Birches Residents Get Crafty and Philanthropic

At The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills, craft time has taken on a broader significance. While it is always a time to be creative and social, it has also become a time to give back to the community.

According to The Birches’ Director of Encore and Memory Services Jackie Raschke, residents in The Birches’ Encore neighborhood have used their recent craft time to decorate flower pots and fill them with fall flowers for Wellness House, an organization that provides resources for people living with cancer.

“We made over 20 pots for those with cancer and their families hoping to brighten their day. We also created inspirational messages that we are sticking in each pot,” said Raschke.

The project is part of the Birches Gives Back program, a new initiative dedicated to making a difference in the community through acts of service. Raschke started the Birches Gives Back program as a way for Birches residents to contribute something meaningful to the greater community.

Raschke and the residents of The Birches’ Encore neighborhood have already participated in two other community service projects through Birches Gives Back this year. In February, they collected donations, decorated, and assembled Valentine’s Day care packages for deployed U.S. soldiers, and in April they made Easter baskets for children at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

The Birches Gives Back program corresponds with The Birches’ overall approach to aging known as Masterpiece Living. Based on a decade-long MacArthur Foundation study, Masterpiece Living recognizes that healthy aging is more dependent on lifestyle than genetics.

Through Masterpiece Living, The Birches encourages residents and associates to continue developing themselves socially, intellectually, physically, and spiritually at all ages. Volunteering and serving others fits into the spiritual component of Masterpiece Living, says Raschke, and coming together to work on projects is also very social and creative.

Next year, Raschke hopes to carry out the same projects and add a few new ones. She also hopes to expand the program beyond the Encore community and involve other Birches residents in meaningful service projects.

“Doing good deeds for others and knowing we are putting a smile on peoples’ faces is very rewarding,” said Raschke. “It’s a win-win; it makes the residents happy and it brightens the day of someone in need.”