The Tel Hai community’s annual blood drive exceeded their goal on January 30 by collecting 42 whole blood donations—the maximum number possible during the event. For the 58 year old retirement community it was the most successful blood drive to date.

Miller-Keystone Blood Center representatives and volunteers set up their operations on-site at the Tel Hai campus located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10. The organization provides blood products to the Brandywine and Paoli Hospital locally. Donors were provided with a blood pressure check and cholesterol test results were mailed to individual’s homes.

In all, 27 Tel Hai staff members and 13 residents were blood donors. Two persons from the greater community also contributed that day. Miller-Keystone provided refreshments to all blood donors and the Tel Hai Volunteer Services Department had $200 worth of prizes and small token items to offer each participant with a spin of the wheel. Tel Hai also made a $250 cash donation to the American Heart Association on behalf of the donors. During the month of February heart health was also the focus of an educational presentation; healthy eating options are offered on campus daily.

The Tel Hai community was founded in 1956 by two local Mennonite congregations to offer care to area seniors. Begun in a farm house that sheltered 14 residents, the nationally accredited nonprofit community has grown to over 600 residents who enjoy an active lifestyle in a variety of cottage and apartment residences as well as supportive living in personal care and the health care center. The 149 acre campus also offers and Child Day Care, respite and rehabilitation services to the greater community.

PHOTO 1: Volunteer Office Coordinator, Amy Whary welcomed blood donors and encouraged all to spin the prize wheel before getting to the business at hand. The event collected 42 whole blood donations.

Watercolor painting classes will resume on the Tel Hai campus in February. Aspiring artists of all skill levels are welcome to join in the fun.

Local artist and instructor, Loretta Gable Englerth, will begin the next six-week session of instruction on Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 9:00am.  These classes meet in the Art Room located in the Hillcrest apartment building. Mrs. Englerth will lead the class with a focus on the individual artist’s point of view. Learn how to develop aesthetic insights that will help you define your own “style.” Issues of composition, contrast, color, and paint application will be emphasized.

The fee for each six-week session is $60 per person; this course will conclude on April 3. Additional six-week sessions will be offered at the same rate. Registration and payment for watercolor instruction is arranged directly with the instructor by calling 610-383-1330. Pre-registration is requested because class size is limited.

Beginners should bring the following supplies to class including a spiral drawing tablet, (B) & (H) drawing pencils and erasers. Returning or experienced students may also include paints, brushes, and other basic supplies. Students are asked to bring pictures to use as inspiration for their own drawings and paintings.

Tel Hai’s campus is located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10 in Honey Brook Township. For directions please refer to 1200 Tel Hai Circle on your GPS; online click on “Contact Us” using the website www.telhai.org for more information.

PHOTO: Loretta Englerth, local watercolor artist, will offer a series of six-week courses on Tel Hai’s campus beginning on Thursday, February 27 at 9:00 AM. Class size is limited so pre-registration is requested to avoid disappointment. Learn a new skill, meet new friends, and discover your inner artist!

The Life Enrichment Committee (LEC) at Tel Hai welcomes members of the greater community to attend an informational session on Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 11:00am in the campus Chapel/Auditorium located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10. The guest speaker will be Joanne Corte Grossi, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Region III. Ms. Grossi will provide an update on Medicare and Medicaid programs vital to seniors everywhere and address the current and projected future impact of the Affordable Care Act on seniors’ programs and benefits. The program is offered to the public free of charge; pre-registration is not required.

Ms. Grossi holds a master’s degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University and has completed additional graduate education at the University’s School of Public Health and Hygiene. She was PA Deputy Secretary of Health and later the first-ever Director of the Office of Women’s Services for a period of seven years during the Rendell administration.

LEC is a resident group committed to creating and offering programs of interest to the Tel Hai population and their neighbors on wide-ranging subjects—including history, the arts, religion and philosophy. They also partner with Widener University’s Osher Life-long Learning Institute (OLLI). Tel Hai community was founded by two local Mennonite congregations in 1956 and offers a variety of housing and care options including personal and nursing care, respite and rehabilitation as well as a varied calendar of activities, courses and seminars, art classes and physical fitness opportunities. Directions to campus can be found on the website—www.telhai.org. Click on the “Contact Us” tab. Using GPS, please enter the physical address: 1200 Tel Hai Circle.

PHOTO: Joanne Corte Grossi, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health& Human Services, will present an informational program on Medicare and Medicaid as well as an update on the Affordable Care Act and its impact on seniors on Thursday, February 20 at 11:00am in the Tel Hai Chapel.

