Barb Powell

Plymouth Harbor Employee Gains Citizenship, New Dreams to Pursue

By Barb Powell | November 7, 2018

“The perfect day is going to bed with a dream and waking up with a purpose.” — A. J. McLean For Lucy Guzman, an employee of CHHSM member Plymouth Harbor — a continuing care community for older adults in Sarasota, Fla. — the McLean quote is a daily mantra. Every time she achieves one goal,…

Read More

Veterans Wall of Honor Fosters Community at UCC’s Brewster Place

By Barb Powell | November 7, 2018

It started as a few photos broadcast over the closed circuit TV system at Brewster Place, an older adult community in Topeka, Kan. Brewster’s resident services group regularly posted photos of residents and staff who were military veterans. Over time, the group collected a large number of photos. “One year, in conjunction with a Fourth…

Read More

History Meets Social Media as UCAN Celebrates 150 Years of Service

By Barb Powell | November 6, 2018

UCAN, a Chicago-based CHHSM member ministry serving youth in crisis, is recognizing its sesquicentennial in a unique and creative way: each day for the 150 days leading up to its birthday, UCAN will be using various social media platforms to share interesting facts about its history. “The graphics and posts will be made daily and,…

Read More

UCC’s Orion Family Services Finds Support from 500 ‘Attic Angels’

By Barb Powell | October 24, 2018

Earlier this year, some angels descended from the attic and smiled on UCC-related Orion Family Services in Madison, Wis. The Attic Angel Association — begun in 1889 by two Wisconsin sisters who brought armloads of goods from their attic to share with children from families who lived in poverty — awarded Orion a partial Community…

Read More

Graham to Join Council for Health and Human Service Ministries as Vice President

By Barb Powell | October 15, 2018

The UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries is pleased to announce that the Rev. George R. Graham is CHHSM’s new vice president. He begins his post Nov. 1, 2018. “George has a wealth of program development, health and human service, nonprofit management, communication, and philanthropy experience,” says Michael J. Readinger, president and CEO.…

Read More

United Church Funds Offers Planned Giving Webinars

By Barb Powell | October 12, 2018

United Church Funds is developing a “Planned Giving 101” webinar series to introduce various aspects of planned giving to UCC members and agencies. The most recent webinar “Five Steps to a Successful Planned Giving Program” was released this week. It follows the successful “Why Your Church Needs a Planned Giving Program.” The series is available…

Read More

Marilyn G. Olm, Wife of Fairhaven Senior Services Founding Director, Dies at 93

By Barb Powell | October 12, 2018

Marilyn G. Olm, 93, wife of Fairhaven Senior Services Founding Director the Rev. Carroll Olm, died Wednesday (Oct. 9) at the age of 93. The Whitewater, Wis., resident was born May 19, 1925, in Menno, S.D., to Frederick and Mabel (Christopherson) Rittershaus. In 1947, she graduated from Lakeland College with a B.A. in Music and…

Read More

CHHSM’s Paxton to Return to Philanthropy Calling

By Barb Powell | October 10, 2018

The UCC Council for Health and Human Service Ministries has announced that Mary Paxton, associate for engagement and executive administration, will resign effective this Friday, Oct. 12. Paxton will return to her calling as a development professional as the director of development for New Directions, a nonprofit outpatient and residential treatment facility for adolescents. She…

Read More

Gardens Help Create Community, Home at UCC’s Fairhaven Senior Services

By Barb Powell | October 10, 2018

New residents in senior communities often can feel a sense of losing the personal touches in their previous homes. Residents of Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater, Wis., helped solve part of this dilemma by bringing their gardens with them. “The Gardens at Fairhaven go back to its beginning in the early 1960s,” says Paul Kuenning,…

Read More

United Church Homes LUV Awards Program Fosters Employees’ Increased Sense of Call

By Barb Powell | October 9, 2018

For United Church Homes employees, it’s all about LUV. In early 2017, United Church Homes rolled out a new awards program — the Living UCH Values Award (LUV) — to recognize and honor employees’ whose daily work and attitude exemplify UCH’s core values of compassion, hospitality, respect, integrity, stewardship, and transparency. Now in its second…

Read More
Join Our Mailing LIst

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow on Facebook
Quick Links