Wake Robin carpenters at work
Woodworking has always been a major trade and hobby at Wake Robin. Now a number of resident carpenters are using their skills for a worthy cause – building desks and giving them away free to remote learning students. Local 22/44 My Champlain Valley recently visited the workshop to check out all the buzz.
A kindergartener who received a desk!
During this stressful period the Covid-19 pandemic has created, local heroes and impactful programs have worked to uplift community spirit and feed the minds and bodies of all Vermonters. One initiative, Everyone Eats, has risen to the occasion and helped families and organizations across the entire Green Mountain state.
Human Resources has done a great job facilitating the Everyone Eats program at Wake Robin
Through a grant provided by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the mission of Everyone Eats focuses on providing “nutritious meals to Vermonters in need of food assistance as well as a stabilizing source of income for restaurants, farmers, and food producers.” At least 10 percent of the ingredients for the meals use Vermont products.
Morgan Evarts, Recruiter and Workforce-Builder at Wake Robin, explained how Vermont’s Life Plan community became involved with the project. “When Everyone Eats approached us, they explained that this is a free meal for anyone affected by COVID-19. They asked us ‘do you wear a mask every day? If so, you deserve a meal.’ Our staff have worked so hard at not only continuing to come to work during the pandemic, but always having safety protocols on top of mind in their professional and social life. This is the only way to keep the residents and their co-workers safe and they are doing an amazing job!”
Through Wake Robin’s partnership with Working Bridges of United Way Northwest Vermont, the Human Resources team was able to coordinate a six week schedule in which staff could pick up local, fresh ingredient meals right in the Community Center. And as much as the program benefits staff and their families – they can pick up dinners for their household members too – each meal delivered ensures $10 goes to the food provider.
CFO Missy Kelsen with local soup from Joe’s Kitchen at Screamin’ Ridge Farms
Managed by the Southeastern Vermont Community Action Agency, Everyone Eats has been a roaring success thus far. According to this ShiftMeals.org blog, more than 100 restaurants have participated and distributed meals to 130 distribution sites. The first pick up for Wake Robin occurred in the middle of November and featured homemade soups from Joe’s Kitchen at Screamin’ Ridge Farms. Evarts summed up why Everyone Eats has been a perfect fit for Wake Robin. “If we can give staff one less night to worry about making dinner, and a chance to relax with their loved ones…well, that is completely worth it!”
To learn more about the Everyone Eats program, please visit https://shiftmeals.org/everyone-eats/
Wake Robin, Vermont’s Life Plan Community, was recently featured in the November/December 2020 issue of Yankee Magazine!
Views of the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain from the Wake Robin campus
The article, “Unprecedented Times, Unexpected Solutions” explores what new retirees are seeking, especially in the time of the pandemic. The essay explains what it means to live in a Life Plan Community – in terms of what kind of healthcare and social benefits it offers.
Read the article in the November/December digital version of Yankee Magazine here!
Tuesday January 12th, 2pm EST on Zoom
Join Wake Robin for a very special virtual presentation on “Mindful Organizing & Decluttering.” This will be a 1 hour presentation with 30 minutes for Q&A.
To reserve your space and get the link, please contact the Marketing Department at 802-264-4279. We look forward to seeing you!
“Meet the Linden Health Center” December 9th 2pm EST
Join Wake Robin’s Director of Health & Resident Services Meagan Buckley as she explains how the Linden Health Center functions, what services and treatments are offered, and describes some of the culture cultivated in the three neighborhoods of Spruce, Cedar, and Juniper. Some staff and Linden residents will also be in attendance to answer your questions.
The event is free, but space is limited. Please call Sharon in the Marketing Department at 802-264-4279 to reserve your space and gain access to the link.
“Ask a Resident Panel Discussion” November 18th 2pm on Zoom
Join current Wake Robin residents as they share their experiences and insight on living at Vermont’s only Life Plan Community. They will share what it’s like to live here and how their journey brought them to Wake Robin. There will be plenty of time for questions.
The event is free, but space is limited. Please call Sharon in the Marketing Department at 802-264-4279 to reserve your space and gain access to the link.
