Category Archives: Mary J Drexel

Liberty Lutheran Ranks as 2017 Top Workplace

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Liberty Lutheran Services has been awarded a 2017 Top Workplaces honor by Philly.com, ranking top ten in the category for large employers.

The Top Workplaces award is based on a comprehensive survey that asked the employees of each participating organization—there were 182 organizations in all—to evaluate how well their organization:

  • Aligns with its mission and upholds a culture that promotes collaboration and espouses strong values and ethics
  • Operates effectively and remains open to new ideas and different points of view
  • Appreciates, communicates to, and inspires employees
  • Successfully manages and genuinely cares about employees

 

Doug Claffey, who leads WorkplaceDynamics, the research firm that administered the survey, explained that the survey measures the strengths of an organization’s culture through the people who know it best.  “To be a Top Workplace, organizations must meet our strict standards for organizational health. And who better to ask about work life than the people who live the culture every day—the employees,” he says.

“Time and time again, our research has proven that what’s most important to them is a strong belief in where the organization is headed, how it’s going to get there, and the feeling that everyone is in it together. Without this sense of connection, an organization doesn’t have a shot at being named a Top Workplace,” added Claffey.

Employees from every member of the Liberty family of services participated in the Top Workplaces 2017 survey. Not only did they answer survey questions, but many chose to write in their own comments when asked to describe why they love their job. Here are some of their remarks:

I love my job because:

  • I am able to improve and grow in my position and my knowledge base.
  • My boss shows me how to learn and grow, and encourages me to better myself. I work with an amazing team and could not ask for better people to work with.
  • I get to make a difference in people’s lives.
  • I feel like I am appreciated and valued.
  • Friendly staff. Caring managers. I believe I make a difference here.
  • My colleagues are fabulous and we get to interact with the individuals that we serve.
  • I am supported by management and my team members to perform at my best ability. I am given the resources to practice with integrity that best meets my patients’ needs and gives me a sense of pride.
  • It is a positive work environment where we strive to grow the business but understand the importance of enjoying your job. We work as a team and support each other in good and bad times so we all achieve success.
  • I make a difference in the lives of the residents and have an amazing nursing staff that I get to be a part of.
  • I can make a difference in the life of seniors.
  • I feel that I am supported and valued for the work that I do. Upper management does care about their employees even when difficult decisions need to be made. Much thought and care goes into the decision-making process.

 

For more information about the Top Workplaces 2017 awards, visit www.topworkplaces.com. For more information about Liberty, visit libertylutheran.org.

Intergenerational Friendships Blossom

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Something remarkable and meaningful happens when people from two diametrically different generations come together and build friendships.

This extraordinary dynamic has taken hold at The Hearth through Lower Merion High School’s Build On program, a community service initiative in which students, grades nine through twelve, share games, laughter, and heartfelt camaraderie with Hearth residents.

“It’s marvelous having the students visit,” says Ruth, a Hearth resident. The feeling is mutual. Linda, who is in twelfth grade, says that she’s discovered interesting commonalities between her own millennial generation and the pre-Baby Boomer Silent Generation from which our residents hail. “We have a lot of similar opinions and common ground on things like movies and music even though we’re in different age groups,” she says.

Madison prepares s’mores for a social gathering with residents.

Madison, a sophomore, says she is looking forward to learning so much from the residents. “I’m hoping to learn from the residents here because they’re so experienced and so amazing. I just love interacting with people who know so much about life.”

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Connection

It is, according to Megan Calel, Household Coordinator, a perfect kinship between residentsand students. “It really is wonderful that Lower Merion High School is connecting with The Hearth because so many of our residents have graduated from there, or have had their children or grandchildren there.”

As for the students, says Megan, they really value the opportunity to spend time with residents. “The students have lived in this area for most, if not all, of their lives and are very entrenched in this community as are most of our residents.”

Abby says she loves to hear the amazing stories residents tell. Here she is shown playing Qwirkle, a game she loves to share with residents.

Currently seven or eight students visit each week and the number is gradually growing. Tom Reed, a ninth grade teacher at Lower Merion High School and the sponsor of Build On, says the students appreciate how The Hearth supports them every step of the way and encourages them to use their skills to enhance the lives of residents.

“It’s wonderful how our students are able to form relationships with residents, explore common interests, and then work together and play together. The array of opportunities enables both the students and residents to really form a bond,” he says.

Liberty’s Hearth at Drexel Earns Recognition for Design Excellence

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The American Institute of Architects 2016 Design for Aging Review presented The Hearth at Drexel with a special recognition award for completion of a renovation that demonstrates “an excellent adaptation of an older, yet historic structure” that maintains the integrity of a “neighborhood feel with residential character.”

