like the tree falling in the forest and if you aren’t there to see me, then I’m not really working?

I think I’ll just keep it simple and continue to do what I am asked to do as the CEO. I’ll be the guy behind the scenes, out in front, helping to scout and navigate our way forward. I’ll keep on communicating to everyone all the wonderful and challenging things our organization does and faces every day. I’ll work tirelessly to ensure that Seniorsfirst continues to have a bright and successful future and that our residents, staff and families find comfort and joy within our communities.

But I’ll also try to get out more because as much as I love my job at Seniorsfirst, I do understand that it is our people that make the difference! Thanks for all you do and for being the “face” of our organization.

My First Novel Published

Many of my Blog readers have often shared kind words with me on how much they enjoy my Blog and my style of writing. Heck, a few of you have gone so far as to suggest that I should write a book!

Well my long time Blog faithful might recall that in my December 29, 2008 Blog posting I revealed that I had set a 2009 goal for myself to do just that. And so, for the past year and a half I have spent much of my "free time" writing in my journal, transcribing from my journal to my computer, editing, reviewing, editing, reviewing, editing................well you get my drift.

Finally, earlier this year I set out to publish my final, final work of fiction. I had no idea of the details and work this process would involve. It had to be just right and it had to be my way, so I spent hours every evening and weekend navigating my way through virgin territory. I learned a lot and would probably do it differently if I knew then what I know now, but I am thrilled with the final result. It has been a labor of love with no real expectation or objective other than to write a book to share with my 4 grandsons and any other interested family and friends.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my first novel:

Coming soon to a bookstore near you, a breakout novel for "Young Adults" and "Tweens" by local author James E. DeVoe.

Daydreamer is an entertaining and enlightening adventure story with comic book like superhero excitement and unexpected twists as it moves from reality to fantasy.

DYLAN LAWSON IS a typical 13 year old boy growing up in a small, rural community in the northern Adirondacks of New York; a community that provides a lifestyle rich in outdoor adventure and homespun values. Together, with his best friends Brennan and Kennedi, Dylan finds adventure and excitement in what always turns out to be anything but a typical day.

But Dylan lives in a different world than everyone else. Dylan is the world's biggest daydreamer and he lives his life in both the real world and his dream world. Worlds that often collide, causing struggles and challenges that also provide valuable lessons learned.

It begins with a harrowing experience when the boys find themselves lost on Titus Mountain in the midst of the season's worst snowstorm and ends with the kids taking on the challenge of solving the great murder mystery when they stumble upon a dead body while out kayaking. In between, they become entrepreneurs of a successful start-up business as a result of a school project, compete for the state championship on the school's hockey team, attempt to win a national contest to bring a superstar singer to perform at the school's spring dance, confront a terrorist attack at school and become entangled in many more adventures.

Dylan's daydreaming often causes him to be absent-minded, disengaged and irresponsible, but with the help of his adult mentors, he ultimately uses his vivid imagination to become a real-life hero.

The action-packed suspense within each story and adventure will keep you riveted and guessing, but is it real or just another Dylan Lawson daydream?

You can take advantage of my "Friends & Family" advance sale discount offer to order your copy today at $14.99 (25% discount). The advance sale offer will be open to all until June 30th and then I will place the bulk order with my publisher to access the discounted pricing. You will receive your copy by July 15th. After that date, my book will be available at the publisher's standard rate and at Bookstore retail rates.

SO ORDER NOW IF INTERESTED by using the link below that will take you to my secure Daydreamer PayPal ordering site.

Friends & Family Advance Sale Offer:

My curious adult friends and family can now purchase an advanced copy of my novel, check it out themselves and then gift it to their children, grand-children, nephew, niece or other child. You'll satisfy your curiosity and enjoy reading my breakout novel, and have one less birthday or Christmas gift to buy this year!

To ORDER YOUR ADVANCED COPY click ORDER DAYDREAMER NOW!

Thanks for your interest……………………….Jim DeVoe.