Pointe of View Winter 2014/2015 Seniors Living in the Jewish Tradition Report from the Administrator Mary Julienne “Winter Wonderland Gala” Delights All Attending 25th Anniversary Gala a Smashing Success Winter Wonderland Gala Jodi and Martin Greenbaum Barbara and Steven Klein Idit and Moti Ferder Jim and Myrtle Pinsky Allison Pinsky, Jane Fischel, Petra Schaefer, Ellen Pinsky Natalie and Lawrence Rael Joe and Barbara Lebovitz Herb and Loretta Modelevsky, Cantor Susan Deutsch, Meryl and Hank Schrimmer Honorees Irv Burg, Ira Victer, Ellie Jaffy (Allen*), Denny Denkensohn, Lawrence Rael, Fred Forster, Bonnie Jeannette, Dick Katz, Hank and Meryl Schrimmer, Loretta Modelevsky, Bill Klein, Leo Pinsky, Barbara Klein (Victor*), Steven Fainbarg (for Allan), Roberta Feuerstein (for Arnold), Chela Taleisnik, Gary Kramer. *of blessed memory A Message from Ellen Weiss Director of Community Engagement & Philanthropy As we celebrate our 25 years of serving seniors, we stand tall with pride for the thousands of elders who have lived with us at Heritage Pointe in an atmosphere of caring based on our shared Jewish values. Ellen Weiss When you walk through our doors for the first time, or anytime, a marvelous world awaits. From the warmth of the staff, the friendliness of the residents, the serenity of the synagogue, the swirl of activity, you are instantly enthralled with the vibrancy of our Home. With your devotion as loyal supporters and through careful stewardship, we are able to provide financial assistance to seniors in need who live with us at Heritage Pointe. We count on your generosity every day. You help us live our mission to honor our community of mothers and fathers as Jewish tradition teaches us. During our 25th Anniversary Celebrations, we will offer opportunities for you to join with us, as donors, as volunteers, as family and as friends. Mark Your Calendar for these upcoming events “Sun Daze” on Sunday Duffy Boat Scavenger Hunt Sunday, July 12, 2015 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Heritage Pointe Anniversary Celebration Sundaes on Sunday Sunday, June 7, 2015 Heritage Pointe Campus Venues and dates to be determined 4 Wine Event Venue and date to be determined Novelists Were Speakers at Heritage Pointe Now Morris and Rita Ossias are Residents First Came to Heritage Pointe to Give a Book Review After retiring, the Ossiases began “snow birding” to Laguna Woods and eventually settled there full time. Morris and Rita first came to Heritage Pointe when Volunteer Coordinator Loretta Modelevsky invited them to give a book review of their novel to the residents in 2012. They liked what they saw, so when it came time for them to move to a place where they could have more help, their first choice was Heritage Pointe. Rita and Morris Ossias If you’ve ever thought “I’m too old to start something new,” come on over to Heritage Pointe and talk to residents Morris and Rita Ossias. They published their first novel in 2012 at ages 92 and 88 respectively. “Who Was Victor?” is a story of “tryst, travail and torment” about their cousin Victor. It is set during World War I through World War II and beyond, following his story from Europe to Israel. They researched the book for five years, including a trip to Israel to interview Victor’s widow. If that weren’t enough, Morris recently published a second book of seven short stories, many of them drawing on events from his own exciting life experiences, including the time he spent serving in the Weather Service of the Army Air Corps as a weather observer during World War II. For six months he lived among Athabsakan Indians in a town of 100 along the Yukon River, west of Fairbanks. Originally from New York, Morris and Rita met after the War and were married in 1946. Morris attended optometry school on the GI Bill. Eventually they settled in Newburgh, NY, where they raised five children. Rita kept busy raising the kids and was active in many Jewish and civic organizations. Morris, who had been singing since childhood, entertained, sang and acted in community theater and summer stock. He ran the New York City marathon at age 59. 5 Morris still sings and spends time practicing with his accompanist, and performs often for the residents. Rita keeps quite active as well. She is the editor of the “Resident’s Voice,” the quarterly newsletter written by the residents for residents of Heritage Pointe. The focus is to highlight interesting stories about people’s lives. Rita takes great pride in making sure the newsletter is positive, uplifting and cheerful. So you can see that keeping busy and starting new challenges are par for the course for Morris and Rita Ossias. Going on 68 years of marriage, Morris still says he couldn’t have accomplished any of it without the encouragement and assistance of his life partner and love, Rita. By staff writer Linda Stern Profile of a Board Member Rod Stern, V.P. Governance, Keeps Bylaws Modern strong enough and comfortable to personally question the activities of the Board. Currently we have 15 members, but ideally we hope to reach 20. One item we are considering is ‘Should the Board have term limits?’” Rod’s Stepfather Was a Resident Rod Stern