Oct. 31 was a day to celebrate the community of Perry as a place that is leading the way in valuing, honoring and caring for elder citizens as community members joined Perry Lutheran Homes’ residents, staff and board members past and present for a short program and ice cream social.
The Perry Lutheran Homes was the chosen recipient of the LeadingAge Iowa 2019 Public Trust Award for their StepUp Movement. Launched in 2018, this movement, which started in Perry, is now inspiring others across the state of Iowa, to “Serve Together our Elders with Passion.”
Guests were encouraged to get involved with the StepUp Movement by following the Perry Lutheran Homes’ Facebook page to take part in fun and meaningful weekly challenges as well as mark their calendars for two StepUp events in 2020.
The first is May 1, which is a locally focused spinoff of the years’ past Meals from the Heartland event, and the other is July 31, which is the annual Run Through Time 5K Fun Run.
LeadingAge Iowa President and CEO Shannon Strickler shared the award criteria for the Public Trust Award, noting that many competitive nominations for each different award are received each year. Of the nine prestigious awards bestowed by LeadingAge Iowa in 2019, the Perry Lutheran Homes was the recipient of two state-wide awards, starting with the Public Trust Award.
The second award, the LeadingAge Iowa Board Member of the Year, was presented to Perry Lutheran Homes’ nine-year board member Bill Van Vliete. The Rev. Max Phillips, CEO of Perry Lutheran Homes, shared words of sentiment to the crowd, expressing the deep gratitude for all the time and talents shared above and beyond the call of duty of a board member that Van Vliete has dedicated to making Perry Lutheran Homes feel like a true home.
Guests, including children from the on-site Acorns & Oaks intergenerational daycare, enjoyed an ice cream buffet, with a wide variety of toppings, from bananas to crushed snickers bars to raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
The Perry Lutheran Homes is Your Christian Caring Community, serving Perry and surrounding communities for over 60 years. Perry Lutheran Homes offers innovative, personalized, Christ-centered care at two campuses in Perry, the Willis Campus and Spring Valley Campus. Services include independent and assisted living, award-winning memory care, in-home care, respite care, skilled care, rehabilitative therapy, intermediate and long-term care and end-of-life care.
Mollie A. Clark is the director of marketing for the Perry Lutheran Homes.
