Greetings!
There is so much to talk about this week that I hardly know where to begin! Let's start with the Olympics. I imagine that most of you think that the 2012 Olympics are taking place in London. That may be true, but there is also a spirited Olympic competition taking place right here at Cedar Village! We began with our opening ceremonies on Monday afternoon. To the sounds of the Olympic theme being played on the trumpet, we had a parade of nations and even our own Olympic torch. Our first event was a fencing demonstration that featured a local fencing teacher who is a former Olympic fencing champion. He brought two students with him and taught us all a lot about the sport. Then the real event began as two of our Cedar Village residents donned the full fencing garb and tried their hand at a fencing competition. You will be glad to know that we awarded three medals to our participants-two residents and one volunteer-and they were all Gold! Following the fencing event, we had that famous Olympic sport, corn hole. Our teams were staff vs. residents-any guess who won? The residents on the corn hole team also enjoyed their medals ceremony. Upcoming events over the next several weeks include Wii bowling and chair volleyball! One of our favorite evenings every month is our Resident of the Month celebration. It took place this Wednesday evening and, as always, it was a wonderful event. It is a joy to learn more about the individuals who make their home at Cedar Village, to hear about their histories, their families and their accomplishments. We ask each interviewee about their values and any advice they would share with younger generations and each month we learn from their wisdom and treasure their sage advice. Thursday was also a very special day for us this week. We celebrated the dedication of our new Rehabilitation Center. The rehab center itself opened last July and we finished the construction and renovation in the other areas in February. The project included the brand new, state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient therapy center; renovated inpatient units dedicated to short term rehab with the capacity for 50 patients and a new ambulance entrance and dedicated elevator. We have had the support of many generous donors to help make Phase I a reality and put us on the path to Phase II so this special event was designed to thank our supporters and give them a chance to see their newly installed plaques. We began the day with an employee breakfast and the unveiling of the plaque for the employee campaign. We raised more than $50,000 from more than 200 of our Cedar Village staff and it was a great moment of pride to officially present the plaque that will permanently bear each of their names. In the afternoon we had a festive reception for our community donors and friends. We began with a lovely champagne toast and offered tours of the new rehab areas. It was a wonderful day of celebration and we were delighted to have so many folks join us! The second phase, which will begin in 2013, will be the construction of an aquatic therapy center which will truly enhance our rehab capabilities. The new aquatic therapy center will be called The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Aquatic Therapy Center and we look forward to the completion of construction, and official dedication of that new area, next year. Our Growth for Tomorrow campaign, raising the capital dollars for this project, is still underway. We are very close to the campaign's completion, with our $6 million goal in sight. If you have not had an opportunity to take part, please contact Sally Korkin, skorkin@cedarvillage.org and she will be delighted to share information and assist you. All the best, Carol Silver Elliott CEO/President
Cedar Village
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