Resident Council General Meeting
Minutes for May 2, 2016
The May 2, 2016 meeting of the JKV Resident Council was opened by President Jim Ham at 2 p.m. in the Courtyards Community Center.
A number of first time attendees and new residents were identified and welcomed. Corrine Fields has lived at the Village for five years and is happily settled in H Building. Betty Kramer comes to us from Leesburg, Florida, and has been here about two weeks. Ronald and Donna Ritter now live on O'Brien Road, moving from Raytown about four weeks ago. Caroline Arnold moved to the Village five weeks ago from Kansas City. Larry and Brigitte Nichols are from Warrensburg and have lived in the Village for four weeks. A big John Knox Village welcome to all.
Dr. Dan Rexroth, President and CEO of John Knox Village, reported that at a recent Lee's Summit Fire Department Celebration and Recognition, the Village was cited for their ongoing cooperation with the city. Dan also emphasized the importance of planning ahead as his mother had done in moving to the Village. Upon her death, taking care of things was so much easier than it was at the death of a relative a few months later who had made no retirement plans. Dan introduced Bob Crew of Stewardship Ministries, who is available to assist residents, at no cost, with financial and retirement planning. Residents can talk about choices and make decisions on what happens on the event of their death. Many residents have already taken advantage of this opportunity, and appointments with Bob can be made through Gale Benne, President of John Knox Village Foundation.
Gale Benne then spoke to us about the Capital Campaign for Village redevelopment. This fundraising effort is being made to raise $600,000 for the redevelopment projects now in progress. There will be a major event on June 11 at The Pavilion which is being called “Big Easy Night Out.” The theme will be all about New Orleans. Decorations, food and music will all relate to the theme, and the money raised will go to the renovation of The Pavilion. There will be both a live and a silent auction, and items are being collected to be auctioned off.
Stephanie Zeilstra from MARCOM spoke briefly about the Communication Survey which is being mailed to all residents. The returned surveys will help the marketing and communications staff improve efforts already in place.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Finance: Chair Jerry Wachsmann reported on the April meeting. Vice President Kim Klockenga presented the financials as of March 31, 2016. Entry Fee deposits and move-ins were below budget and Lease deposits and move-ins were above budget. Current month occupancy: Independent Living – 746; Village Assisted Living - 172; Village Care Center - 266; Total Occupancy – 1,184.Overall March statistics reflect an improvement and April will be better yet. The next meeting is scheduled for June 1.
Health Services: Chair Helen Darby reported on the April meeting. Two new members were welcomed-Alice Junghans and Dee Ann Robinson. The speakers were Sharla Whitsitt, Board Certified Music Therapist, Erin Carter, Board Certified Music Therapist, and Cynthia Taylor, VCC Memory Care Unit activities coordinator. The speakers shared that music therapy is based on an individualized patient plan of care which is developed by trained professionals. Village Hospice patients are assessed for the music therapy program within five days of admission. Current staff includes two full- time Music Therapists (MT) and one PRN (as needed) MT. Research supports music therapy to improve self-expression, decrease agitation, maintain cognitive abilities, increase spiritual support, increase social interactions, elevate mood and increase focus and attention. Music therapy is also available for JKV Memory Care Units in the form of a Music and Memory Program. There is a need for volunteers to assist patients in listening to their music choices.
Rodney McBride reported that a graduation ceremony took place honoring those who completed the first Leadership Development Training Program. 50 nursing staff participated and the content of the training included topics such as: professional leadership, team building, effective delegation, conflict management and resolution, quality measurement and process improvement. The next meeting will be May 11. The speaker: Sarah Meece, Topic: Resident Health Center.
