Small Homes Visit Inspires New Volunteer Program

It all started with a tour.

Shortly after the Rose neighborhood hosted a dedication and ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of renovations in March, a group of curious residents from Brickstone by St. John’s took a trip to see the enhancements firsthand. Nearly a dozen residents organized by volunteer coordinator Jean Loomis toured the revamped neighborhood located on the sixth floor of St. John’s Home.  Although they were impressed by the updates made to nearly every aspect of the neighborhood, it was the new friends they met that day that has enticed them to return.

A month after the tour, Brickstone residents invited their new friends from the Rose neighborhood for a special lunch in the Horizons room. Since that day, volunteers from Brickstone have made two return trips to St. John’s Home to visit. Their most recent get-together earlier this month was spent working together to create new holiday wreaths to display on the front doors of Rose neighborhood elders.

“Jean (Loomis) thought it would be nice to do things with them and for them,” says Marty Keller, one of residents from Brickstone involved in this initiative. “This has been a great way to brighten their day.”

Plans to ensure that this great relationship between members of the St. John’s family (separated only by one mile) continues into 2017 are now being finalized. The good news is this group from Brickstone, who Jean Loomis calls “Friends of St. John’s Small Homes,” continues to grow!