Salem Observer : Salem, seniors

Grandparents go back to school in Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:52:00 GMT

Sitting behind his grandson, 7-year-old Parker Webb, Enio DiPietro watched the boy work on a sheet about telling time.

Later, DiPietro shared with Parker’s second-grade class and other guests in the room that he and his grandson enjoy cooking together.

It was part of “Grandparents Day – 2007” at Barron School in Salem.

During the morning of Thursday, Sept. 27, students in grades 1 through 5 welcomed their grandparents to their classrooms. It’s an annual event at the school.

“It’s so meaningful to the grandparents to spend some quality time here,” said Principal Anthony DiNardo, adding that the event allows them to see some of the positive things going on inside the school.

Janice Laliberte of Salem came to visit her 7-year-old son, Zachary. He had called her the previous Monday night and invited her to come.

“It was so cute,” Laliberte recalled as she waited for school to start.

Ned and Sylvia Leone came from Methuen, Mass., to see two of their grandchildren, John Leone, a fourth-grader, and Lucia Leone, who is in second grade.

“When they see us, they light up,” Sylvia said.

In teacher Kathy Gibney’s classroom, where Parker is a student, the grandparents got a look at their grandchildren’s school work.

“Kids, you can take some books out of your desk and show your grandparents what kind of math we do,” Gibney told her class.

A few minutes earlier, the students asked the grandparents what school was like when they were children.

Some of the answers seemed to surprise them. They didn’t use backpacks, the grandparents told them, and
many of them did not eat at school but instead went home for lunch.

Ryan Quinlan wanted to know if the grandparents rode a bus to school. Many replied that they walked instead.

What games did they like to play, another student asked. Jump rope and hopscotch were popular, they were told.

What did the grandparents learn in school when they were kids? The answers: the usual subjects like math and spelling, but also how to listen and how to behave.

The grandparents were also invited to talk about a particular hobby they enjoyed.

Mary Ann Manning of Salem told the class that she and grandson Joshua Manning, 7, have fun painting together. She likes to use watercolors and acrylics.

Manning showed two paintings and said another painting hangs in the dining room at Joshua’s home.

Later, as DiPietro, and his wife, Dorothy, left the school, they carried homemade cards that Parker had made for them.

“I love you so much, I am so happy you came,” their grandson had written in each card.

Donor names lost – Salemhaven staff seeks info about those who paid for original structure

Salem Editor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:35:00 GMT

BY MATT HERSH

As the grand reopening of Salemhaven’s new renovated facility nears, staff are having trouble remembering who built three of the four patient wings.

The nursing home opened nearly 30 years ago after dozens of local groups and organizations donated money to build it. Some donors contributed $20,000 each, the amount needed to construct an entire wing at the facility.

But now, as the facility prepares to celebrate their newly renovated building, the staff don’t know who to applaud for helping their facility take shape.

There are four resident wings at Salemhaven, each of which houses about 25 patients. Stephanie Micklon, a volunteer director and community liaison at the nursing home, said that the records about who donated the money to construct the wings, plaques that were made to honor the donors and memory of those donors have disappeared.

Now the staff are searching for answers using any methods they can think of.

Micklon said she has made about a dozen phone calls, gone through old newspaper clippings, and conferred with past and current trustees.

So far, there has been little progress. The only thing turned up was a plaque that honors the Lions Club for donating one of the four wings.

Bill Kimball, 79, Lions Club vice president, and his wife Lorna, 78, said they remember when the facility was in its infancy. Their donation, along with the three other wing donors, helped shape the nursing home.

“It’s gotten bigger and certainly better over the years,” Lorna said. “There’s got to be someone alive that remembers who (the donors) were. I really hope they find out.”

Lorna said the plaques aren’t easy to lose either. The large, heavy squares would be hard to misplace, she said.

Micklon said the plaques were taken down when the renovations began and might have been placed in a storage shed behind the property.

That shed was flooded during a heavy rainstorm and Micklon said there is a possibility that the plaques were thrown away with other destroyed goods.

“That’s my terrible fear,” she said. “Maybe someone didn’t take the time to look through the boxes that were thrown away.”

Micklon said she’s trying to plan a rededication ceremony but can’t hold it until the donors’ names are located.

