A Letter From a Veteran

At Juniper Village we truly do "nurture the spirit of life" in every individual we touch.  This letter was received from one of our local soldiers as a result of receiving a package that was assembled by our residents at Juniper Village. 

Our resident volunteers feel blessed over and over again - first by having the opportunity to offer their support to our military overseas, and then again by receiving such beautiful notes and emails expressing gratitude for the work they do.  Our volunteer projects bring so much satisfaction to our residents, and they are filled with pride and joy for their accomplishments. You can feel the energy in the air when letters, such as this one, come in the mail.  It creates a spark that is very contagious throughout the community.  Our residents have received awards and certificates, and have appeared in newspaper articles and on TV as a result of their kindness. They are committed to assembling care packages and clipping coupons for our military families for as long as they are needed. 

Boogie Woogie in Cape Coral

A special event in support of our troops overseas brought smiles, tears, and a swinging good time at Juniper Village at Cape Coral. It was our 4th Annual Boogie Woogie Happy Hour.

Donation boxes were placed in the lobby as residents, families and friends arrived for a special afternoon. Cartons of food, toiletries, and personal items filled our lobby, and it is estimated that donations in the amount of $500.00 were collected and sent out to our very special friends - the military men and women serving our country overseas.

Our guests were adorned with yellow ribbons as they entered which were prepared by children of our staff. As always, our wonderful dietary staff prepared snacks and party food, and some friends that work in the community provided non-alcoholic beers and wines - and the party was a hit.

The music that was provided by our favorite entertainers, Bob and Joan, brought back wonderful memories of the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. "God Bless America" brought a standing ovation after the room came to attention and belted out the song with all its might.

Jonathan, age 5, shown below in his red shirt, was so touched when his mother who is a member of our dietary staff told him about the special event and how we need to reach out to our service men and women. He designed beautiful cards for the soldiers, and personally signed each one. Jonathan receives a modest monetary reward for good behavior each week and asked his mother if he could use that reward to purchase supplies so he could make something for the troops.

Our Activities Staff and Dietary Services Staff were decked out in their 40's finest, while our Wellness Staff showed their support in their camouflage outfits.

The finale of the event was a tribute to a local Cape Coral Serviceman, Michael Arauzo, who was recently wounded while serving our country. His father, Tyler, gave a short speech to our audience which was truly a highlight of the day. Juniper Village looks forward to intertwining this wonderful family with our Juniper family.

For Our Troops With Love

Elaine Hayes, Resident at Juniper Village at Cape Coral, started a program at our community to show our support of the military men and women overseas. Our residents, with Elaine's creative guidance, meet to create holiday greeting cards, birthday cards, and "thinking of you" cards. All cards are original creations, made from scrap materials, and filled with good wishes and thank you sentiments for our soldiers from Juniper Village.

In addition to sending our greetings to the troops, cards are also designed with blank pages inside and mailed overseas to our soldiers who can then write their own verse and send the cards to their families and friends.

This project is our newest in support of our military men and women. Our residents have also received awards of recognition from the Red Cross for their work in assembling care packages to send overseas and clipping coupons to help out our military families.

Our military men and women currently serving our country, their families, and our Veterans all hold a very special place in the hearts of our residents and staff.

"A World of Food"

Today, Juniper Village at Cape Coral was host to a celebration of food from around the world. Our residents and their families and friends, neighbors from the community, and our friends from other areas of the healthcare industry had a great time as they socialized, ate, ate, and ate again.

The buffet of fabulous food was provided by a variety of health care professionals from the SW Florida area. We all pleased our palates with ethnic food from Cuba, Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Germany, China, the Philippines, and of course, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the United States.

The tables representing each country were beautifully decorated and the presentation of the food was extremely inviting.

Stacy and Stephanie of Senior Home Care (pictured to the left) pleased the crowd with pina coladas, fresh fruit, and delicious dishes native to Hawaii.

Puerto Rico was represented by Vilmary, our favorite Zumba instructor. Vilmary provided a wonderful assortment of pastries and cakes (and now we have to attend Zumba to work it all off). In addition to adult classes every Monday night at Juniper Village, Vilmary holds Zumba Gold classes for our residents twice a month.

Tyler and Caroline of The Art and Science of Successful Planning represented our native United States of America (bottom picture). What else would they offer but Apple Pie and Ice Cream? Their choice of table decorations and dessert was very appropriate for the upcoming Fouth of July weekend.

Cuban espresso, flan, and pastries from Poland, France and Germany were a perfect finish to the delicious international cuisine.

Check our calendar for upcoming events during the summer months. We have many exciting and wonderful things planned. We would love for you to join us.

Classic Car Show at Juniper Village at Cape Coral

It was a quiet sunny Saturday morning at Juniper Village until a parade of beautiful shiny classic cars and sporty Corvettes made their way down our street and into our parking lot. Our Classic Car Show was under way thanks to the Hot Chili Rods and Corvettes on the Gulf.  The members of these two groups were exceptionally kind and knowledgeable and surely entertained our residents and their families and friends for a good part of the day.  Our residents were overjoyed at the sight of the vintage cars.  They all had a story or two about years gone by and how the cars brought back such wonderful memories.

And, those sporty Corvettes!  The sounds of the engines brought smiles and cheers as members of the surrounding community gathered to join in the fun. 


