We've had a lot of wonderful activities taking place at Cedar Village this week-in fact, it is tough to know where to begin!  I'll start with one that was truly spectacular-our very first resident musical recital.  Music therapist Jude Jones works with many residents at Cedar Village.  She leads musical programs, rhythm circles, the choir and bell choir and also works one on one with individuals.  Music is truly the universal language and she helps residents in so many ways to express themselves and interact.  As she has worked with folks from all over our campus, she's come across many talented people who have been musicians and performers for most, if not all, of their lives.  On Tuesday, six of these remarkable folks performed to a standing room only crowd in the Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Religious and Cultural Center.  We heard from wonderful vocalists, talented pianists, a percussionist and even a gentleman who was operatically trained and still sings opera!  It was a moving and inspiring afternoon and it's been a topic of conversation here all week!

The recital was sponsored by the Harkavy Fund at Cedar Village, which is an endowment focused on enriching lives of residents.  Our creative arts programming, both music and art, has also been tremendously enhanced by a gift from Nancy and David Wolf.  The Wolf Creative Expression program has enabled us to increase the presence of our music therapist to half time and to add an art therapist for an equal period each week and we see the impact every day.  Through the Wolf program, we are also measuring the impact of creative expression with individuals who have dementia and will be not only learning from those results but also sharing them with others.  We are very grateful for the opportunity to lead the way in enhancing the lives of individuals with cognitive impairments.

On Monday we had several wonderful special events as well.  Our friends from Otterbein Lebanon, who will be traveling with us on our Building Bridges at Any Age mission, were here for lunch. We served a typical Israeli lunch with hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, pita and Israeli salad.  Of course, we did also have to sneak some of our Cedar Village signature chocolate chip cookies onto the menu!  There are five residents from Otterbein and eight from Cedar Village and we have now had three educational sessions on each other's faith traditions and practices.  We've also each got three different books to read for background. We had a very lively session this week and can truly see our group beginning to come together!  We leave for Israel on Oct 24 and are very excited about the ten days that we will spend touring and learning together.

We also had a very special book club event this week. I have the privilege of doing a monthly book club with the residents.  This month we read the book Whisper Your Name Into My Ear by Marguerite Levy-Feibelman.  It is her memoir and describes Marguerite and her family's experiences in France during WW II.  We were all enthralled by the book and so very thrilled to have the author come and speak with us!  Marguerite lives in Cincinnati and she was kind enough to spend over an hour with our group, sharing some stories and answering questions.  If you have not read her book, I encourage you to do so.  It is an incredible story of courage and survival.  Marguerite told us that her book was 21 years in the writing and that she wrote it to be able to share a different aspect of the Holocaust experience than the one most commonly shared, as well as to thank those who helped her family through this terrible time.

On Thursday, we held our summer staff party, something we do twice a year.  We have food, music and fun and it gives us a chance to say "thank you" to the amazing folks who work at Cedar Village. They are a dedicated and compassionate group of nearly 400 people and this is one way we recognize how special and how vital they are!  We run this event both during the day and also from 1=3 in the morning, to ensure we see the night shift folks.  It is always a very rewarding day and yesterday was no exception.

Don't forget-Wednesday July 4 is our Harkavy Holiday at Cedar Village.  Join us for a car show at 10 a.m. outside the Oakview apartments.  We'll have vintage cars as well as some newer sports cars and residents will have a chance to see and ride in many different vehicles.  At 2 p.m., we'll gather for the Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band who will do their annual concert in the Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Religious and Cultural Center.  On Sunday, July 8 a World Choir Games Friendship concert will take place right here on the Cedar Village grounds.  The concert begins at 2 p.m. and we expect a crowd of over 1000!  Come early, bring your blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy three different choir performances, including the choir from China!

 All the best,  

carol@cedarvillage.org