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Ory Bower Finds Calling in New Role as Volunteer Coordinator

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Ory Bower’s experience with Homeland Hospice has come full circle. He began as a volunteer in 2018, and was quickly inspired by Homeland’s mission to make a difference in the lives of others. Ory joined Homeland’s staff in an administrative position in 2021 and has worked in a variety of positions over the years. He recently took on the role of volunteer coordinator, which gives him the opportunity to work alongside Homeland’s inspiring volunteers.

“When I started as a volunteer, I really connected with patients,” Ory says. “I made regular phone calls to lift their spirits.”

During his time talking to patients, Ory learned to understand what makes each person tick. He fondly remembers a woman who loved to quilt, and would update him on her latest projects and what she planned for future creations.

“She found comfort in completing tasks,” Ory remembers. “This gave her a sense of control in her life.”

Ory believes his perspective as a volunteer will help him in his new role. He understands no detail is too small. Every conversation, note, and encounter can make a difference in someone’s life. He looks forward to new and different ways he can engage with volunteers as well as patients and their families.

Since taking on this role in January, Ory has connected personally with each volunteer to gather their insights and feedback on current and future programs. Homeland’s life-changing work is made possible by volunteers who share their time and compassion with others. From working directly with patients to helping with administrative tasks, volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization.

One of the most popular volunteer opportunities is home visits with patients and their families. Volunteers read aloud, chat, play games and look at family photos to help provide patients comfort and friendship. These moments can be moving, and often lead to strong bonds between volunteers and patients.

In addition to personal visits, volunteers have opportunities to connect with patients through programs such as Homeland’s Soup & Casserole program that provides meals for patients and their families. Another program called My Life, My Legacy gives hospice patients an opportunity to tell their life story. The end result is a book with photos and memories for families cherish after their loved one’s passing. This program is very popular among volunteers.

“Our volunteers have so much dedication and compassion,” Ory says. “We truly couldn’t do our work without them.”

Ory grew up and lives in Newport. He attended Messiah University where he earned his degree in ministry. While he didn’t know about Homeland after graduation, he felt a calling to refocus his life to help others. This internal call to action along with his understanding of Homeland’s work will help him thrive in his new role.

“There is so much joy in this work,” Ory says. “I am proud to be part of the Homeland team.”

For more information on volunteer opportunities with Homeland Hospice, call Ory at (717) 221-7890.

Homeland Center Dietary Intern Jarrett Hoy: A Lesson in Nutrition and Choice

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Jarrett Hoy didn’t know what to expect from his internship with Homeland Center’s dietary department, but he knew immediately he was in for a pleasant experience. 

“When I got here, I didn’t know anybody, and people would say ‘good morning’ with a smile,” Hoy said. “I did not get the vibe of people just being here to do their job and go home. They genuinely care about everybody here.”  

Hoy is a student at Messiah University in his final year of a five-year combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program in nutrition and dietetics. His internship at Homeland Center introduced him to the intricacies of providing nutritious, tasty meals customized to each resident’s medical needs and preferences.  

A native of Halifax in northern Dauphin County, Hoy initially planned a career in physical therapy and worked in the field for several years after earning an associate’s degree from Central Penn College.  

Five weeks off work due to COVID gave him time to rethink physical therapy as his chosen profession, and he decided to make a change after hearing good things about Messiah’s nutrition program. While attending classes, he knew he was in the right field after working in a Wegman’s pharmacy and seeing staff dietitians help shoppers make healthy meals and stretch their dollars. 

Hoy’s master’s program requires internships in diverse settings, and Homeland introduced him to the critical contribution of nutrition to the lives and health of residents in a continuing care retirement community. The Homeland dietary team gave him access to the extensive daily preparation needed for every meal.  

He attended care plan meetings, seeing how staff coordinates care and keeps families informed about their loved ones. 

“It was interesting to see how many meal choices residents have,’’ Hoy said. “It shows how far Homeland goes to ensure people are comfortable.” 

His time working in physical therapy taught Hoy how to build rapport with patients, and at Homeland he refined those skills while interviewing residents about their treatment plans. He learned to go beyond standard checklist questions to find the “why,” such as whether a loss of appetite could indicate a medical condition. 

Hoy also witnessed the extensive checks and balances that ensure each resident receives the prescribed diet, appropriately prepared – and was surprised at the variety of meals available.  