“We don’t want to forget the people who helped build Salemhaven,” she said. “We’re hoping that by getting the word out that maybe someone will remember who these donors are. We’re so grateful to all of those who donated.”

Salemhaven is asking anyone who has information about the donors to call 893-5586, ext. 127.

Volunteer strives to make senior center grand

Salem Editor — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:50:00 GMT

BY BRIDGET MCMAHON

Gerri Beck spends 62 hours a month volunteering at the Ingram Center and even quit her part-time job at Curves because it was cutting into her time there.

Beck began volunteering at the center after she retired.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and my daughter suggested going to the senior center,” she said. “At first I didn’t want to go there, because I thought I wasn’t that old yet!”

Despite some initial apprehension, Beck decided to give the center a chance. She quickly found the job to be a rewarding experience.

Once just a department of the town of Salem, Salem Senior Services is now a bustling organization with a variety of programs for seniors.

“Our mission is to provide services and opportunities to help seniors maintain self-sufficiency,” said Patti Drelick, director of Salem Senior Services.

Salem Senior Services has been serving the area since 1967, and in 1968 began holding meetings in the fire house.

The Ingram Senior Center, 1 Sally Sweet’s Way, was built five years ago for the senior program, and the center celebrated its fifth anniversary on Thursday, Aug. 2.

“We have grown 600 percent and our programming has doubled,” said Drelick. “We really need our volunteers to help lead and teach various programs.”

For the past five years, Beck has volunteered in a variety of ways: She started assisting seniors in the Easy Tone exercise room, then began helping out in the Thrift and Gift Shop. She also helps at the front desk.

Beck has many fond memories of the seniors she has worked with at the center.

“When (one woman) first started coming to the Easy Tone room, she thought she couldn’t do the machines at all,” said Beck. “But soon enough, she started helping others use the machines. She also loved her sales position in the thrift shop. She’d get all dressed up and thought it was just the greatest thing.”

Beck is particularly proud of the Seniors Embracing Life Fully program, known as SELF, which gives older people a chance to socialize and stay active. Every week the group focuses on an activity related to mind, body and soul. SELF began with 11 women and ballooned to 31.

She believes the center has added a great deal to the community.

“It’s great to watch them realize they are not alone, and see them come back and enjoy themselves. I feel like I’m giving back,” said Beck. “While I can physically and mentally, I’m going to try and make the center a bigger and happier place.”

For more information about Ingram Center programs or volunteer opportunities, call 890-2190.

Senior center expansion hits snag

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:20:00 GMT

BY MATT HERSH

A plan to create extra space for exercise and dancing at the Ingram Senior Center has been delayed.

The plan to create a 1,500-square-foot addition to the building was agreed upon in June by town officials who said it would help accommodate the growing number of senior center members.

Senior center director Patti Drelick said a portion of the space would be used for a multipurpose room where exercise classes could be held.

The rest was slated to be used by ServiceLink, a state agency that helps connect senior citizens with resources, including caregivers and prescription medication.

“They were a perfect fit for us,” Drelick said.

However, due to a change in ServiceLink’s operating policies, the expansion plan has hit a stumbling block, Drelick said.

When the process for the expansion began, the architect’s plans designated about 700 square feet for ServiceLink but now the agency requires more room to operate.

Drelick said a new design for the expansion will have to be explored.

“We’re not really delayed,” she said. “We’re just in a revised process.”

The next step is meeting with an architect to see if a new schematic can be designed that would provide enough space for ServiceLink while still allowing the center’s needs to be met.

Drelick said this process will likely take several months but she’s hopeful the plan will move forward later this year with ServiceLink moving into the building.

“If there’s any chance we can accommodate ServiceLink, that’s advantageous to our residents,” Drelick said.

If space for ServiceLink cannot be worked out in the new plans, other options, such as a satellite building somewhere nearby, are being explored, Drelick said.

Whether or not the state agency ends up moving into the center, the addition will provide much-needed room for the center’s population, which is close to 1,000.

Currently, some classes are held in the facility’s multipurpose room, which is connected to the dining hall. The overuse of this room has caused significant wear and tear on it, Drelick said.

Expanding the building will also likely change the layout of the facility, with the administrative offices and the exit changing locations.