engel haus news - Guardian Angels

January - February - 2016
ENGEL HAUS NEWS
In This Issue
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Greetings from our Administrator

Engel Haus Christmas Party

Valentines Day

Medical Appointment Rides
Write it on your heart that every day is the best

Thank you to our Volunteers
day in the year – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Manicures

We Remember

Welcome New Residents

Stampin’ Up Card Making Class

What’s Cookin’

Activities Corner

Spotlight—The McAlpines

Guardian Angels Mission
Statement

New Years Eve Party

Mr.& Mrs. .Claus Visit Engel Haus

Meet the Staff—Melissa Olson

Engel Haus Wish List

An Act of Kindness
Here is one of my favorite quotes, which something to aspire
to as we start the New Year;
As we say goodbye to 2015, and greet the new year of 2016.
We are reminded of all the wonderful memories made here at
Engel Haus this past year. Welcoming new residents, forming
deep friendships, sharing laughs and new adventures, heartfelt
goodbyes to those we’ve lost, all leading to a fulfilling year.
Now we look forward to the opportunity to fill another year
with even more wonderful memories. See inside to find out
what new adventures Activities has in store for us, also
remember our monthly activity calendar is posted each month
on our website: guardianangelsmn.org Check it out!
Always remember our Kaffee & Kuchen hour, open to all, we
would love to have you join us for an afternoon break with a
treat and lively conversation. Kaffee and Kuchen takes place
each afternoon 2:30-3:30pm.
Andrea Erickson
Administrator
The trees were trimmed, the decorations were hung, thanks to a number of
fabulous Engel Haus volunteers, and we were ready for our second annual Christmas party. On
Wednesday, December 9th, Engel Haus was alive with the sounds and smells of the Christmas season.
Residents and their families were treated to great music provided by Dale Dahmen and the Beats, and
appetizers and desserts, prepared by Angela Jurkovski and her dietary crew, that were, to say the least,
OUTSTANDING! Albertville Royalty and the Jr. Royalty, AKA Santa’s elves, added a festive touch
to the event. But the biggest surprise came when the doors opened and we heard a hearty Ho! Ho! Ho!
and lo and behold there he was...you guessed it...Santa Clause himself! He was all decked out in his
bright red suit & hat black belt, boots and, of course, his flowy white beard. The residents, guests and
children sat on his lap and told him what was on their wish list for Christmas. All in all it was a great
Christmas party and everyone had a great time.
Marian M. with Santa
Wayne R. with the
Albertville Royalty & Santa
Betty W. with Santa Claus
Ardell P. with Santa
& her family
Bryce & Brayden Olson with Santa, sons
of Activity Coordinator Melissa Olson
Haley & Makenna Litzau
with Santa daughters of
nurse Natasha Litzau
Engel Haus
Valentines Day Party
Friday, February 12th - 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Music, refreshments & snacks will be provided
Everyone is invited
Wright County Transportation to Medical Appointments
If you need transportation to a medical appointment you just might be eligible for the
Wright County Health and Human Services Volunteer Transportation Program (WCHHS)
Guidelines:

Please schedule your transportation needs a week in advance.

You must be able to enter and exit a vehicle and walk on your own.

They are unable to accommodate wheel chairs.
For more information about eligibility or to schedule a ride
Call Terri Aarvig at 763-684-2343.
If you are able to - they ask for a donation
of 25 cents per mile not to exceed $5.00
Engel Haus would like to extend a huge thank you to the following organizations/
companies for their support and generosity:
“GAP in Action” Volunteers, from the Gap & Banana Republic stores at the
Albertville Outlet Mall. They volunteer their time to help with our parties and various
activities throughout the building.


All of the volunteers that share their time and talents with the residents at Engel Haus.

All of the musicians that come and entertain at our parties and events.

Albertville Royalty for giving our residents manicures and volunteering at our Christmas party.

Santa Claus for taking time out of his busy schedule to attend our Christmas party.