He said that food choice and expert preparation are also crucial to help residents who aren’t eating enough. 

“How can we get this person to eat? How can we make it palatable to them?’’ he said. “Pureed diets are necessary to be safe in some cases. How can we make it taste better, or how can we provide a supplement? How can we make it safe and meet a resident’s preferences?”  

Interning at Homeland was a great experience, Hoy said. “If I ever had any questions, I could pretty much ask anybody.”  

Hoy expects to graduate in May 2025 and earn his registered dietitian credential. He said his time at Homeland instilled a greater appreciation for the diligence and collaboration needed to fuel a top-quality dietary department. 

“There are always people checking on the residents and asking if there’s anything they can do for them,’’ Hoy said. “It’s a really good environment for everyone.” 

Homeland Center 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 Center Chief Human Resources Officer Nicol Brown Named a 2025 YWCA Woman of Excellence

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Nicol Brown, NHA, chief human resources and compliance officer for Homeland Center, has been named a 2025 YWCA Greater Harrisburg Woman of Excellence. 

YWCA’s Tribute to Women of Excellence program honors women in the Capital Region who devote time and energy to making the organizations and communities with which they are affiliated better places to live and work. 

“I am incredibly honored that I have been chosen as a YWCA Greater Harrisburg Woman of Excellence,” Brown said. “This recognition reflects the amazing support and encouragement I’ve received throughout my journey, which inspires me to give back to others I meet along the way. It is truly a blessing to work with Homeland, YWCA and other local organizations with missions and core values that align with my own. Their support, along with the love and support of my family, motivate me to keep pursuing excellence and uplifting others in our community.” 

YWCA will celebrate Brown and 24 other honorees at its 36th Annual Tribute to Excellence Awards event on Wednesday, March 26 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey. 

In her role at Homeland, Brown promotes a culture of continuous learning and quality enhancement that fosters a supportive work environment and encourages personal and professional growth. 

Her community involvement includes serving as chair of the human resources committee for Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area and as an executive board member for Neighborhood Dispute Settlement, a non-profit community-based mediation center in Harrisburg that promotes and provides conflict resolution through direct services, training and education. 

The YWCA Greater Harrisburg is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. 

Occupying a full block in uptown Harrisburg, Homeland Center is a licensed not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community offering personal care, skilled nursing care, memory care, and short-term rehabilitation. Homeland at Home, a community outreach program of Homeland Center, provides hospice care (compassionate end-of-life care), home health services (in-home physician-ordered medical treatment), home care services (in-home non-medical daily living assistance) and palliative care (comfort and relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illness).

Homeland Nurse Batya Kassner: Helping Families Experience ‘Love in Action’

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As a nurse case manager for Homeland Hospice, Batya Kassner finds the collaborative spirit and teamwork “amazing.” 

“Everyone respects everyone else’s role that they play, and everyone is more than willing to jump in and help with whatever is needed,” Kassner said. “The communication is awesome. No team works together without good communication.” 

Kassner has been a Homeland Hospice nurse since the fall of 2023. In a career devoted to nursing, this is her first time working in a hospice setting. 

She knew she was in the right place when she experienced a particular moment with a Homeland Center resident and patient. As he took his last breath, he was surrounded by his best friend, Homeland Center staff, and the Homeland Hospice social worker. 

“I feel like everything clicked, and I thought that this is how it should be,” she said. “It must have been so good for him to know he was surrounded by all these people who loved him, cared about him, were looking out for him, and covered all the bases of his and his loved ones’ needs. It felt like such a complete moment.” 

Kassner is a native of the Harrisburg area who enjoyed volunteering at nursing homes while she attended Trinity High School. She tested her interest in long-term health care by becoming a certified nurse assistant in a small assisted-living facility in Baltimore. Her supervisor, a nurse who co-owned the facility, encouraged Kassner to pursue her nursing degree, which she completed at the University of Illinois Chicago.  

While still in nursing school, Kassner was fascinated by an internship in a behavioral health facility. When she returned to the Harrisburg area, a Homeland Hospice team member she knew from her synagogue suggested that she shadow a Homeland Hospice nurse. She loved the experience. 

She realizes now that hospice combines her love of getting to know long-term care patients with the emotional intricacies she experienced while shadowing in the behavioral health facility.  

“You’re dealing with pain,” she said. “You’re dealing with grief. You’re dealing with loss. You’re helping people through a really difficult time in their life and through a transition.” 

