Shelly Lipscomb Echevarria has a gift for seeing the spectrum of colors in a blue sky. The skies in her paintings shimmer in blue, green, gold, red, and orange. “I
Carl Barna is looking over the Homeland vegetable garden when he spots a tomato, ripe and red. “Oh, my gosh,” he said. “Did you see that? Look at that. Holy
Titles of skill are not given. They are earned from hard work and perseverance. For Sharon Clark of Harrisburg, the title “Queen of the Camper” was bestowed upon her by
Liz Toci felt at home when she came to Homeland Center for a job interview. “When I walked in the door, I thought it was a beautiful place,” says Homeland’s new infection preventionist. She brings to Homeland a lifetime of
Valerie Moyer doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t doing artwork. “It’s like breathing,” she says. “I was called to do it. It’s a gift from God and Kutztown University.” The Pennsylvania native and proud Kutztown alum lives in Beaver
Carol and Joe Moomaw of Mechanicsburg have known and loved each other all of their lives. As children they played together with Joe often pulling Carol’s ponytail to get her attention. The couple dated throughout high school with each going
Edwina “Winnie” Reese rarely made snap decisions, so her daughters were surprised when she visited her sister at Homeland and, on the way home, asked, “What do you think of Homeland?” “Within 48 hours, she had her house on the
From her first day at Homeland Center in October 2017, Kelly Weldon “just dove right in, talking to everybody, remembering the things they like and don’t like.” Kelly spent the first 16 years of her nursing career working at an area retirement community. She left there to work at the
Typing handwritten recipes into a computer, even with a broken wrist. Playing table games with an elderly hospice patient who outfoxes his opponents every time. The spirit of volunteerism energizes Homeland Center and Homeland Hospice. Homeland Center’s 104 volunteers and Homeland Hospice’s 54 volunteers enjoyed an elegant dinner recognizing their
Employee Spotlight on Brian Medkeff-Rose Brian Medkeff-Rose, M.Div., M.A., Bereavement Counselor at Homeland Hospice, found his true calling 26 years ago while attending a spiritual retreat in Washington, D.C. “I was called to full-time ministry,” Brian says. “That became my career path and I never looked back.” Brian graduated from
As she watched her grandchildren happily opening the colored plastic Easter eggs, Homeland Center resident Jean White mused the adults get as big a kick out of the annual hunt as the kids. “I like it that Homeland encourages everyone to participate and includes families,’’ Jean said, taking in the
Eve James was a teenaged Homeland volunteer, helping residents with little things throughout the day. She quickly learned how much a small act of kindness could mean. “We had a resident who didn’t have a lot of family, and she loved to do crossword puzzles,” says Eve. “I went to
In the lunch meat business, there’s one thing you learn by doing. “I had to learn to slice,” said Homeland resident Donald Rudy. In those days, slicers didn’t have automatic stackers, so the operator had to slice and stack as he went along. “You’ve got to have good coordination, and
Domingo Mancuello told the Homeland Center audience that he would play three songs by a little-known songwriter names Isham Jones. “One is called ‘Sweet Man,’ and the other is called ‘Sugar,’” he said. “And I’m not going to tell you the name of the third song because you’re going to
Love was all around Homeland Center on Valentine’s Day. Visitors were greeted with a cheery “Happy Valentine’s Day” and the sight of red streamers, balloons, and flowers at every turn. In the Main Dining Room, a volunteer dressed in red handed out felt hearts to residents having lunch. Throughout the
Sometimes, high school sweethearts blossom into sweethearts for a lifetime. Colleen and Lester Grotzinger knew each other from around their high school in the northcentral Pennsylvania town of Renovo. At a New Year’s Eve Party, they started talking, which led to their first date. Today, the recent Homeland residents savor
In her sixth-grade yearbook, Jennifer Murray wrote that she hoped someday to be married with two children and have a job as a nurse. Today, she is married, with two children and a stepson, and her entire 18-year career has been in nursing. “Ever since I was a little girl,
