8791 Jellison Street
Arvada, Colorado 80005-1189
Phone: 303.425.1337
Fax: 313.425.1341
dcnetwork@comcast.net
- Please share the name and address of any Disciples care provider omitted from this web site by e-mailing dcnetwork@comcast.net.
You Were There and Made a Difference
A most unusual request...
...came into the office recently by phone. A distraught father told Tammy his dilemma with great urgency in his voice. It seems the stuffed gorilla his four-year-old son had been given by The Craddock Center Santa last December was now missing after his son’s birthday party in the home. He wanted to know if Santa could tell him where this gorilla had come from. To which Tammy responded appropriately, that it had come from the North Pole via Kohl’s Department Store. The father then asked if there might be more where that one came from. We were afraid there were no more gorillas but said we’d check. And lo and behold, in the last storage place we checked, there, looking so happy to be rescued from the dark closet, was one more gorilla. Come to find out, it seems this little fella had grown very attached to the gorilla Santa gave him last December in his Pre-K class. The father and the boy were thrilled. Such is only a small part of the Children’s Enrichment Program of the Craddock Center, which is a member of Disciples Care Network.
For more information, please contact:
The Craddock Center, P.O. Box 69, Cherry Log, GA 30522, 706.632.1772 craddockcenter@tds.net
Trisha Senterfitt, Director - Dr. Fred B. Craddock, Director Emeritus
Tammy T. Blair, Office Manager
www.craddockcenter.org
Taking Care of Our Own and Others!
Sidney Back (Doc) has been a member of the First Christian Church in Barbourville, Kentucky for most of his life. He has served the church in about every role possible – deacon, elder, Sunday school teacher, Sunday school superintendent, board chairman and at one time or another chairman of most of the committees. You know who I am talking about. There is a Doc in almost every church and we thank God for them!
Sidney is now 96. After a hospital stay, it became clear to Sidney’s daughters that their dad was too frail to continue to live alone in his Barbourville home. They were stressed over how their dad’s needs would be met. They remembered hearing about “The Homes” (now Christian Care Communities) from their father as little girls and hear about them today as members of three different Kentucky Christian Churches. A few telephone calls later, Sidney was received as a new resident in the Christian Care Health Center in Corbin.
Listen to what they say –
“As a child, I remember seeing my dad praying on his knees and reading his Bible faithfully. Now I am so grateful that he is the beneficiary of excellent care at the Christian Care Communities. The skilled and compassionate care givers deserve enormous credit for helping dad get stabilized, both physically and emotionally. They have delivered care that has been a blessing to him and those of us who love him.”
“I remember seeing a letter in which dad, while serving in WWII, instructed my mother to give 10% of his military check to the church. I thank dad for partnering with my mother to prepare my soul for eternal life with our Lord.”
“Dad always said that he didn’t want to go to a nursing home. But after he realized he couldn’t do things for himself and needed help, he was more accepting of Christian Care Communities and the wonderful services provided by the employees. While he still wishes to be home, he has friends who work at Christian Care and receives visits from them and others in the Christian Church Community. We do still hope to take him home when he becomes able, but in the meantime are grateful for the care he is receiving at Christian Care Communities.”
Sidney’s story could be your story and Christian Care Communities is our story. Since 1884 the Kentucky Christian Churches have partnered together through Christian Care to provide care and services for older adults and their families during times of greatest need. This is why we continue to support Christian Care Communities.
A founding member of Disciples Care Network
For more information, please contact:
Ralph Allen, CTFA
Vice President-Mission Advancement
Christian Care Communities
12710 Townepark Way, Suite 1000
Louisville, KY 40243
Phone 502.254.4253
Email, ralph.allen@ccc1884.org
Mike lived homeless for 7 Years
The day we met Mike he was dressed in white shorts, with an unbuttoned Levi shirt. The crotch of the shorts had a large bright pink fabric sewn in place. The pockets of the Levi shirt had bright red fabric with graffiti all over the shirt. His homemade clothing was like reading a book that you had to continually turn to hear the whole story. He wore a hat of red felt sewn together with an electrical extension cord, and never wore shoes. We later found out he used to work in the garment district. He emitted a unique fragrance of part ivory soap, part garlic. His excitement after receiving a pre-admission letter was observed by our staff as he was running down the street barefoot in the outfit described, while waving the letter in the air.
Mike has many obstacles to overcome. He does not trust people. But after living homeless so long, his feelings are certainly understandable. Since moving into a Christian Church Homes affordable retirement campus in the summer of 2008, Mike has shown a very slow, yet steady, improvement. His van is now free of graffiti, in fact to allow him to park it on site we asked him to paint the van. With his families help this task was completed. He now wears shoes while walking inside the building, he socializes with other residents, and just this week he came down for the residents weekly coffee hour. He even comes down and asks our professional staff for help. So far we have been able to help him with some coping skills to organize his life in order to help acclimate to living in a community, getting much need medical help, and getting socially involved.
Seeing Mike's growth has been a beautiful experience. To be honest, it has taken a lot of effort on the part of staff, to help this resident feel safe, accepted and to help him adjust to a different style of living, but slowly we have been able to do this, in spite of substantial challenges. He is what society shuns out of fear, or feels uncomfortable being around, because he is different. He is an intelligent man who just needed to be given a chance to thrive. You helped make his progress happen in one of the Disciples Care Network care ministries serving more than 48,000 persons annually.
Mike is a success story for Christian Church Homes - if you are interested, there are many more. Give us a call and we'll talk your ear off.