Assuring the Heritage Pointe bylaws stay compliant legally with health care and residential laws is the responsibility of Rod Stern, Vice President of Governance on the Board of Directors, and his committee. They are currently reviewing the bylaws to keep them modern by proposing updates, refreshing these rules set five years ago and recruiting new board members. “We lost some incredible people this past year and hope to attract and train some new members to our Board,” he related. “Ideally we seek those with a law background, with a knowledge of seniors who can relate to this stage of life, cooperative and non-confrontational, and Save the Date! When this very pleasant Board member was approached five years ago to serve on the governance committee, he was already “very aware” and deeply involved with Heritage Pointe. His stepfather was a resident, very happy to be a part of a community instead of living alone. “For me, it was a no-brainer to get involved,” he stated. For fourand-a-half years he served on other committees, including governance, then six months ago he was voted to his position as a vice president. Rod is a partner in the law firm of Murtaugh Meyer Nelson & Treglia. He has served as a reviewer and consultant to Matthew Bender, California Legal Forms, dealing with areas of business and transactional practice. In addition to business law affiliations, he is a member of the Orange County Bar Association Tax Section, and of the Orange Coast Planning Council. Personal Practice Includes Taxes, Estates His personal practice emphasizes the following areas: business and tax planning advice for closely-held businesses and individuals; estate planning; trust administration; probate and conservatorship matters; tax litigation and dispute resolution. Among the courts he is permitted to practice before are the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Claims Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and all courts in the State of California. His publications include author of Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, and co-author of Tax Planning for Business. Rod lives in Corona del Mar with Bonita, his wife of more than 34 years. Their daughter Sarah is attending her final year of law school at Pepperdine and daughter Samantha works with Christie’s Auction House in New York. By staff writer Judy Florman Featuring Annie Korzen “Tales From The Mouth” 25th Annual Luncheon & Boutique Annie is a previous Seinfeld cast member (you’ll laugh yourself silly!) Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Hotel Irvine Jacquee Lipson and Donna Markovitz Luncheon & Boutique Co-Chairs 6 A Message from Leo Pinsky Jewish Home for the Aging of Orange County current Diamond Donors now contribute over $100,000 annually to this very important endeavor. Board of Directors Diamond Donor Chairman Leo Pinsky The Diamond Donors of Heritage Pointe held their first Donor Appreciation Dinner in 1993 with 32 charter members in attendance. Diamond Donors started out with two goals in mind. The first was to reach 100 members as soon as possible. The second was to help subsidize and support the Resident Assistance Fund (now the Heritage Fund), which allows those who could not otherwise afford to live at Heritage Pointe to do so with the peace, comfort, care and security which is afforded to all of the residents. The more than 100 This past July, we had a fun summer BBQ in the courtyard at Heritage Pointe. The delicious food was prepared by Heritage Pointe’s Chef Rob Sands, and we had wonderful entertainment and dancing. Our annual Appreciation Dinner will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Newport Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. It’s a wonderful venue with terrific food. Please join us for a lovely evening. Diamond Donors make a donation of $1,000 or more annually. Collectively, since its inception, we have contributed over $2,000,000 to Heritage Pointe and each one of us is very proud of that accomplishment. If you would like to join this very prestigious group of supporters, please call Leo Pinsky, Chairman of Diamond Donors, at 949.718.9890 or the Development Office at 949.364.0010. Heritage Pointe Board of Directors Jodi Greenbaum Chairman Cindy Mirsky Immediate Past Chair/Parlimentarian Rod Stern VP, Governance David Susson VP, Finance & Treasurer Beth Slavin VP, Development Bonnie Jeannette VP, Building & Facilities David Zarnow VP, Spiritual Life Jane Fischel Secretary Steven Fainbarg Roberta Feuerstein Lauren Klein Jon Kline Toni McDonald Allison Pinsky Wayne Schwartzman Charlene Zuckerman Advisory Board Irving X. Burg Denny Denkensohn Allan Fainbarg Arnold Feuerstein Fred Forster Dr. Richard Katz William Klein Gary Kramer Mel Lipson Leo Pinsky Henry Schrimmer Meryl Schrimmer Ralph Stern Chela Taleisnik Ira Victer 7 A Message from Mary Julienne Administrator Menorah with some of the children who entertained our residents with their boundless energy. Mary Julienne Another year is winding down and December was a month of special programs that involved various community members coming in to drop off gifts for the residents including the Mission Viejo Chapter and