SENIOR CONNECTIONS HONORS ITS VOLUNTEERS AT APPRECIATION TEA Presbyterian Homes Hosts 26th Annual Event at Westminster Place

Today, Presbyterian Homes announced it will host the Senior Connections annual Appreciation Tea this Sunday, April 23 at Westminster Place. The intergenerational event celebrates the diverse roster of individuals who volunteer their time to the older adults of Evanston through Senior Connections, a program of Services for Adults Staying in Their Homes (SASI), the program that matches senior citizens with a volunteer for weekly home visits, enabling the older adult to continue his or her participation in the greater community.

The Appreciation Tea provides seniors and volunteers – who range from a Northwestern University student, to career professional, to stay-at-home mom to retiree – the opportunity to celebrate the many extraordinary relationships formed because of their participation in the program. It also provides Senior Connections the opportunity to award those who exemplify the spirit of the organization. This year, the Governing Board will bestow the “Alexander S. Butkus” award to retiring Senior Connections’ Director Barbara Sittler and the "Wendy H. Klinkner Volunteer Leadership Award" to Thomas Gilroy.

Additionally, there will be several student groups on hand. The local AWANA Club, with boys and girls in grades 2-12, will help greet and seat the older adults. Northwestern University’s graduate student choir, The Keynotes, will perform a cappella.

“We are delighted to host the Appreciation Tea,” said Keith Stohlgren, executive director, Westminster Place. “So many Westminster Place residents have been recipients of Senior Connections services, or served on its Board, or volunteered, so we are happy to give back in this way.”

The invitation-only event will be held on Sunday, April 23 from 2-4p.m. at Caldwell Assembly Hall, Westminster Place, 1 Calvin Circle (at Ridgeway and Grant streets), in Evanston. Additional seats may be available to those interested in working with the organization. Contact Wendy Klinkner at 847-869-0682 or wklinkner@SASIathome.org for more information.

About Senior Connections

Senior Connections, a program of SASI, recruits, trains and supports volunteer visitors who befriend older adults and enable their continued participation in the community. SASI provides licensed non-medical home care services at affordable rates with employee caregivers. SASI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) whose programs support the efforts of older adults to remain in their homes. You may contact SASI at info@SASIathome.org or 847-864-7274.

About Presbyterian Homes

Founded in 1904, Presbyterian Homes is a not-for-profit organization with a national reputation for creating extraordinary retirement communities. Presbyterian Homes serves more than 1700 older adults through its residential and healthcare programs on campuses in Evanston, Lake Forest and Arlington Heights. The organization is proud to be accredited by CARF, the internationally renowned and only accrediting body for retirement communities. For more information, please visit www.presbyterianhomes.org.

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