~notes from our executive director - bolads.org · otto remer trust. so far we have purchased 2...

Newsletter 200 Buffalo Hills Lane E December 2016 Brainerd, MN 56401 [email protected]

218-822-3296

~ What’s Happening? ~

Our first 2017 fundraising event is our participa-

tion in the ticket sales for the random prize drawings at the Brainerd Jaycees

Ice Fishing Extravaganza. To purchase tickets ($10/each) for a chance at

some great prizes, come see us or call us, 218-822-3296! Help us help them!

As Paul mentioned, we purchased two 2005 Buick Park Avenue with

funds from the Otto Bremer Foundation, United Way and donations.

(answered prayer from our last newsletter!) Thanks again to our super

volunteer, Ben Allen, for helping us find and assess these vehicles.

We have a new part time employee, Alissa Pringle, who will be help with

participant activities, volunteer coordination, Facebook updates and the

care of the participants. Her daughter has volunteered at Breath of Life

for several years, bringing both her bunny & miniature horses to visit.

Remember that we have Gift Certificates available for all occasions! You

can purchase a gift certificate for a specific participant or for a sponsor-

ship and let us designate a recipient from our list in need.

~ Our Prayer List ~

Thank you for ongoing prayer support as we... Give thanks for expert help in locating vehi-

cles suitable for our participants... Praise and gratitude for generous hearts re-

sponding to our financial needs... Ask God to provide more opportunities to

promote Breath of Life in the community… Ask God to lead us to the people He knows

will benefit from our respite services. Wishing each of you a blessed New Year! Thank you for your prayers in the loss of my husband in Novem-ber… Karen (reason this newsletter was delayed )

~ From Our Financial Corner ~ Your gifts and grants blessed us…

We had several challenges in 2016 that

required financial resolutions. We

were required to upgrade our kitchen

facilities in order to meet State stand-

ards for our license. We want to help

our participants continue to come as

often as they want, even if they do not

have the financial resources. We

needed to replace some of our vehi-

cles that had outlived their safety and

maintenance lives. With the generosity

of grantors, Veterans’ and other ser-

vice organizations & MANY individuals

we were almost completely successful.

We met all the requests for transpor-

tation and attendance through

sponsorships. We retired two

vehicles, purchasing two replace-

ments. We still needed funds to

finish paying for unexpected

costs of the kitchen project . We

worked on additional grants to

meet that need & recently re-

ceived a $1,000 donation from Mille

Lacs Corporate Ventures toward our

kitchen remodeling expenses. Thanks

to all our supporters for another year.

~Notes From Our Executive Director ~

~ Paul Welch ~

Much of my time in 2016 was taken up by our kitchen remodel project which

started in December 2015. If all goes well, we should pass our MN Department

of Health inspection in January 2017. Our unexpected remodel cost over $17,000

due to unforeseen complications with the temperature of the water coming into

Breath of Life from Woodland. We had to purchase and install an electric boost-

er heater to increase the temperature to 130°F for the commercial dishwasher. I

would welcome additional donations to cover the remaining $2,000 of this pro-

ject. My goal is to not take funds from the operating budget to pay this expense.

We were blessed with a $25,000 grant for vehicle purchases and repair by the

Otto Bremer Trust. So far we have purchased 2 used 2005 Buick Park Avenues

and have enough funds to purchase one more vehicle in 2017. Both the retired

vehicles each had over 255,000 miles on them!

The United Way of Crow Wing County and Southern Cass County gave Breath of

Life an annual grant of $6,300 for participant scholarships and transportation ex-

penses. I have also been invited to speak to the following groups about the Unit-

ed Way and Breath of life: CliftonLarsonAllen, the

United Way Board of directors, Community Focus on

WJJY with Ken & Tess, Crow Wings County Land Ser-

vices and County Engineering Departments. Please

help support the United Way and Breath of Life.


218-822-3296


218-822-3296

Paul: In September I received the Spirit of Advo-

cacy Award from Leading Age Minnesota. I had

several Sate and Federal legislators visit Breath

of Life so they could learn about the challenges

of caring for our aging population. The Award

also helped promote Adult Day Centers across

the state and Breath of Life Adult Day Service.