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the distinguished Design for Aging Review celebrates bold vision for design in senior living communities, and assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.

Tuscan Household Residential-Style Cook-to-Order Kitchen

The Hearth, one of only 29 awardees in this most recent competition, was selected by a jury that included three architects, an interior designer, and two leaders in aging services. “The jury quickly came to a consensus on how to define a winning submission—there had to be something unique about each project, one thing that jumped out as extraordinary. It was not enough for the projects to look enticing, or function well, there had to be either something new that was attempted or an extreme obstacle that was overcome in a creative way,” says architect and gerontologist Alexis Denton, who chaired the jury.

One of The Hearth’s beautiful covered porches.

At approximately 276,000 square feet, the century-old property of The Hearth was renovated to encompass four intimate households, each with a hearth living room, dining room, residential-style cook-to-order kitchen, access to covered outdoor space, and a spa and beauty salon.

The jury panel appreciated that the flow and scale of each household reinforces the independence and individuality of each resident. Additionally, the residential-style kitchen in each household provides residents with increased dining options, as well as the autonomy to serve themselves beverages and snacks at any time. And, finally, each household is served by consistent, dedicated staff members who are able to anticipate each resident’s needs.

“LeadingAge, an association dedicated to shaping the future of quality housing and services for older Americans, applauds those colleagues recognized for these award-winning environments with new models of service delivery and innovative ways of connecting services and supports,” says Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge.

For more information about The Hearth, visit www.thehearthatdrexel.org

One Way to Save on Taxes

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It’s tax season – that crazy time of year when everyone is scrambling to pull together receipts, statements and other documents needed to complete those wearisome tax returns.

Have you considered how your IRA affects your overall taxes?

Once you reach the age of 70½, you are required by law to make annual IRA withdrawals called a required minimum distribution. The IRA withdrawal becomes taxable income added to your gross income, which results in a higher adjusted gross income. This could potentially affect the tax bracket into which you fall. Since the penalty for not withdrawing the money is a hefty 50%, leaving the money in your IRA account is not an option.

The good news is that the tax benefit known as a Charitable IRA Rollover (or Qualified Charitable Distribution, “QCD”) was permanently passed into law last year. If you are 70½ years of age or older, this benefit allows you to give up to $100,000 from an IRA to a charity like Liberty Lutheran, with the donation counting towards your required minimum distribution.

Why is that important?

The amount of the Charitable IRA Rollover donation is not added to your gross income, and thus does not result in a higher adjusted gross income.

IRA Inof graphic

To take advantage of this special tax benefit, call your IRA plan administrator and ask to make a direct transfer for the amount you want to donate to Liberty Lutheran. This time next year, you may be glad that you did.

A Charitable IRA Rollover is an excellent tool to employ if you do not need the income now. However, if you use your annual IRA withdrawals for living expenses, then this option may not be suitable for you. If this is the case, please consider supporting Liberty Lutheran by naming us as a primary or contingent beneficiary of your IRA on a Beneficiary Designation Form available from the IRA’s plan administrator.

To assess whether a donation from your IRA distribution is a viable option for you, we recommend that you contact your accountant or tax advisor for further exploration.

Things to Remember:

  • In order to qualify for the charitable IRA rollover, funds must be passed from your IRA directly to Liberty Lutheran.
  • The charitable IRA rollover only applies to gifts from a traditional or Roth IRA and not from any other type of retirement plan (e.g. 401(k), 403(b), SEP, etc.). In some cases, you may transfer assets from another type of retirement account into an IRA in order to be able to make a tax-free IRA rollover to a charity.
  • This provision is only allowed for outright gifts to a qualified public charity like Liberty Lutheran for which you receive no benefits. It is not allowed for transfers to a charitable remainder trust, lead trust, gift annuity, pooled income fund, donor advised fund, supporting organization, family foundation, etc.


The information contained in this document is not intended as tax or legal advice. Figures cited in examples are based on current rates at the time of printing. References to taxes include federal taxes only.

For more information, contact Patty Cline at 267-464-7720 or by email at pcline@libertylutheran.org.

A New Vision for an Old Home: The Hearth at Drexel

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Mary Leonard is the first resident at The Hearth at Drexel. She is a mother of ten, grandmother to 33 children, and a great-grandmother to 23 children. She is pictured at the center, surrounded by her family.

Mary Leonard is the first resident at The Hearth at Drexel. She is a mother of ten, grandmother to 33 children, and a great-grandmother to 23 children. She is pictured at the center, surrounded by her family.

It is true – some things just get better with age. Case in point: The Mary J. Drexel Home in Bala Cynwyd. The historic nursing home has experienced a magnificent transformation, which was celebrated with a grand re-opening in June as The Hearth at Drexel.

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