Environmentalist leader Bill McKibben will share his sense of what we should be thinking as we come out of quarantine. His video lecture, “A Crisis Inside a Crisis: What COVID-19 Might Teach Us About Dealing with Climate” will be followed by a live Q&A. This is an exclusive online event for Wake Robin residents and Priority Depositors. The event is free, but space is limited. To learn more about becoming a Priority Depositor, contact the marketing team at 802-264-5100.
Dear Friends of Wake Robin,
From the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, Wake Robin has been focused on creating and implementing a fluid plan of prevention for our community. We have moved forward while consistently gathering information from multiple resources to review, revise and implement future planning with the objective of keeping this community safe and sound. I am pleased to say that as of this writing there are no cases on campus. We feel very fortunate, yet realize, we must continue our vigilance for the well-being of our campus.
Communication of our plan has been key. Our regular updates that go out to residents and their families offer an inside look of what is happening in the community as we respond to any new developments.
During this past month, there have certainly been difficult times … after all, who would have thought the campus would ever need to be secured with programing, events and even dining temporarily halted. However, it is amazing to witness the strength of each individual, who call Wake Robin home, meet to this challenge.
Residents are engaged in a variety of ways. In the Linden Health Center, just this past week, the residents have recorded over 16 hours of video chatting with their families. Equally important, residents are interacting and having fun in creative ways. We have music in the courtyard, virtual meetings for committee work and over 60 residents are participating in an Independent Living-Health Center Pen Pal program.
I am also happy to share that residents feel well cared for and have expressed to me that they consistently witness staff doing everything they possibly can for the residents’ well-being. The staff are all fully aware that this is a group effort and they continue to be mindful of how to help and support the residents as well as each other.
I can’t thank staff enough. They show up every day with courage, spirit, and humor, and they are working in ways like never before, collaborating with other departments and rising to each and every occasion. It’s remarkable to witness. I am proud to be able to work alongside them and be part of their team.
Stay safe….stay well!
Sincerely,
Meagan Buckley, LNHA
Director of Health and Resident Services
A resident and her teddy bear video chat with a grandnephew from Maryland
A blog post by Wake Robin Physical Therapist Alexis Mittelstadt
The isolation precautions from the Coronavirus pandemic have certainly changed our daily routines and many experts warn of the risk of feeling isolated and lonely. The widely accepted guidelines for decreasing stress from isolation involve taking care of yourself and putting your wellness first. This means: practicing mindfulness via meditation or prayer; exercising; and regularly keeping in touch with friends and family.
Wake Robin is a community full of creative and innovative minds so I thought I might enter in a few of my own “offbeat” ideas and you can all take it from there!
A resident doing in-home yoga with a campus-wide broadcast
Whatever the right fit is for you…find it! We’ll all be eager to reconnect once this is over!
The Board of Directors at Wake Robin, Vermont’s first lifecare community, have announced that Martha Maksym will succeed as President and CEO following Patrick McKee’s
retirement from Wake Robin next month. The Board of Directors, Wake Robin residents and staff thank Mr. McKee for his five years of dedicated service to the community, and are pleased to begin the next chapter with Maksym as leader. Martha began her tenure as Wake Robin’s President and CEO in January 2020.
“Martha Maksym comes to us with a strong background in the skills and outlook that are a close fit with Wake Robin’s traditions and culture,” said Eric Hanson, chair of the Board of Directors at Wake Robin. “Over the course of her impressive career, Martha has demonstrated her commitment to community on all levels. Her background of proven service makes us very excited to welcome her to Wake Robin.”
Wake Robin’s President and CEO, Martha Maksym
Prior to accepting the position as Wake Robin President and CEO, Maksym was the Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services. Martha spent 22 years at United Way of Northwest Vermont, the last five as Executive Director. She was also formerly Executive Director of the Green Mountain Prevention Projects.
Maksym has deep roots in Vermont, spending her entire career with Vermont organizations after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Vermont.
Following an intensive, nationwide search for a CEO, Wake Robin’s Board of Directors and leadership staff are confident that Maksym’s combination of past experience and dedication to community values make her a perfect match for the top leadership role, and are pleased to welcome her to Wake Robin.
© 2024 Wake Robin.
