2025 - Homeland Center

Dietary Supervisor Felicia Foster: Making days brighter

November 14, 2025/in Uncategorized /

Felicia Foster’s reason for working at Homeland Center for 25 years is simple: The residents.

“I love the residents,” she said. “You feel so close to them.”

Foster is a Homeland dietary supervisor, responsible for ensuring that lunch and dinner are served fresh, on time, and delicious.

Her philosophy is to treat residents “as your own grandparents. That’s how I see it, because you never know when somebody is going to take on your grandparents.”

She joined Homeland in March 2005 as a night cook and pantry aide, having previously supervised a fast-food restaurant. As Foster took on other roles in Homeland’s kitchen, she made herself into a “jack-of-all-trades.”

Foster was aware of Homeland long before she walked in the door. Her great-grandmother on her father’s side was a caterer who once worked at Homeland and for the Kunkel family, prominent benefactors of Homeland.

Cooking is “a commonsense thing” to her. She asked questions and learned to cook the Homeland way, especially remembering to stay true to the recipes and make sure that the dishes the residents love taste the same every time they’re served.

“When you’re making a lot of things, everything has to stay consistent,” she said. Residents’ favorite dishes include pasta, soups, and salads.

Around 2015, Foster started developing into a dietary supervisor. She no longer cooks entrees, but she’ll help with desserts. On a recent Wednesday, she taught a cook how to make icing.

“I like to bake cakes and muffins,’’ she said. “I make different desserts, so I can be more creative.”

There have only been a couple of baking missteps.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Foster came to Harrisburg when her stepfather got a job at the New Cumberland Army Depot. Today, the proud mom of two still lives in Harrisburg, within walking distance of Homeland, in a home where she enjoys gardening and doing the fixing up.

Her son is a shoe warehouse supervisor, and her daughter followed Foster’s culinary footsteps, being recently promoted to manager for a caterer serving the state capitol.

At Homeland, the moments Foster loves best come when she visits residents.

“You try to talk to them and make their day better,” she said. “You just get some information to see what their mindset is and maybe change it. They can have a bad day and come into the dining room, and you can change their mindset and make their day better. Some people make my day, and they change me for the better. I get a little laugh. The residents make my day. They really do.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Hospice Volunteer Tom Barry’s Life of Service

November 10, 2025/in Uncategorized /

Tom Barry of Harrisburg has lived a life of service through his military career and now as a Homeland volunteer. He brings his love of our country and joy of helping others to honor veterans receiving care through Homeland Hospice, a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

For Tom, volunteering with Homeland is an opportunity to thank the organization who helped his family during his wife’s end-of-life journey. Tom’s wife died two years ago after a courageous eight-year battle with cancer. Tom cared for her for 11 months and needed additional support to keep her comfortable during her final three weeks of life.

For Tom and his family, Homeland Hospice was a Godsend.

“I know both sides of the equation,” Tom says. “I understand the pain both patients and families feel.”

Tom actively participates in Homeland’s We Honor Veterans program, created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program works to improve the quality of health care for all veterans. Tom proudly wears his Army cap when he accompanies Homeland Chaplain Todd Carver to personally honor veterans with a special pin and certificate.

“The pinning ceremonies are very moving for patients and their families,” Tom adds. “I fondly remember a ceremony with three generations of family members in attendance.”

Tom also volunteers with Homeland Center’s Vet to Vet Café, which is an extension of the We Honor Veterans program. Through the Vet to Vet Café, veterans and family members of those who served have a chance to talk and share their memories. The monthly gatherings, held in Homeland Center’s 1950s-style Olewine Diner, offers these residents an opportunity to connect with others who understand the camaraderie and sacrifices of military service.

Tom appreciates this sacred time as it offers a safe space for veterans to share their grief over the loss of their military friends and remember a time when they were young with dreams of their futures. The group always recites the Pledge of Alliance, sings patriotic songs and reviews a presentation of historic events.

“People can be hesitant to share in the beginning,” Tom says, “but we ask them questions to help them feel comfortable about opening up to talk about themselves.”

Tom’s military service began when he entered the United States Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) while he was attending Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. Following college, he served with an attack helicopter squad for three years and as a Company Commander in the 2nd Army Division.