The nurses at Homeland Hospice, a service of Homeland at Home, fulfill a wide range of duties. While monitoring patients and managing symptoms, they also ensure that families have all the necessary equipment and supplies. They are liaisons to the range of complementary services available for patients, including podiatry, massage, music therapy, and in-home support for family caregivers.  

Listening is the key to success, Kassner said. 

“Sometimes, people just have to vent,” she said. “They’ve had a rough year or multiple years going through chronic disease. A lot of it is being able to sit, listen, and understand and not try to fix everything immediately. You can’t assess needs until you really sit and listen to someone.” 

Her patients might be in their homes, hospitals, or care facilities. She especially appreciates Homeland Center staff for their close relationships with all the residents. 

“When I go to Homeland Center, the nurses and staff know who my patients are and immediately tell me what’s been going on with them,” she said. “There’s no having to hunt people down to have to figure out how the patient is doing or how things have changed. They know, and they tell me. It’s really good teamwork.” 

Outside of work, Kassner spends time with her five-year-old daughter, who started kindergarten this year and is an avid collector of bugs. Kassner enjoys reading – a recent stretch of “gloomy Russian-prison weather” inspired her to read Dostoevsky – and languages, with Spanish being her best. She is a self-proclaimed “gym rat” and a hiker whose favorite spot is King’s Gap Environmental Education Center, with its breathtaking views and choice of trails. 

“It’s beautiful and peaceful,” she said. “I’ve never had a bad hike out there.” 

As a Homeland Hospice nurse, Kassner believes she enables families to “live out their love in action” to continue nurturing their time and special relationships with their loved ones.  

“To get to be a part of that is a privilege,” she said. “You’ll hear families reminiscing and laughing even after I pronounce that their loved one has passed. The families are gathered in the house, and they’re all remembering the nice times. I love those moments because I know it was peaceful and that the person is still very present in the love they feel around them.” 

Homeland Center 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 Director of Development Troy Beaver: Finding purpose in relationships

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Troy Beaver employee headshotTroy Beaver was weighing three job offers when his dad’s hospice nurse told him what keeps her going every day.

“It’s knowing that this could be this person’s last day on earth, and maybe I do something that puts a smile on their face,” she told him. “I could be the last positive thing that happens to this person in their lifetime.”

At that moment, Beaver decided to reject those offers – all in corporations like the one he had just left – and heed the voice urging him to find work that made a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Today, Beaver is Homeland’s new director of development, filling the role held by beloved Betty Hungerford after she retired. He is responsible for supporting Homeland’s fiscal health and long-term viability through philanthropic and charitable giving.

When the opportunity came along, he wasn’t sure he was right for the role. He spent months talking to people at Homeland – including Hungerford – “and prayed long and hard about it.”

“Now, since I’ve been here, I’ve been asking myself why I didn’t do this 30 years ago,” he said.

Beaver was born and raised in Chambersburg, PA. At age 19, he entered the U.S. Air Force, utilizing his fluency in Spanish to serve in military intelligence during a time of political turmoil in Central America.

Even before separating from the military after four years, he started working at Citibank in Hagerstown, MD, filling a need for someone to work with Spanish-speaking customers.

That job blossomed into a director in Citibank operations, taking him all over the world including Europe, South America, Central America and India.

After about 30 years, he started wondering if he wanted to continue.

“I had a feeling that there was something different,” he said. “There’s got to be something more.”

Around that time Citibank downsized and eliminated his job, and after meeting with Barry Ramper II, Homeland President and CEO, it was suggested he could be right for Homeland’s development director.

Beaver’s wife reminded him that he had been praying for “something different,” and the answer was right in front of him.

At Homeland, Beaver has discovered people impassioned about their work in ways that are different than the corporate settings in which he previously worked.

“The staff here embraces the fact that this is a person’s home,” he said. “It’s not a care home. It is their home. That’s the big difference.”

Amid the financial pressures facing today’s nonprofits, Beaver is striving to build on Homeland’s base of donors for decades to come.

“Homeland is 158-years strong,” Beaver said. “But we recognize that we need to always be thinking about how we can ensure we are here to care for our community for generations to come.”

While Beaver brings experience using technology to streamline the search for potential donors, he knows that software isn’t what obtains grants and donations. His solemn task is to build relationships. Hungerford, who was Homeland’s development director for 20 years, reminded him that building relationships takes time.

