Three a.m. rolls around far too early for anyone’s comfort.  However, the excitement of a bus trip to Springfield with the chance to show Illinois legislators how just how valuable are the services provided to the residents of Greenview Place was all the incentive we needed. The opportunity to also celebrate Supportive Living Week was enough to entice a group of residents and staff members to roll out of bed and be ready to board the bus at five a.m. for the four- hour ride to the capitol.  Oh, and  we were not alone, since SLF teams from around the state were making the same trip.

After making up for lost sleep on the way down, we headed directly for the North Hall of the Capitol building. The Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC) had arranged exhibits there for our legislators, explaining what Supportive Living communities are and how they serve seniors ages 65+ who benefit from the assisted lifestyle living model at SLFs.  

Our day of advocacy began at ten a.m. Our goal: talk to state reps and senators about the proposed cuts in Medicaid. This is the funding that pays for resident services at every SLF. We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with State Rep. Ann Williams. She was very interested in our residents and the current state of budgetary concerns. Our team was great at the task of explaining how much Greenview Place and the Supportive Living Program has meant to each and everyone.

Then we had a private audience with Governor Quinn. He’s so personable and was quite gracious to our large group. The Gov spoke highly of the supportive living concept and the integral part it plays in the continuum of care available to Illinois seniors.  Governor Quinn took the time to address the group, answer our questions, shake hands and listen to individual comments.  

Then onto the eats. AALC’s Wayne Smallwood hosted a luncheon for everyone at the Golden Corral Buffet Restaurant. Thus our well fed group boarded the bus for the trip back to Chicago with good memories and hopes that the SLF program will stay strong.

Heartfelt thanks go out to  Pastor David Abrahamson of Saint Luke Housing Ministries,  our CEO Nancy Kapp, Katherine Mazzocco of BMO Harris Bank, and our wonderful residents and staff who made the day so special.

Chicago welcomed back a tired group to Greenview Place who felt satisfied and proud to represent their wonderful community.

Together with our partner, Saint Luke Church, we hosted the extravagant red carpet event on December 4th in celebration of our two year anniversary.  Our resident movie stars were invited to walk down the red carpet and have their photo taken in front of our premiere backdrop and spot lights.  After the photo-op, our residents were escorted down our Hollywood-themed hallway, filled with resident-pictured movie posters, which led them to the Greenview Place movie premiere in our activity room theatre. It was like a night of old; film noir fans would have been giddy with the excitement of the movie theatre atmosphere!

Hors d’oeuvre and wine were served while our residents mingled.  After a few laughs, the lights flickered several times to signal the beginning of the Greenview Place movie, which featured a few of our fledgling Screen Actor’s Guild applicants.  This touching and funny movie tells the personal stories of three Greenview residents, and you can watch Come Home to Greenview Place at our website.

Here’s our debonair resident James McKimmon, escorted by our highly energized Executive Director Sherry Fickenscher.  In the background and looking on are Greenview’s Marketing Director Rebecca Drennan and Certified Family Partner Doreen Lewis.

The lovely Mildred Porter, one of the most gorgeous stars of the evening, was stunning in her evening wear as she proudly walked the red carpet. Here she’s standing in front of the Greenview Place premiere backdrop, waiting to sign autographs. *grin*

To learn more about Supportive Living in Illinois please visit their website. You’ll learn why Supportive Living is the missing piece of the puzzle.

In the meantime, wish us luck in our attempt to capture lst prize!