Following his military tenure, he began his career with Pepsi which took him around the country five different times as he managed fleets. He has been retired for nine years and enjoys time with his children and grandchildren.

Tom enjoys filling his days with service to others as it fills his heart with happiness and peace.

“The good you give is returned to you seven-fold,” Tom adds. “I am proud to do my part for an organization that helped me so much.”

To learn more, please contact Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

James and Helen Smith: Planting deep roots in the community

October 30, 2025/in Uncategorized /

While James and Helen Smith became Homeland Center residents earlier this year, their ties to Homeland go back decades.

Helen met her longtime friend, Homeland resident Loretta Colestock, when she first moved to Harrisburg. James coached Homeland President/CEO Barry Ramper II in Little League.

“Everybody here is very friendly and very helpful,” said Helen.

Helen grew up on a dairy farm in Juniata County. As the only sister among three boys, she enjoyed helping to make meals for the family and developed into a skilled cook, creating Pennsylvania Dutch dishes such as chicken pot pie, and had a particular fondness for making pies.

In high school, Helen played basketball. In those days, girls were considered too dainty for full-court play, so they played only one half of the court, offense or defense.

James grew up in the Rutherford Heights area, between Harrisburg and Hershey, where his father worked as a railcar inspector, and his older brother worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the Enola train yards.

He, too, briefly worked in the rail yards as a clerk before taking a position at the former Harrisburg Trust Company in Harrisburg’s Market Square, now occupied by Citizens Bank. It was there that he met Helen, who was a coworker.

The couple married in 1958 and launched into a busy life of work, church, community, and sports. James was active in baseball—as a conference champion in high school, then as a Twilight League player before switching to softball. Initially a shortstop, he moved to the outfield thanks to his speed.

He loved baseball because he was too small for football. A friend who became a first-base coach for the Baltimore Orioles, and whose own father was a baseball scout, told James that he would have gotten a tryout for Major Leage Baseball if he’d been able to hit home runs.

“I was a singles hitter,” he said. “I was a good hitter, but outfielders that don’t hit home runs don’t get tryouts.”

While James was active on ball fields – he played softball until COVID came along – Helen was busy raising their children, three daughters and one son, and volunteering. She was active in Girls Scout troops and her church youth missionary program.

While James was active on ball fields – he played softball until COVID came along – Helen was busy raising their children, three daughters and one son, and volunteering. She was active in Girl Scout troops and her church’s youth missionary program.

Interestingly, James holds a degree that no longer exists – a two-year degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, taught by Wharton professors who traveled to Harrisburg twice weekly before the program was terminated.

After James left banking to work in a poultry business for a time, he returned to banking and served as the president of a couple of small banks that underwent acquisitions. After the last acquisition, he remained as a consultant before retiring.

They enjoyed traveling, including cruises in Alaska, Bermuda, and Nova Scotia. Three of their children remained in the Harrisburg area, but one moved to the Midwest – currently in Minneapolis – and for a time, they would drive there to visit.

Today, the Smiths have 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. They came to Homeland in July 2025, settling into a bright corner suite and staying active. They enjoy the morning exercise classes, play dominoes, and attend music programs.

Homeland, said Helen, is “one of the better choices we had.”

And, James added, “The people are so nice.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Artist Kelly Charlesworth: Capturing a sense of place

October 2, 2025/in Uncategorized /

A young artist’s mischief turned her family’s world purple when Kelly Charlesworth, a perfectly behaved child by all appearances, left behind an unexpected canvas — her bedsheets, transformed with a single crayon. What began as a childhood mystery would spark a lifelong artistic journey.

“She said, ‘Kelly would never do that,’” Charlesworth recalls. “But the sheets were colored purple.”

That was the beginning of Charlesworth’s life as an artist. The lifelong Harrisburg-area resident now showcases her shimmering works at Homeland Center, where she exhibits in Homeland’s Florida Room Gallery.

“I’ve heard so many good things about Homeland,” she said. “It is a really cool place.”

She noted this is her first exhibit in a retirement community and that Homeland offers “a nice display space.”

“It’s new and fun,” she said. “Nice for people to have something different to look at.”

The display is part of Homeland’s partnership with the Art Association of Harrisburg and its Community Art exhibit series. Every quarter, AAH invites member artists to display their works in sites throughout the area, from businesses to theaters.