Sales, Marketing and Communications Committee: Chair Margie Stowell reported on the April meeting. Marybeth Roberts, Director of Sales and Marketing, reviewed sales statistics through the end of FY16. She reported that we are at 93.8% of the Sales Goal. As of March 31, there were 35 Meadows deposits, and D Building sales and move-ins are progressing on a positive note. The speaker was Craig Faith, Director of Public Safety, who spoke about how Public Safety can enhance the marketing endeavor. We are superior to many other retirement communities. We have very short response time for emergencies. We have public service vehicles patrolling our area, and all drivers are EMT trained. In addition, we have our own ambulance service, and a good working relationship with the city of Lee’s Summit. The city calls on our ambulance services when they are busy, and vice versa. When the city of Joplin had a devastating tornado, we sent Village staff. We have a good working relationship with the Lee’s Summit Police Department and consult with Homeland Security. Training is ongoing, and response time is two and half minutes. Our personnel, though trained, do not carry guns. In an emergency, the Lee’s Summit police would be called. The next meeting is May 19.
Resident Services Committee: Chair Martha Wood, reported on the April meeting. The guest speaker was Richard Leslie, events manager of The Pavilion. His first statement was that he loves his job. The building is used often for a wide variety of events and it’s not unusual for the staff to quickly change the set-up after a sit down dinner for 500 to a graduation ceremony the next day. Community groups who rent The Pavilion include class reunions, high school proms, weddings, concerts and various other entertainment as well as community service and Chamber of Commerce events. Each year the Pavilion holds four crafts shows and three antique shows. The building has been referred to as a jewel for Lee’s Summit. Richard reviewed the many John Knox Pavilion events in April. Residents can always look in the monthly Village Voice to find Village events that are scheduled there. Other than the baffles in its seven story ceiling, the Pavilion has not been updated since 1974. Therefore, the John Knox Foundation has agreed to fund renovations to the building including flooring, updated restrooms and a sound system that reflects current technology. For this purpose, the Foundation has planned a funding drive with a goal of $600,000, $300,000 of which will be used to update the Pavilion. The staff also prepares meeting rooms all over the Village for whatever events are scheduled whether they occur on a regular or a one time basis. Richard said they all care very much about doing things well so that the residents always have a good experience whatever the event. The next meeting will be May 9.
Nominating Committee: The committee is on hiatus until September.
Copies of the proposed bylaw change were distributed to the Neighborhood Representatives in attendance. This change was given a first reading at the April meeting, and, as required, Jim read it a second time. The Representatives were asked to stand and signal their approval or disapproval by raising their hands. The new bylaw was approved unanimously. (see minutes from April for wording of proposed change to Article XIV which covers the duties of the Resident Council Nominating Committee.)
Program:
Our speaker was Betty Freeman/Boots, Vice President of Human Resources. Betty has been with the Village for 26 years, following an outstanding career in related fields. Betty informed us that persons who work at the Village are not referred to as “Employees” who simply work for wages and/or benefits, but rather “Associates” who work together with others as friends and partners, forming a connection. The two largest items on the budget are salaries/wages ($33.8 M) and Benefits ($6.7 M). The Village is the fourth largest employer in Lee's Summit, with over 1,000 associates. The youngest associate is 16, and the oldest is 83. Last year, 6,790 applications for jobs were received, of which 485 were hired. The application process is very thorough, with two or three management/department interviews plus the Human Resources interview. Then there are post offer physicals, a functional capacity screening, a drug screen, TB tests, driving record and criminal history checks, sex offender registry checks, child abuse information, two employment verifications and professional license verifications. Each new hire is followed by a process known as “Onboarding” where our onboarder, Laurie Qualls, follows the associate through the transition period from application to the first year anniversary of employment. The onboarder connects with the employee at 30 - 45 days, 60 - 90 days, six months and one year. These are opportunities for questions and information gathering which is helpful in keeping personnel continuing with the Village. At the conclusion, there is an Associate Recognition Breakfast and letter from the CEO to honor the successful completion of one year of employment with the Village.
Our associates are committed to enriching lives and building community by taking PRIDE -Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence.
The next General Meeting will be on Monday, June 6, 2016. The program will be given by Todd Hollander, Director of Dining Services. Todd will share information on the new Courtyard Cafe and Coffee Shop.
Respectfully submitted,
June Dewsberry, Secretary, Resident Council