Smilemakers – Council on Aging. Klezmer entertainment and the Two Grandmas from Brooklyn helped make the eight days of celebration bright and fun and Cantor had the special Hanukkah Oneg with jelly donuts. We enjoyed homemade latkes that Myra and friends made in the dining room— hot and delicious! All of the wonderful life enriching events at Heritage Pointe are due to community involvement and support. The Gala was fantastic and honored our Co-Founders Meryl Schrimmer and Loretta Modelevsky and our past Chairmen and Advisory Board. Each one of you make our seniors safe and happy in an environment that honors and supports our mission and vision. Hanukkah was celebrated beautifully with Cantor Sue lighting the Menorah each night in our lobby and in the dining room with our residents. Temple Beth El was here for the first night to light the Jeremiah Society celebrated Hanukkah in the Synagogue at Heritage Pointe. Volunteers have fun making latkes in the Dining Room. Left to right: Barbara Gershenson, Roz Robbins, Marcia Ferer, Carole Sweet, Sandie Hempling, Myra Rubin, Valerie Moncrief 8 Liz Currie Welcomes Prospective Residents from first visit to Heritage Pointe and the move-in to be about six months. During that time she keeps in contact with those planning to make the move, sending news of what’s going on and assuring them how happy they’re going to be after they arrive. Liz Currie If you are interested in residing at Heritage Pointe, your first contact will be Liz Currie. She is the warm, smiling person on the end of the phone, who will describe what life is like at Heritage Pointe and happily set up an appointment for you and your family to visit. Often the Resident Welcoming Committee will gladly assist Liz and invite prospective residents to join them at a table during lunch and to accompany them to an activity. Out-of-staters, whose adult children live in Orange County, frequently contact Liz about “trying out” Heritage Pointe during a visit to the area. She can make available a three-day guest stay in a furnished apartment, where they can stay in order to experience the daily flavor of life here, joining in activities, bus trips and meeting many of the residents. Decision Takes Thought and Time, Liz Helps Most of the time moving in doesn’t happen very quickly. Lifechanging decisions take thought and time, as does the sale of a home and possessions accumulated over many years. Liz estimates the average time Liz also works with Lisa Doud, Director of External Marketing, for ads that are placed in Orange County and Long Beach Jewish publications and in newsletters of senior communities. However, word of mouth from friends, family and residents often prompts many calls and visits. From Glasgow, Scotland Born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland, Liz has been in the United States for 32 years. Her charming Scottish accent is subtle, but detectable after a few minutes of talking. She started working at Heritage Pointe as a receptionist, and after two years joined the Marketing Department where she has been for 15 years. “I really enjoy my job,” Liz said. “Welcoming prospective residents and showing them what life is like at Heritage Pointe is a joy for me. Once they move in, I get to see them every day and keep a close relationship with their families. Their expectations are high, and we do everything to fulfill them.” Warmth, ability and sincerity— Liz Currie brings it all to her job as Director of Marketing for Heritage Pointe. By staff writer Debby Polonsky Heritage Pointe’s Management Staff Mary Julienne Administrator Ellen Weiss Director of Community Engagement & Philanthropy Pamela Davis Director of Events & Special Projects Liz Currie Director of Internal Marketing Lisa Doud Director of External Marketing Myra Rubin Director of Activities Cantor Susan Deutsch Laura Kramer Front Desk Supervisor Sherry Bates Director of Human Resources France Wilson Director of Healthcare Services Paul Rockwood, Director of Building Services Patti Gardner Memory Care Manager Rob Sands Chef Manager Valerie Moncrief Dining Room Manager Loretta Modelevsky Volunteer Coordinator Pointe of View Staff Pointe of View is published quarterly by the Heritage Pointe Development Department, Pamela Davis, and the following volunteers: Martin Brower Managing Editor Judy Florman Laura McDermott Debby Polonsky Meryl Schrimmer Valerie Sloane 9 Madeline McDermott Bonds with Thelma Edell Volunteen Holds Bat Mitzvah at Heritage Pointe Madeline was working diligently on perfecting her Hebrew for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah. She wanted to add the component of a Mitzvah project to her studies. Her family has always enjoyed volunteer work at Heritage Pointe, so it was no surprise that Maddie, too, decided she wanted to be a Volunteen here. Loretta Modelevsky, Volunteer Coordinator at Heritage Pointe works diligently to help connect residents to local teens. She met with Maddie and carefully selected a resident that would be a good fit. Maddie has a great sense of humor, is outgoing and smart. For the same reason, Maddie was matched with Thelma Edell and a lasting friendship started. From the beginning, both