218-822-3296

~ Recognizing Our Staff ~

Meet Warren Davison… Warren started at Breath of Life as a part time driver in 2007. His grand-mother was coming here each week so Bob Schricker invited Warren to an open house to tell others about how Breath of Life was helping his grandmother. He came (there was free food) and two weeks later, Bob asked him to help drive. This was not the career path he was on, but he was in-between jobs. Warren was born and raised in St. Paul Park, graduating from Park High School. He learned the

meat processing trade at Dakota Vo Tech and his first job was at Reuben’s Meats. He then spent 13 years at Lloyds, working primarily in a blast freezer, leading to early onset arthritis. He moved to Brainerd in 1999 to care for his grandmother. His brother, Director at Camp Jim, became busy so it was difficult for him to provide care. Warren moved into his grandparents’ home in NE Brainerd, where he still lives today. When asked what was important to him, he said “God and family.” He likes to help people, so when he moved here, it was natural for him to care for his grandmother and help at Camp Jim. He also started working in the produce department at SuperOne in Brainerd, then the meat department at Northern King where his boss suggested Breath of Life for his grandmother. His start as a part time driver led to full time, setting up in the mornings, giving showers and baths and more driving. Now, he does the driver schedules, the attendance paperwork and maintenance for the vehicles. His intelligence, ethics and initiative are evident in his work. He also plays cribbage every afternoon with participants. Warren likes board games, especially ones involving strategy. He’s a movie fan, mostly action movies. He’s ac-tive in church and its small groups. He likes to socialize with the people, visiting and listening to their stories. He says he’s a confirmed bachelor… one family is enough. If he is to have another family, God is going to have to do it! For him, a good day is when he can help people. Director Paul Welch says Warren is selfless, that we are blessed to have him here and that War-ren puts his work and our participants ahead of everything else, making each person comfortable so they want to come here.

~ A View from Our Participants - Judy Doeskin… as she remembers it ~

If you see a smile coming with a kiss being thrown your way, it’s Judy. She loves people and en-joys interacting with them. When I commented on her beautiful smile, she smiled and said, “Well, it’s the only thing I can give away for free!” Judy was born and raised in Brainerd. She loved her younger brother Larry. They borrowed the neighbor’s work horses and rode together. And Neil, her older brother, would invite her to tag along on his dates. She loved to dance, roller-skate and swim in the river. After graduating from Washington High School, she worked at the

dime store, next caregiving in private homes and then at St. Otto’s Nursing Home in Little Falls where she thought she would enter the convent. It was there she met Wally and after two dates, Wally said that maybe they should get married. So they did with Judy wearing a lovely white dress with silver threads. They lived with Wally’s father, were married 44 years and had two daughters, Taletta and Beth Ann. She & Wally were the Matron of Honor and Best Man at Taletta’s court house wedding. They have six grandchildren; one, Gabriella, has special needs. Judy beams as she talks about her, stating that no child is more loving than Gabby, that she is an angel. She worked for a while at Lakeland Wholesale Bait until it closed where she counted out worms, leeches and salamanders… taking the small ones home to her daughters. Judy recounted the night be-fore Wally died how they played a really great game of scrabble The next morning she could not wake him; he had passed away in his sleep. She now lives with her sister, Amelia, in Brainerd. She said after Wally passed, she had nothing to look for-ward to until she started coming to Breath of Life. Her sister found out about Breath of Life and they both benefit from the program. Amelia gets two days a week to care for herself and Judy gets time with new friends. She likes the exercises and the musicians who entertain… and she really likes the whirlpool baths and the pedicures! Thanks, Marsha! She said she feels like she could tap dance after that. She commented how the staff greet you the minute you come in the door… that you are never alone here… and you feel special, like you belong here… you are part of a family. She likes Warren to pick her up. She doesn’t like to leave the house, but she does when Amelia tells her “Warren is coming, you’d better get your coat on!”

Breath of Life is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the Brainerd Lakes area. Established and incorporated in 2001, our goal is to provide the highest quality care for dependent adults so their caregivers can also maintain their own physical and emotional well being.

Would you like our newsletter via email? If so, send us your email address from our Contact Us page at our website, www.bolads.org.

~notes from our executive director - bolads.org · otto remer trust. so far we have purchased 2...

Documents