by Anne Gross
In a previous post on the Juniper Care Place blog, I introduced one of the signature features of Juniper communities, "The Eli Ripple Effect," where doing good deeds ripple throughout each of our facilities and out into the larger communities in which we live. In today's post, I want to highlight a very special resident, Freddy from Juniper Village at Chatham, who is the perfect example of how doing for others is endemic to the Juniper experience.
Freddy is 71 years old and has lived at Chatham since 2002, when he moved in with his father. He has faced challenges throughout his entire life. With his parent's support, he has been able to work for 30 years as a mail handler at the post office. For Freddy, the move into Juniper Village at Chatham was special, as this was where he wanted to spend his golden years.
From the day he moved here, Freddy has focused on helping others. As a resident ambassador, he can be seen taking new residents around the facility, showing them where everything is located and accompanying them to their meals. But he doesn't stop there. Every evening, Freddy posts the next days schedule throughout the facility, and in the evenings he can be found at the bingo games, handing out bingo bucks to the residents. Freddy is also a great artist who draws pictures of our monthly staff heroes as well as portraits of our nation's presidents. His compassion also extends outside the Juniper community. An active member of the Lions club, where he served as president from 2001-2003, he has helped raise money to fund scholarships to college-bound students as well as the Foundation for the Blind.
I asked Freddy what contributed to his commitment to others, and he didn't hesitate to say it was his parents. They never made him feel different as a result of his special needs. To the contrary, they accepted him for who he was, always insuring that he had the help he needed.
Never has Freddy's compassion for others, and especially for those less fortunate, been tempered by his family's association with many well known people. Freddy recalls with pride how he has met elected officials - former Presidents George HW Bush and Richard Nixon to Senator Frank Lautenberg and Governor Christine Whitman - as well as movie stars such as Cary Grant or well known golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, to name just a few.
When not caring for others, Freddy can be found on the computer playing Wii bowling, watching sports, engaged in crossword puzzles, or playing bingo. No matter what activity he does, Freddy is a shining light to other residents and staff at Chatham, paying forward the compassion he learned as a child and has lived his whole life.
Freddy is 71 years old and has lived at Chatham since 2002, when he moved in with his father. He has faced challenges throughout his entire life. With his parent's support, he has been able to work for 30 years as a mail handler at the post office. For Freddy, the move into Juniper Village at Chatham was special, as this was where he wanted to spend his golden years.
From the day he moved here, Freddy has focused on helping others. As a resident ambassador, he can be seen taking new residents around the facility, showing them where everything is located and accompanying them to their meals. But he doesn't stop there. Every evening, Freddy posts the next days schedule throughout the facility, and in the evenings he can be found at the bingo games, handing out bingo bucks to the residents. Freddy is also a great artist who draws pictures of our monthly staff heroes as well as portraits of our nation's presidents. His compassion also extends outside the Juniper community. An active member of the Lions club, where he served as president from 2001-2003, he has helped raise money to fund scholarships to college-bound students as well as the Foundation for the Blind.
I asked Freddy what contributed to his commitment to others, and he didn't hesitate to say it was his parents. They never made him feel different as a result of his special needs. To the contrary, they accepted him for who he was, always insuring that he had the help he needed.
Never has Freddy's compassion for others, and especially for those less fortunate, been tempered by his family's association with many well known people. Freddy recalls with pride how he has met elected officials - former Presidents George HW Bush and Richard Nixon to Senator Frank Lautenberg and Governor Christine Whitman - as well as movie stars such as Cary Grant or well known golfers like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, to name just a few.
When not caring for others, Freddy can be found on the computer playing Wii bowling, watching sports, engaged in crossword puzzles, or playing bingo. No matter what activity he does, Freddy is a shining light to other residents and staff at Chatham, paying forward the compassion he learned as a child and has lived his whole life.
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