“Building trust is the most important thing,” he said. “And that takes really getting to know people.”

Beaver and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 36 years and have two sons and a granddaughter. In his leisure time, he plays one of his 12 guitars, including a custom-made Jennings that “is the most incredible guitar, with incredible detail.”

With his former Christian rock band, Prodigal, he has recorded two CDs and jokes that he is an “international recording star” because three of those CDs sold outside the U.S.

Beaver looks forward to continuing to get to know Homeland residents and building relationships with donors.

“I’m getting a really big friend base here,” he said. “All I can hope for is that in the time I’ve gotten to know Homeland’s residents and its family of supporters, I’ve been a bright spot for them and made them happy.”

Homeland power duo: Mother-daughter Director of Nursing and RN charge nurse share a zeal for service

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Jennifer Tate-DeFreitas and her daughter Malani Tate-DeFreitasWhen residents learn that their nurse at Homeland is the daughter of Homeland Center Director of Nursing Jennifer Tate-DeFreitas, they say to Jennifer, “Your daughter is such a great nurse!”

“One resident will ask me, ‘Did you take Malani out to lunch yet? Make sure you take her out to lunch because she is a really good, hardworking nurse, and she really deserves for you to take her out to lunch,’” Jennifer said. “They’re really rooting for her, which makes me feel good as a parent.”

The team at Homeland Center not only feels like family, but also includes several sets of relatives among the staff including Jennifer Tate-DeFreitas and her daughter Malani Tate-DeFreitas. The mother-daughter duo is dedicated to providing care and ensuring Homeland feels like home for every resident.

Jennifer Tate-DeFreitas joined Homeland in 2002 as an Assistant Director of Nursing. Malani first came to Homeland during high school, working as an activities aide. After graduating from her mom’s alma mater, Hampton University, in 2020 – with her senior year and all its fun abridged by the pandemic – she returned to Homeland to conduct COVID testing.

From that vantage point, watching her mom in action inspired her to go into nursing.

“I feel like everybody always came to my mom,” Malani said. “If something needed to be done, she’d always know how to handle a situation. Just how she kept her calm and composure about it is like she was made for it.”

In college, Malani majored in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine. The pandemic curbed her plans to attend optometry school on a scholarship, and her mother suggested that she consider nursing. Malani found an accelerated program at Widener University and, in December 2023, earned her RN BSN. In February 2024, she became licensed before joining Homeland as a first-floor skilled care charge nurse.

Malani loves everything about her floor including her colleagues, gracious supervisor and residents.

“I love the team aspect and the unity,” she said.

Malani and her mom draw a hard line between their personal and professional relationships. Malani avoids running to her mother with questions, trying to learn from her supervisor and coworkers. Jennifer stays out of her daughter’s way.

“Unless I have to be there, I’m not there,” Jennifer said. “I had to learn that I’m not the mother at work.”

Jennifer has implicit trust in Malani, who works independently and takes every endeavor seriously. Her daughter is “more like me than I think she knows,” enduring the blessing and curse of being a diligent, hard worker.

“Today, the nursing shortage is real, and the load on nurses can be very challenging,” said Jennifer. “For her to be the youngest in an environment such as this and to be a leader — a quiet leader — to me is a great aspect of the person that she is.”

Although nursing wasn’t Malani’s first career choice, she is glad she made the transition.

“I like the care aspect,” she said. “Doctors are in and out of patients’ rooms. They never have that one-on-one with patients. Nurses are speaking with the patient and getting to know them more.”

Malani’s workday doesn’t end with her Homeland shift. Her entrepreneurial, creative spirit shines in multiple enterprises – running a photobooth business for events, making tufted rugs, and designing programs for her family’s business, the legendary Major H. Winfield Funeral Home in Steelton.

Outside of work, Malani is constantly with family and helping with cooking. Every weekend over the summer, there are cookouts and swimming at her grandmother’s house. Before several cousins left for college, the family hosted get-togethers to “try to make some more memories before they leave.”

Within a year, Malani plans to return to school to study and become a nurse practitioner. Homeland is “the best place on earth to work,” but she plans to venture out and explore her career opportunities.

Her mother has no intention of stopping her.

“I don’t want to limit her,” Jennifer said. “I want her to fulfill her dreams. She has a life to live, and I want her to be able to do what’s in her heart.”