News & Events - 2020 Archive

Thank you to Seeland Park's John & Lucy Green for sharing their family Christmas memories and traditions with us this festive period. "When we stop to reminisce over the past 59 Christmases, it brings such joy and happiness to our hearts. We’ve made so many different memories with our family--we could probably write a book!" Read more on our website 

Our group began almost 40 years ago in an attic on West Street. A local insurance agent, the late Winston Hamilton, who was also a war game designer, invited some friends to play-test a new game. Read about "Command Decision" a WWII game that Seeland Park residents enjoy on our website. 

Seeland Park resident Madolyn Braley's sister, Marjorie Casey, was nominated in 1995 by the Des Moines Needlepoint Guild to be the person from Iowa to contribute a Christmas needlepoint stocking for the Christmas tree in the Blue Room at The White House. She was one of four to represent Iowa. Read Madolyn's memorable story on our website.

Imagine living through not only one pandemic but two during your lifetime—that’s just what St. Francis Manor resident Louise Doty has done! Anna Louise Larsen was born in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic, she recovered from COVID-19 in May 2020, and celebrated her 102^nd birthday on November 25!

Seeland Park resident Hazel Lease shares her memories of her husband’s job as a skilled mechanic that took them to Barbados and his serving with the Sea Bees in the Korean War.

Replacing the many trees destroyed by the August derecho on St. Francis Manor’s 31-acre Life Plan Community is underway!  Several Seeland Park residents lost their big shade trees so replacing them with 3 to 6-inch diameter trees was important to them—and also meant the new trees would need to be moved and planted with a tree spade.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, Seeland Park resident Tom Tish shares his memories of a life-long service in the Army.  After graduating from William Penn University, his path was a certain one which took him all over the USA and world in service of our country. Read his story on our website

St. Francis Manor resident Margaret Morrison celebrated her 100th birthday on October 10, 2020, with son David Morrison and his wife Rebecca from Colorado and daughter Marla Morrison Inks and her husband Jeff from Ankeny.

Hammond Center tenants and staff recently celebrated National Assisted Living Week with a variety of activities, including a campus visit from the Dari Barn on the Moove food truck for lunch one day and a French Toast bar complete with fresh fruit and various flavored syrups another day.

During its recent annual survey by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals conducted August 24-27, St. Francis Manor demonstrated why it is the highest-rated skilled nursing facility in Poweshiek County as it earned another deficiency-free survey in support of its 5-star rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In addition to receiving this recent deficiency-free annual survey, St. Francis Manor was deficiency-free for an off-site infection control survey as well as an on-site infection control performance survey conducted earlier this year.