Thelma and Maddie enjoyed the weekly visits. During their time together, the two would chat about various topics and play games such as Gin Rummy (which Maddie learned to play from Thelma), Scrabble and other fun, competitive games. Volunteens, Grandfriends Learn from Each Other Thelma herself is a great grandmother and loves children. That is part of why she enjoys the Great Grandfriend Mitzvah Project so much. Over the years she has had the pleasure of meeting several Volunteens. In her mind, she and the teens have something to teach each other, and always something to learn from one another. Regarding her friendship with Maddie McDermott, Thelma Edell and Madeline McDermott this was definitely the case. Thelma always enjoys having something to look forward to each week. Maddie shares that Thelma taught her that small things matter. She learned that giving of her time to spend time with another was rewarding and fun for both parties. She learned through many of her conversations with Thelma that Thelma herself was also working on her own Mitzvah project, Mitzvah Corps. Her project helps residents coming home form the hospital that are not able to leave their room because of physical constraints and helps them by collecting their mail, picking up groceries, or visiting them, This taught Maddie the idea that something small to one person is a huge thing to another. A Grand B’nai Mitzvah at Heritage Pointe Maddie and her cousin Ethan celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah together. Logistically, with her cousin then living in Minnesota, coordinating the ceremonies for Friday evening and Saturday 10 morning required some creative thinking. The McDermott family decided to inquire about the two teens participating in a Friday night service at Heritage Pointe. The idea was well-embraced by Heritage Pointe and so Maddie and Ethan began learning the prayers for the Friday night service along with their B’nai Mitzvah prayers. The Friday night service, conducted by Rabbi Mendelsohn, was a meaningful evening for all parties. Thelma, her friends and many residents, along with the families and friends of Maddie and Ethan, filled the sanctuary at Heritage Pointe. All agreed that it was wonderful to see many generations come together to enjoy a Jewish tradition. Thelma watched with pride as Maddie conducted much of the service in Hebrew in front of this new congregation. The two exchanged hugs and promised to keep in touch over the coming months even after the Bat Mitzvah, which has been special for both of them. Connecting teens with residents is a meaningful experience for all parties involved and a wonderful example of how Heritage Pointe brings a sense of community to its residents. For more information on how you too can adopt a Great Grandfriend as part of your Mitzvah project, please contact Loretta Modelevsky or Carol Wolf at (949) 364-9684. By staff writer Laura McDermott Residents Cheer Staff Variety Show Left to right: Ara Lalic, Michelle Alvarez, Princess Dungca Maria Salgueiro Tom and Becky Malo Irwin “Junior” Martinez Mercy Sengkey Save the Date! Heritage Pointe Chapter Members Chai Tea Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015 Heritage Pointe Dining Room Entertainment by Patrick Bell Left to right: May Doby, Gloria Meldon, Marilou Brennan, Rose Palma, Myrna Della Cruz 11 Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Permit No. 70 Address Service Requested Jewish Home for the Aging of Orange County 27356 Bellogente • Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Tel: (949) 364-9685 • Fax: (949) 582-8957 www.heritagepointe.org • License #300607488 Residents Have Broad Choice of Programs When it comes to education and life enhancing opportunities, Heritage Pointe shines in providing a wide variety of programs guided by the many and varied interests of residents. While the choices may vary, there is something going on every day. Some programs focus on current events, others on computer skills. Cantor Deutsch teaches classes on comparative religion and Jewish studies. She also leads a six-week grief workshop with social worker Roneet Cooper. There is a mental fitness program to challenge the mind, a women’s discussion group, as well as a men’s club and men’s hobby group. You can find athletically-minded residents working out in the beautifully appointed gym under the supervision of a trained physical exercise director. Wii bowling is another popular activity. Currently, there is a book discussion group and a thespian group that enjoys reading plays. There is something for everyone. Every six-to-eight weeks, Activities Director Myra Rubin asks for input from the residents as to the kinds of programs they would like. Volunteer Coordinator Loretta Modelevsky calls herself a “talent scout.” Recently, six volunteers known as Page of Stage entertained residents with the reading of a Neil Simon play. Loretta has brought many musicians and lecturers to Heritage Pointe over the years, and she continues to work with Myra to find additional ways of enriching the lives of Heritage Pointe residents. By staff writer Meryl Schrimmer
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