The stage was set for Friendship Village’s participation, in part, when AAHSA conference organizers invited Cathy Ritter, Vice President for Marketing & Communications, to serve as co-chair of the conference’s Illinois Welcome Committee, along with Joe Benson, president of Wyndemere, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Wheaton. Cathy and Joe worked closely with the conference planning team to add a local flavor to the proceedings, which ultimately attracted more than 9,000 attendees to Chicago’s McCormick Place.  AAHSA primarily provides educational, networking and legislative support to not-for-profit communities and organizations to enhance the lives of older adults.

For the first time this year, AAHSA invited all residents of member communities to attend the conference free of charge. About 15 Friendship Village residents accepted the offer on Tuesday, Nov. 10, riding a charter bus downtown to attend the keynote address by humorist Garrison Keillor.

“We really enjoyed his great storytelling and the way he would weave them together,” said Bridgewater Place resident Velma Robinson. “Many of us had heard him before so when Friendship Village allowed us to sign-up for the complimentary outing, we jumped on it.”

Residents also were able to witness the Iron Chef competition, enjoy a box lunch and cruise the aisles of nearly 500 exhibitor booths.  “We brought home bags of goodies and let me tell you — we never need to buy pens again!” Velma said.

Iron Chef Competition

Friendship Village Residential Dining Supervisor Cathy Cusack’s cook-off team ultimately finished second in the Iron Chef Competition after triumphing in the first round.  Coached by her boss Holly Pawlak and partnered with Christina Fox from Wesley Willows, Cathy said, “Not since chef school many years ago have I been part of a competition like this.”

It was challenging, she said, because there was no oven, a limited amount of cookware and crowds of people watching  them perform in the center of the Exhibition Hall. The competitors were given just one hour to prepare an entire meal, and just 15 minutes to incorporate a last-minute “secret ingredient” before presenting each dish to the three judges.

Cathy turned the first secret ingredient – cranberries – into a “breakfast” salad featuring a poached egg, grapefruit section and spring mix greens with citrusy dressing. For the first-place cookoff, Cathy’s team turned the secret ingredient of chocolate into a mole sauce for grilled flank steak, accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed spinach and arugula and salad. While the judges gave the winning nod to Mather, many teased that  there was a “miscarriage of justice” based on the savory flavors created by the Friendship Village team.

Prayer Shawls

Christians call them Prayer Shawls.  Jews call them Tallits.  Whatever they are called in any faith, they are a universal symbol of God and unconditional love.  Squares or rectangles of cloth or yarn are prayerfully made to comfort, shelter and embrace its wearer, who is affirmed by its wearing.

Friendship Village enthusiastically responded to a call for 100 prayer shawls for distribution at the Interfaith Worship Service at the start of the AAHSA conference. The Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights provided another 100. Led by Lifestyles coordinator Donna Brown, 12 Friendship Village residents took part in a  ”prayer shawl-making” marathon, creating 105 colorful shawls from 35 yards of polar fleece, in patterns symbolizing “change.”

“It was a true delight to spot the shawls on attendees throughout the conference and know that Friendship Village had touched their lives,” said Cathy Ritter, who selected the fabrics and assisted in the shawl-making marathon.

Cultural Diversity Panel

Housekeeping Supervisor Entela Gjika offered her perspective on diversity in the workplace as one of four participants on the Cultural Diversity Panel at the annual lunch for members of the AAHSA House of Delegates and state executives.  A native Albanian, Entela skillfully manages diversity among her team and in relations between them and residents. She advocated the importance of making the effort to pronounce names properly and to honor diverse customs and beliefs. Many attendees pronounced Entela as the star of the panel!

While she cherishes the experience and being able to share her thoughts in a public forum, Entela’s biggest thrill was the previous night at the Aerie Crown Theater.  Pulled on-stage by a friend, Entela ended up dancing and talking with fellow Albanian Jim Belushi as he performed for AAHSA members with his Sacred Heart Band.

Faculty

Cathy Ritter teamed with Sue Harrison, a principal and head of media services for Davis Harrison Dion, on presenting an educational session titled, “Strategies to Build Census in a Competitive Marketplace.”  The two shared details of Friendship Village’s successful lead generating and sales strategies, which has built or maintained occupancy at Friendship Village for 18 consecutive months, with the exception of one month.  About 180 people attended their session.

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) recently selected Cathy Ritter, Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Friendship Senior Options, as a member of the Leadership AAHSA Fellowship program.

The Leadership AAHSA program is designed to augment the ranks of emerging leaders across the continuum of care and services for the aging and address the shortage of potential leaders nationwide. The year-long curriculum is focused on advancing emerging leaders, encouraging innovation and focusing on person-centered approach for residents, clients and staff members. Leadership AAHSA also is focused on fostering diversity among aging-services leaders.

The Leadership AAHSA class convened in November at AAHSA’s Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago. Following the meeting, the Leadership AAHSA Class of 2010 will meet four times to learn about innovative programs and meet with leaders from the field. Class members are paired with experienced mentors to guide them and share their unique expertise.

“Leadership AAHSA is built on the power of collaboration and community to develop the innovative, person-centered programs our elders deserve,” AAHSA president and CEO Larry Minnix said.  “Together, these individuals will learn valuable leadership skills that will help their organizations offer seniors the services they need, when they need them, in a place they can call home.”

Ritter joined Friendship Senior Options in 2004. She leads the organization’s marketing and sales efforts, brand image development, market research and community relations. A Certified Aging Services Professional, she served as co-chair of the Welcome Committee for AAHSA’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Chicago and has been a frequent presenter at national and state conferences. Prior to joining the Friendship organization, Ritter worked for marketing agency BBDO Chicago and spent 13 years in Illinois government, serving as state tourism director from 1999 to 2003.

Based in Schaumburg, Friendship Senior Options is the parent of four subsidiaries, including flagship Friendship Village of Schaumburg, the largest Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Illinois and 15^th largest in the country. The organization also is developing a new community, GreenFields of Geneva.