Press Releases and News - Page 7

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. 

On August 10-11, Iowa and parts of Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and western Ohio saw one of the more significant "Derecho" storms in years. Derecho, coming from the Spanish word "straight," is an in-land storm that surges with tornado and hurricane-force winds. Derechos are known to appear during the summer, as they are considered a warm-weather phenomenon, tend to extend the gusts of wind longer than normal wind storms to hours and even days.

We all are missing the Iowa State Fair this year. What are some of the things you miss the most? Butter cow? How many different things you can eat on a stick? Perhaps you took part in the competitions? Share with us below and enjoy Seeland Park Resident, Gwen Rieck's fond memories of days at the fair.....

The derecho storm cancelled our staff appreciation celebration scheduled on August 12 but we still want to thank our amazing staff for being team players and doing whatever it takes to get the job done! “Our employees have shown great perseverance and adaptability especially during the last five months of COVID-19 and now with all of the storm damage,” said Dion Schrack. “We appreciate you and are blessed to have you working with us."

Seeland Park resident Susan Thorndike shares the story of her golden retrievers over the years as well as her affinity for training and breeding dogs. 

Seeland Park resident, Kathi shares some thoughts. "I have always believed in miracles; and during this terrible pandemic, I have not been disappointed! My mother always planted pansies every year; and she told me, “When you have white pansies, they are telling you that somebody is watching over you.”