Barb Powell

UCC-Affiliated Orion Family Services Names Stacey L. Parke Executive Director

By Barb Powell | December 6, 2017

Stacey L. Parke, MSW, LCSW, who currently serves clinical director of in-home and outpatient services at UCC-related Orion Family Services, has been named executive director of the children and family services agency. She begins her new role Jan. 11. Parke, who has almost 25 years of experience in all facets of family services, currently is…

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Plymouth Place Senior Living Names New CEO

By Barb Powell | December 3, 2017

Plymouth Place Senior Living has announced the appointment of James (Jay) Biere as the new chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2018. With background in business growth, customer service and creative solutions, Biere brings extensive experience in senior living with more than 15 years in leadership positions. He was most recently president and CEO of…

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United Church Homes Embarks on 5-year, $20-Million Campaign to Transform Aging

By Barb Powell | November 28, 2017

United Church Homes leadership from throughout Ohio gathered Nov. 17 at its Fairhaven Community in Upper Sandusky to kick off the public phase of a 5-year, $20-million Campaign for Abundant Life. The campaign, which already has raised $12 million in gifts and pledges, will support affordable housing, benevolent care, and pastoral care initiatives for senior…

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UCC-related Uspiritus and Centerstone Kentucky Sign Letter of Intent to Merge

By Barb Powell | November 27, 2017

United Church of Christ-related Uspiritus — the Louisville, Ky.-based provider of therapeutic treatment and counseling to children and youth living with the effects of abuse, neglect or other mental health crisis situations — has signed a letter of intent to merge with Centerstone Kentucky. The merger between Centerstone and Uspiritus will unite the region’s most…

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UCC ‘Love of Neighbor’ Initiative Spurs Month of Service for North Carolina Senior Community

By Barb Powell | November 27, 2017

Nothing says love like hundreds of pounds of food! Staff and participants at the United Church Homes and Service’s Carolina SeniorCare PACE Community in Lexington, N.C., discovered that over a two-week stretch in early November when they collected and then delivered 200 pounds of food to an area animal shelter and 100 pounds of food…

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UCC’s Franklinton Center at Bricks Provides Food in the Desert, and for the Soul, in Rural North Carolina

By Barb Powell | November 22, 2017

A casual tourist might not regard the lush green foliage and landscape of Whitakers, N.C., as a desert, but the area — home to the United Church of Christ’s Franklinton Center at Bricks — is the second largest food desert in the United States. It also is located in Edgecombe County, one of the poorest…

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Polar Peace Marchers Advocate, Raise Funds for United Church of Christ’s UCAN

By Barb Powell | November 10, 2017

This coming January, a different sort of march takes place in Chicago that not only honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but supports efforts to end gun violence in the city. The Polar Peace March takes place Jan. 18, 2018, from 4 to 6 p.m. Founded four years ago by UCAN — a United…

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Mary A. Paxton Joins CHHSM Team

By Barb Powell | November 7, 2017

The UCC Council for Health and Human Services board and staff are pleased to announce that Mary A. Paxton is CHHSM’s new associate for engagement and executive administration. Paxton will assume the new role Jan. 1, 2018, following a three-year tenure with the United Church of Christ’s Office of Philanthropy and Stewardship. “Mary’s experience in…

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Retired UCC Minister Brings Magic of Theater to United Church of Christ Senior Community in New Hampshire

By Barb Powell | November 6, 2017

Shortly after arriving at Havenwood-Heritage Heights Senior Community in Concord, N.H., in 2006, retired UCC minister the Rev. Dick Rush and his wife, Anne, noticed that the community newsletter — while chock full of wonderful activities — had no articles about a resident theater group. With a broad background in theater and theater management, Rush…

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15 Craigside ‘Kupuna’ Send Handmade Love to Local Hospital

By Barb Powell | November 3, 2017

A warm beanie for a newborn. A blanket for a cancer patient. These and other gifts, lovingly created by residents at the United Church of Christ-affiliated 15 Craigside in Honolulu, bring comfort to patients at nearby Queen’s Medical Center. When Queen’s Medical Center announced a new “Volunteers in Place” program, the group from 15 Craigside…

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