Homeland is the only retirement community in the program. Artists are selected by AAH for their compatibility with the space and the residents, staff, and visitors who stop to enjoy a moment of serenity or awe.

“It’s always nice to come through and see the art,” said a visitor as she paused on her way to see her mother-in-law.

From her purple-crayon days – just like Harold of the classic children’s book, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” — Charlesworth has made art a part of her life. She was fascinated by the famed TV artist Bob Ross. After graduating from York College of Pennsylvania with a degree in art, she worked in insurance “to pay the bills.” Now, she works in grant writing.

“I use my creativity for writing grants for the food bank,” she said. “I paint on the side for fun.”

In 2005, Charlesworth took a landscape class with the Art Association of Harrisburg, where she learned plein air painting, which has since become the focus of her oil work.

Participating with plein air groups and competitions, including the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters, she visits the region’s scenic sites and captures them on canvas or panel – Children’s Lake at Boiling Springs, a stone barn in Marietta, the Pennsylvania State Museum as seen from a hilltop across the Susquehanna River. At one spot, she discovered Native American artifacts and burial grounds that local residents had found there.

Charlesworth completes each plein air piece in about two hours, taking on the challenge of capturing scenes as atmospheric conditions evolve and the light changes.

“It’s very addicting,” she said as she hung her paintings at Homeland. “You try it and then you don’t want to go back to the studio. You capture it on the scene, and you can look at it later and remember how you were feeling that day.”

Her work vividly evokes the landscape and history of central Pennsylvania – a region with “some of the most beautiful scenery in the world,” she says — in shades of green, pink, and red. Her inspiration lies in finding beauty in the natural world, from misty mornings to forests in the fall.

“They say don’t put too much green in your paintings because it doesn’t make for a good painting, but I can’t help myself,” she said. “I still love the green.”

Charlesworth lives in Lower Paxton Twp. She has two children, a 17-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son who attend Harrisburg Academy.

She exhibits her work at local galleries. One of her paintings, “Tea Time in Wales,” hanging at Homeland, reflects Charlesworth’s love of world travel. Her excursions have taken her to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and more. A family trip to Greece is on the horizon.

“We’ve got the travel bug, that’s for sure,” she said. “It’s great to see the museums.”

In Paris, her favorite museum isn’t the Louvre but the Musée d’Orsay.

“It’s got all the Monets and all the Impressionists,” she said. “It’s gorgeous. You see it all in person, and there are so many artists that you never hear about. I like to see what inspired these Impressionists. These places are so old that you can sit at the restaurant where Van Gogh sat.”

Find her work at kellycharlesworth.com.

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Homeland Hospice 5K and Memory Walk Set for Oct. 4

September 11, 2025/in Uncategorized /

Homeland Hospice, a nonprofit outreach program of Homeland Center in Harrisburg, will host its 11th annual 5K and Memory Walk on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 9 a.m. at the Rossmoyne Business Center at 5000 Ritter Road in Mechanicsburg. The event serves to remember loved ones lost and raise funds to support those who need care today.

“The purpose of the Homeland Hospice 5K and Memory Walk is to remember,” said Homeland Hospice Assistant Director of Development Myra Badorf. “It’s a day for families to honor and celebrate the lives of their loved ones, and for Homeland, as an organization, to remember and pay tribute to the incredible community we are blessed to care for each day. We are deeply grateful to the local businesses and individuals whose generosity makes this meaningful tradition possible year after year.”

Homeland Hospice depends on the generosity of donors for its enhanced care for hospice patients such as massage therapy, music therapy, and extra in-home-relief hours for caregivers, as well as for residents at Homeland Center whose financial resources have been exhausted.

Runners and walkers of all ages – and their four-legged companions – are welcome. The top three 5K male and female champions will receive cash prizes – $250 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place and $100 for 3rd place. Cash prizes will also be presented to the top three male and top three female finishers in eight different age brackets. Additional prizes will include largest team, oldest and youngest participants, and treats for all the adorable dogs. After the 5K and Memory Walk, Homeland will honor loved ones, provide light refreshments, and award the event prizes.

The event is open to the public and online registration is open now until midnight on Tuesday, September 30. In-person registration will be available on race day from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. All participants must register. The fee is $25 for anyone 13 and older. Children 12 and under are free.