Tel Hai’s Life Enrichment Committee (LEC) is pleased to present an engaging program recounting the experiences of community residents Dave and Ginger Schramm and Annie Law—all members of the Chester County Trail Club. The public is invited to “walk along” with these life-long hiking enthusiasts on Friday, January 31 at 7:15pm in the Auditorium/Chapel on the Tel Hai campus located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10.

Annie Law will share tales of her travels along the Appalachian Trail. Completed in 1937, the “AT” as it is known, crosses 14 states and is one of the world’s longest marked footpaths. Mrs. Law completed the entire 2174 miles from Georgia to Maine! Mr. & Mrs. Schramm have covered more than half of the Appalachian Trail and count McAfee Knob, near Roanoke VA as their favorite spot along the trail. Dave and Ginger have hiked throughout the United States and in Switzerland…racking up approximately 12,000 miles each over the years.

The general public is welcome to attend this fascinating program. Directions to Tel Hai can be found on the website: www.telhai.org. If using GPS, please enter the 1200 Tel Hai Circle physical address. For nearly 58 years Tel Hai has provided worry-free cottage and apartment living, as well as personal care, rehabilitation, respite and health care services in Chester County.

PHOTO: Dave and Ginger Schramm consider McAfee Knob in VA as their favorite spot along the Appalachian Trail. Join them and Annie Law for an interesting evening recounting hiking adventures on Friday, January 31 at 7:15pm in the Tel Hai Auditorium/Chapel.

Watercolor painting classes will resume on the Tel Hai campus in January. Would you like to give it a try? Aspiring artists of all skill levels are welcome to join in the fun. Local artist and instructor, Loretta Gable Englerth, will begin a six-week session of instruction on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 9:00am.  These classes meet in the Art Room located in the Hillcrest apartment building. Mrs. Englerth will lead the class with a focus on the individual artist’s point of view. Learn how to develop aesthetic insights that will help you define your own “style.” Issues of composition, contrast, color, and paint application will be emphasized.

The fee for the six-week course is $60 per person; this course will conclude on February 19. A spring session will be offered later in the new year. Registration and payment for watercolor instruction is arranged directly with the instructor by calling 610-383-1330. Pre-registration is requested because class size is limited.

Beginners should bring the following supplies to class: a spiral drawing tablet, (B) & (H) drawing pencils and erasers. Returning or experienced students may also include paints, brushes, and other basic supplies. Students are encouraged to bring a picture of a favorite subject to use as inspiration for their own drawing and painting.

Tel Hai’s campus is located off Beaver Dam Road, east of Route 10 in Honey Brook Township. For directions please refer to 1200 Tel Hai Circle on your GPS; online, visit the website www.telhai.org and click on the “Contact Us” tab.

PHOTO: Local artist, Loretta Englerth, will offer six-weeks of watercolor painting instruction on Tel Hai’s campus beginning on Thursday, January 15 at 9:00 AM. Class size is limited so pre-registration is requested to avoid disappointment. Learn a new skill in the New Year and discover your inner artist!

Local artist, Martin May of Romansville, will be the featured artist in the gallery of Tel Hai’s Welcome Center beginning January 3, 2014. Examples of his fine work in pen and ink will be on display and available for viewing on weekdays between 9:00am and 4:00pm.

Martin May, a graphic artist by training, retired as a commercial artist to establish a fine art career and now enjoys concentrating on his on artistic pursuits. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA—the nation’s oldest art museum and art school) and the John Hussian School of Art, both located in Philadelphia.

May specializes in finely detailed pen and ink drawings of wildlife and historic buildings and structures. He also has been commissioned to do portraits of private homes, commercial buildings and pets. He inserts a touch of humor into his art whenever he can.

Martin’s work has been featured in galleries and shows across the county. Many private and corporate collections throughout North America, Europe and China also contain his work. He has also won numerous awards and had work published in magazines. His philosophy is simple—“If I can make a living doing something I love and make one person reminisce or smile, I have succeeded.” Time spent in Chester and Potter Counties of Pennsylvania offers a multitude of locations that serve as inspiration for his art and provide opportunities to hone his technique while enjoying the region he loves.

PHOTO:  The “Great Horned Owl” is one of many works by local artist, Martin May. Mr. May’s drawings will be featured at Tel Hai beginning on January 3, 2014. His intricate work in pen and ink will be on display in the Welcome Center on campus and can be viewed Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 4:00pm in the “gallery” area.