For the clergy that lead our worship services and bible study/devotions each week.
Manicures
The Albertville Royalty will be giving
complimentary manicures to the
residents at Engel Haus
Mondays from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., in
Assisted Living. The sign-up sheet will
be posted by the mailboxes. Remember to
make sure you get a manicure, you must
sign up.
With Vicki
Sign up for the Card Making class.
Monday, January 25th
3:30 p.m.
Join fellow residents as they create beautiful alloccasion cards. This is very easy to do as the paper is
pre-cut all you have to do is stamp and assemble the
cards.
Sign up sheet is by the mailboxes
We extend our thoughts and
prayers to the friends and
families of those who passed
away recently including:
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Erbin Roback
Jean Rundle
Please welcome our new
Residents to Engel Haus
Bette W.
Mike K.
Framona V.
Patrick B .
Lawrence C.
Betty J.
Kathleen B.
Oh, what fun!
With 2015 behind us, the culinary staff is reflecting on all of the great memories that were
made this past year here at Engel Haus! We feel so blessed and thankful to be a part of your
lives. The past 2 months have been busy and fun! Our Family Christmas Tea was a great
success and we enjoyed seeing you and your families celebrate and enjoy the treats and festivities. We also had
our first ‘Noon’ Year’s Eve celebration including a special meal expertly prepared by our talented kitchen
staff. We received lots of compliments on the bacon wrapped pork ribeye, duchess potatoes and asparagus with
Hollandaise Sauce. This was followed by music and a beautiful sparkling toast celebrating the past year and
looking forward of a new year of friendship and delicious food! The culinary department can’t wait to see what
the next year brings. Happy New Year!
Upcoming this Winter…
As always, we are looking forward to the events and special meals that the next couple months will bring! We
will have a special Valentines’ Day meal on February 14th, followed by a Presidents Day themed menu on
February 15th. St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner on March 17th!
Visitors and Boxed Meals
We are delighted when you have visitors! Please notify the kitchen by 9:00 AM of any visitors for the day. This
allows us to plan properly and ensure that we prepare the correct amount of food. If you have any last minute
additions, please contact the kitchen as soon as possible so that we can offer an alternate menu option if
needed. Guest meal tickets should be purchased in advance at the front desk or we will have a charge slip
available for you to sign in the dining room, if you prefer to charge it.
If you have requested a boxed lunch, it can be picked up between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM at the Bistro Counter.
The kitchen is unable to hold boxes past the day they are prepared, so please make sure that they are picked up no
later than 6:00 PM. In other news, in the coming month we will be moving to a new reusable To Go container for
your boxed meals! We are excited about going green and doing our part to reduce unnecessary waste. More
details coming soon!
Contacting the Kitchen
Need to request an alternate meal, a boxed meal, inform us of guests, or let us know that you would like to come
to the dining room for an extra meal?
Call us at 763-270-3487 or ring the Bistro Counter Doorbell. Please note, the counter is closed from 11:45 –
12:45 while we serve lunch in the dining room.
Non urgent questions or comments? Email Angela at ajurkovski@ga-er.org
Thank you for allowing us to serve you!
Angela Jurkovski
Culinary Supervisor
Direct Line: 763-270-3497
Kitchen Line: 763-270-3487
Message from the Activities Coordinator
Engel Haus was a very Festive and Eventful place to be over the Holidays! We are so blessed to have
such a supportive community that surrounds Engel Haus with their compassion and willingness to share
their time & talents with us. We decorated our beautiful home with all the holiday trimmings, created cards
and crafts together, and shared fabulous holiday meals with family and friends. We enjoyed several types of
entertainment such as Happy Hour’s with musical performances by Alec Waters, Dayna Koehn and Linda
Borchardt.
Our 2nd Annual Christmas Celebration at Engel Haus was a blast with performances by Dale
Dahmen and the Beats and a special appearance by Santa and his Elves. We also enjoyed watching our
younger visitors entertain us with their precious and energetic ways. The spirit of the season was in
abundance with a holiday musical performance and baking with the Step By Step Montessori School. The
KMC School of dance performed and we listened to holiday piano recitals with, the Troy Marschel family,
SOAR Arts – Ellen Beaudry, and Linda Johnson’s Piano students. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Dayna Koehn
made a special visit, creating a magical Christmas in our memory care. We enjoyed some fun outings to the
Lyric Arts Theatre in Anoka where we watched a Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas. We traveled throughout
the neighborhoods of St. Michael/Albertville and enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful Christmas Lights, and
of course we shopped, shopped, and shopped some more in search of the perfect Christmas gifts for our
loved ones. Our very own and talented Engel Haus Choir graced our hallways with beautiful Christmas
music on their first Christmas Caroling Event.
We rang in the New Year with a special toast to Engel Haus at our “Noon” Years Eve Party sharing
great food, friendship and wonderful entertainment.
As we look ahead to the winter months, the calendars are filled with many fun indoor activities that
will keep us warm and enlightened. There are some fun outings we have planned as well. We are VERY
excited about the two wonderful additions to the Activities Department, Abby Scherber and Morgan Fehn.