Homeland Hospice is grateful for the generous support of its 2025 event sponsors. Securewire Technologies serves as the Trilogy of Trust sponsor, with Lamar, Fulton Bank and The Nativity School of Harrisburg as the Rosemary sponsors. Journey sponsors include AFR Foundation, First Commonwealth Advisors and Senior Helpers. The rest of our generous sponsors can be found on our 2025 sponsors page.

Homeland Hospice continues to welcome additional 5K and Memory Walk sponsors. Visit the event page for more details.

Registered Dietitian Meghan Sechler: Making Mealtime Healthy and Fun

September 9, 2025/in Uncategorized /

In the height of the lunch rush, Registered Dietitian Meghan Sechler popped into the Homeland kitchen to ask the cook to make a special sandwich for a new resident.

“And she did it,” Sechler said. “She actually did it for me.”

Plus, she adds, “We have a really good kitchen here. We prepare a lot of food from scratch. I try to pass compliments on to the cooks whenever I can.”

Since joining the Homeland team in 2018, with one break for the birth of her daughter, Sechler has built a community of supportive colleagues who all pitch in for the well-being of the residents.

As a registered dietitian, Sechler is responsible for assessing and maintaining the dietary health of skilled care and Ellenberger memory care residents. Her first bachelor’s degree, from Penn State Harrisburg, was in marketing, but she didn’t have a passion for the work.

With her love for cooking and healthy food, she decided to switch careers after talking with a cousin who was a dietitian. Inspired to help others, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in nutrition from Penn State.

At Homeland, her work touches the lives of every resident in skilled care and Ellenberger memory care, and she’s happy to help any personal care resident with their questions or needs.

Her primary duty is conducting quarterly assessments, reviewing the full range of health and dietary factors needed to create a plan for nutritious and enjoyable eating. There are weight, medications, supplements, diagnoses, speech and occupational therapies, activity levels, wound care, and appetite to consider.

The result? Individualized nutrition plans that help residents maintain their weight, build muscle, eat well, and get helpful supplements.

“It’s like putting together pieces of a puzzle,” she said.

Sechler passed the rigorous exam needed to become a registered dietitian – anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, she notes – but not after knocking over a hand-sanitizer dispenser in her nervousness. Working early in her career in Homeland’s kitchen helped her answer many of the nutrition questions.

Working with the entire Homeland team, she plays a key role in maintaining the residents’ quality of life.

“It’s such a warm, welcoming environment,” she said. “My supervisor provides all the resources I need. I feel like I have the time I need to complete assessments correctly. I can go home and know that my job is complete for the day.”

On a fun note, Sechler is happy to tell family members that it’s okay to bring in their loved one’s favorite foods, within the boundaries of dietary plans. What do they bring?

“Cookies a lot,” she said. “Usually dessert-y and snack-y. I saw someone carrying a whole pizza to share with his dad and his dad’s roommate.”

The residents are a source of delight and “so fun to work with,” Sechler added. They teach her patience. She is awestruck by their stories of childhood, careers, and families.

“They show me what a lifetime can amount to,” she said. “They make me laugh all the time. You really build bonds with them. They almost become another set of grandparents. I love to see them interacting in the activities.”

Sechler grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Plymouth Meeting. Her parents were government aerospace contractors, so Take Your Child to Work Day was always an adventure, with visits from astronauts and the opportunity to see satellites being built.

Sechler and her husband, Wil, met at a friendsgiving gathering at Penn State Harrisburg. They married in September 2019, just before the pandemic, and eventually enjoyed a honeymoon in the Bahamas.

Their daughter Adeline, nicknamed Addy, is 20 months old. She was still a baby for her first Homeland trick-or-treat night, coming dressed as an avocado while her mom was a taco and her husband was a chef. Ironically, the daughter of a registered dietitian doesn’t like vegetables, but she eats fruit and is a fiend for seafood, especially shrimp.

From her office overlooking Homeland’s greenery-filled Kunkel Circle at the 6th Street entrance, Sechler noted the remarkable longevity of Homeland’s staff and the support they provide each other, from bringing in food to sharing Secret Santa gifts.

“So many people have been here for so long,” she said. “It’s very much like a family. A lot of workplaces will say that they’re family and good places to work, but you can tell that they don’t care. Here, here you feel cared about.”