Volunteers Give of their Time, Talent and Personalities
November 28, 2011
Idaho Press-Tribune
Dearest Readers: For all the important things in your life ... if it's important to you, it's important to us.
I so admire those who go out of their way to give back to others with their time, their talent and their personalities. Take for instance the volunteers from Karcher Estates who show up at the Owyhee Elementary School every Tuesday and Thursday. They lend a helping hand to those hard-working teachers, but most of all, make the learning, which can be difficult at times, a little easier for the kindergarteners there.
 Marilyn Romjue, a resident at Karcher Estates, helps out as a volunteer at the Owyhee Elementary School. |
We're featuring a photo of Marilyn Romjue today that shows some of that one-on-one contact she implements to make sure the literacy of those little ones is developing correctly and more importantly ... is a whole lot of fun.
... And I have it on good authority that other Karcher Estate volunteers, Florann Klusener and Doug Kohl, are every bit as friendly, creative and well-liked.
... Hmm. Makes me want to learn to read all over again!
Tailgate Party
November 5, 2011
On Saturday, November 5th residents came together, dressed in their Blue & Orange with home-made goodies, ready to cheer on the undefeated BSU Broncos! The “tailgate” party lasted late into the night as not a play was missed by at least 20 of our residents.
Harvest Party
November 4, 2011
The Monarch Living Room was filled to overflowing as our residents joined Merrill Cook, Volunteer, for a sing-a-long, trivia and goodies!
Halloween Celebration
October 31, 2011
Residents and staff throughout Karcher Estates celebrated Halloween this year in style! In our Independent Apartments, residents gathered to have some fun, share some laughs and hand out candy to visiting trick or treaters. There was a fun-filled party in our Assisted Living, with a resident costume party, games, dancing and a pretty snappy yo-yo demonstration. Our Health Care staff and residents also got in to the spirit of Halloween this year. dressing up as characters from OZ while delivering outstanding care and therapies.
Shuttle and Shade: Seniors beat the heat at this year’s God & Country Festival
June 29, 2011
For the first time ever, senior citizens had their own reserved seating section at the God & Country Festival held on June 29, 2011 at the Idaho Center.
The reserved seating for seniors was the brainchild of Karcher Estates Retirement & Rehabilitation Community, who put their idea in motion by sponsoring a shaded seating area with room for up to 100 seniors and their family members, at no cost to the public. The reserved seating section offered handicap accessible seating, a designated bathroom and bottled water.
In addition to reserved seating, Karcher Estates offered free park and ride shuttle services for the seniors and family members who called ahead to reserve. The shuttle service was key in allowing seniors to attend this event, due to the long distance and sharp incline of the walk from the parking areas.
According to Shelly Henderson, Karcher Estates Marketing Director, “We are very in tune to the needs of seniors, and to their credit the board members of God & Country have been so receptive to the idea of honoring our aging population in this way. We are more than happy to pioneer the Senior VIP Seating section and shuttle service, and we so proud that our seniors can now comfortably enjoy all that this event has to offer.”
Wrinkles and Rhinestones
April 21, 2011
Local retirement community provides "Fairy Tale Prom" for high school students
What do you get when you combine 18 teenagers dressed in formal wear, lots and lots of hairspray, and a handful of senior citizens? A Fairy Tale Prom at Karcher Estates, of course!
Recently, Karcher Estates was transformed from senior retirement community to inter-generational ‘hot spot’ buzzing with chatty girls, curious residents and anxious boys all excited for prom night at Vallivue High School. According to Shelly Henderson, Karcher Estates Marketing Director, “By partnering with Studio D Hair Design, Caldwell Floral, Imagine Photography, The Red Carpet and Sweetheart Manor Tuxedos, we were able to provide a prom night to remember for 18 lucky high school students- not to mention our staff and residents as well!”
Karcher Estates and their partnering companies generously provided hair and makeup design, custom corsages and boutonnières, professional photography, candlelight dinner and transportation all at no cost to the students. According to Vicki Bicandi, VHS Counselor “Our students felt so incredibly special on this important night; it would not have been possible for them if you had not intervened. Once again, thank you so much!”
Several residents of Karcher Estates also came out of their apartments to enjoy the pageantry of the evening, and, had a boy’s date not shown, there was a resident willing to take her place! “Our residents are so fun, I love that we were able to giggle and enjoy the kids together. I am excited to make this a new tradition at Karcher Estates!” says Henderson.
Karcher Estates Retirement & Rehabilitation Community has served the community for over 20 years and is always looking for ways to bridge the generation gap in our community with partnerships and outreach such as the Prom Dreams program. For more information contact Shelly Henderson at 208-465-4935.
Karcher Estates Donates Bus to Hands of Hope
January 06, 2011
This week, representatives of Karcher Estates Retirement Community handed over the keys to their 25 person, handicap-accessible bus that has been previously retired from duty. Roy Karmen, of Hands of Hope was on hand to receive the generous gift, noting “It was a very merry Christmas indeed!”
Hands of Hope, a local non-profit organization, provides medical supplies and equipment from the United States and makes it available to hospitals and clinics in developing countries.
Earlier this year Karcher Estates donated a large quantity of bedside tables, night-stands, and over-the-bed tables, which, according to Hands of Hope’s Larry Marler just recently shipped out to the countries of Guatemala, Pakistan, the Philippenes, and Ghana, Africa. “We are thrilled that we can contribute our excess equipment to Hands of Hope, and know that it will be put to good use and continue to help people around the world,” stated Donna Lant, Karcher Estates Executive Director.