They have been busy getting to know all of the wonderful residents and their families here at Engel Haus, as
well as keeping up with the busy calendars. They both have been a true GIFT to Engel Haus and we are so
blessed to have them!
I would like to Thank Y ou all for embracing the many activities that take place here and for sharing
your lives and beautiful stories with us. Praying that you will all be blessed with good health and wonderful
memories to cherish in 2016!
Respectfully,
Melissa Olson
Activities Coordinator, COTA/L
Betty & Cliff
McAlpine
Betty and Cliff McAlpine moved to Engel
Haus, right after we opened the building, October 2014. They both hail from
Maple Lake Minnesota, where they both grew up on farms. Betty has 5
siblings and Cliff has 8. They attended Maple Lake school, where in the 8th
grade Betty’s sister was her school teacher. They met at a dance and they
ballroom danced most of their life together.
Betty worked at Honeywell for a short time, but when she had her first child she chose to stay home and
be a homemaker and raise her family. Betty and Cliff had 8 children, 4 boys and 4 girls. Betty’s hobbies
included crocheting, knitting, sewing, cooking, baking and gardening.
Cliff worked for his uncle and older brother, they both had well drilling company’s. After a short time
Cliff and his 2 younger brothers decided to start their own well drilling company, it was a very good
decision. I think they drilled every well in Dayton and the surrounding area. Today Cliff’s son runs the
business. But retirement wasn’t for Cliff, after her retired he went to work for St. John’s Catholic Church
in Dayton, where he sold cemetery lots and kept up the grounds. He loved working outside so this was a
perfect job for Cliff.
For 9 years, in the winter, they traveled to a little town called Fahr, Texas, then for health reasons they
had to give it up.
The McAlpines loved pets and before they moved to Engel Haus they had a dog named Tuffy, it
saddened them that they had to give him up, but I’m happy to report that he has found a good home with
their son who lives in Wyoming.
Today, at last count, Betty and Cliff, have 28 grandchildren and 43 great-grandchildren.
The decision to move to Engel Haus wasn’t an easy one for the McAlpines, but they have found that
they love the easy living life style and they can be together. They both agreed that the people here are
wonderful and the meals, especially the desserts, are incredible! Hats off to chef Angela and her staff!
We are so pleased to have Cliff and Betty here at Engel Haus!
Guardian Angels Mission Statement
Guardian Angels provides exceptional healthcare, housing and supportive services to
seniors and their families in the spirit of Christ’s love.
2016
Residents of Engel Haus brought in 2016 with a grand party. The residents were
treated to a delicious meal prepared by the Engel Haus dietary staff. We toasted
in the New Year while singing Auld Lang Syne to the music provided by Linda
Borchardt and friends. Everyone had a great time and we want to wish you all a
very happy and healthy 2016.
Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus visit Engel Haus
Ann B. with
St. Nick & his wife
Gladys K. with
the Claus’s
Lorraine S. with
Mr. & Mrs. Claus
Elaine E. with Santa
& Mrs. Claus
Meet the Staff - Melissa Olson
Melissa grew up in Kimball, Minnesota, She received her degree in
occupational therapy from Briarwood College in Southington Connecticut.
She has worked in that field for the past 15 years. Throughout her career
she has worked for the St. Cloud Hospital and North Memorial Medical
Center in a variety of areas such as Pediatrics, Acute Care, Inpatient and
Outpatient Rehab, Mental Health and Home Care. She has always had a
passion for teaching and enjoys being an OT Fieldwork Supervisor for
Anoka Technical College.
Melissa has always had a special place in her heart for seniors and feels that there is so much you can learn from
them, if you just take the time to really listen. She feels so Blessed to be in her role here at Engel Haus, and to
have a part in providing these “special” people with the quality of life they all deserve !
She Lives in Otsego with her Husband and 2 children Brayden (5) and Bryce (3). Her passion outside of work is
spending time with her family. She also enjoys traveling, TWINS baseball, golfing, photography, and of course
shopping!
We are so pleased to have Melissa working here at Engel Haus.
Engel Haus
The following are a list of supplies that are
used in activities at Engel Haus. If you are
able to donate any of these items, we would
be very appreciative.
Movies
Head scarves
Artificial flowers & vases
Cd’s
Arts & crafts supplies
Gloves
Photo Albums
Scented lotion
Picture frames
Vintage hats
Puzzles - 500 pieces or less
Mason jars
Kitchen items (spatulas, measuring spoons
& cups, muffin tins, cookie sheets, cake &
bread pans, mixing spoons, etc.)
children’s books - (nursery rhymes)
An Act of Kindness
Engel Haus resident Tom C.
loves to take walks around
the neighborhood. One day,
as he was taking a walk, he
noticed a young boy, Max
Iversen, tossing a football
around so Tom started
playing catch with Max and very soon they developed a
great friendship . Each time that Tom went for a walk he
hoped that Max would be out playing football, and out of
that grew a wonderful friendship. What Max and most
people may not know, is that Tom played football in high
school, in fact, he was so outstanding, that he even made
the all-state high school football team, so he really knows
how to throw a football. One day Tom noticed that Max’s
football was deflating and probably wouldn’t last much
longer. So last week when the residents went shopping,
Tom went along and purchased a new football and gave it
to Max. Needless to say Max was very surprised and
grateful for this unexpected gift. In fact, he immediately
sat down and wrote a thank card, and together with his
mom, he walked up to Engel Haus and gave the thank you
note to Tom. Thank you Tom for making a young boy very
happy.