The day was topped off with some good food and nice cold refreshments.  Many new friendships were formed and we were all very impressed by the intense devotion that the proud owners displayed toward their vehicles. 

Even some furry friends enjoyed hanging out and spending some quality time at Juniper Village.  Check our calendar to see what  is coming up next at Juniper Village at Cape Coral. 

BORN TO BE WILD!

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING...HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY!
June marks a special birthday for Juniper Village resident, Lorena, and she proved that at her young age of 101 years and 11 months nothing is impossible.  One of Lorena's lifelong dreams was to ride a motorcycle, and Rolling Thunder Chapter 10 of Naples was happy to make that dream come true.  Lorena was inaugurated as an honorary member of the group that consists of caring and giving VietNam Veterans. 

With a tatoo on her arm (temporary, of course), her Rolling Thunder teeshirt on her back, sunglasses on, and safety helmet in place, Lorena was thumbs up and ready to ride.

The thrill of the ride was so infectious that many of our residents lined up for a ride in hopes that they, too, would experience such a thrill.

For some residents, this day brought back memories of years gone by and tears of joy flowed freely.  For others, this was a once in a lifetime adventure.

The smiles on our fun-loving cyclists will never be forgotten by their families, friends, guests, and our staff.  Our road warriors are already planning their wardrobe for next year's ride.

A DAY AT THE KENTUCKY DERBY...JUNIPER VILLAGE STYLE!

At Juniper Village at Cape Coral the preparations for the Kentucky Derby started days before the race.  Our ladies were busily decorating their hats with a colorful assortment of flowers and ribbons, while the men looked on with much approval.  When race day arrived our residents, dressed in their finest attire, spent the afternoon singing and dancing to  Kentucky bluegrass music, sipping traditional mint juleps, and of course reading the racing sheets.  The excitement grew as the residents picked their favorite horse and cast their ballots for the winner.  Even though the winner was a long shot that no one dreamed would win first place, no one was disappointed.  Our residents shared friendship, music, beautiful hats, great food, and those mint juleps!  What a day!

Curtains Up!

The Juniper Village at Cape Coral Drama Club presented "On The Death Of His Majesty", a murder mystery play, during our monthly Friends and Family Dinner.

After hours of rehearsals and costume preparation, the show which was written, produced and directed by our very own resident, Mary Secary, went on without a hitch.  The plot....Sir Duke IV lost his wife many years ago and began his search for a new partner.  Gloria Goldgetter, Penniless Peggy, Lady Kaniva, Malicious Mildred and Princess Caroline were all very viable candidates.  What a shock to find that Sir Duke IV was murdered.  Someone's fate was now in the hands of Inspector LeClerk who questioned each and every suspect until she reached a conclusion on the guilty party.  Unfortunately, Princess Caroline, the very unsuspecting pretty lady in her beautiful burgundy gown was the culprit.  The murder weapon?  Poison in The Duke's drinking glass. Otto, our Butler, was an early suspect but was cleared after further questioning.  Ruth, our wonderful narrator, kept the audience on the edge of their seats as the plot unfolded.





    Our actors and actresses will be taking the show on the road with an engagement at our Naples community.  A great time was had by all and we look forward to working on our next production.  Watch our calendar for another stunning performance.

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung at Juniper Village at Cape Coral. Our ladies were dressed in their finest spring attire in preparation for our floral arrangement class. With the assistance of the owners of Say It With Flowers Florist, our ladies created the most amazing colorful arrangements that brought smiles to everyone in the building. Some arrangements were given as gifts to family members, while others adorned the apartments and hallways of our community. The smiling faces of our residents showed how proud they were of their accomplishments, and they surely earned the title "Florist for the Day". Watch our monthly calendar for the next floral arrangement class and you, too, can bloom as bright and beautiful as your floral masterpiece.

Art for the Heart

Art is in the air at Juniper Village. Katherine Kelly, art therapist, visits our residents and inspires them to create beautiful artwork. Her passion in this field shows as she encourages our residents to feel like artists. They begin the class by saying they are not artists and leave the class feeling like Picasso. Many say they have never held a paint brush except to paint a wall and can't believe what appears before their eyes as they stroke the canvas. The finished artwork is given to family members as a special gift for a special occasion. The gifts are received with tear filled eyes and pride in the accomplishments of their loved ones. We all possess some "treasures within" and this is one treasure that gives happiness to many people.

Awaken your Passion!

 

Turner Talent awakens our passion with another outstanding performance.  Our residents were captivated and delighted by our latest variety show.   The Turner Talent entertainers sang and danced their way into our hearts.  The only thing that was more exciting than the artistry of their dance and songs was their beautiful wardrobe.  They were adorned in a variety of vibrant costumes for each number that they performed.  Juniper Village at Cape Coral was filled with music, smiles, and happy hearts. 

Our hearts belong to our US troops

Our residents are busy, busy, busy, packaging hygiene kits for Lee County soldiers who are deployed overseas.  These hygiene kits will be included in boxes which are sent to the soldiers every month.  Our volunteers assist The Lee Memorial Military Support Group.  Juniper Village at Cape Coral also works closely with our local Veterans Foundation and Military Museum.  On the third Wednesday of each month our Juniper veterans and friends from the Veterans Foundation gather at our Veterans Support Group to exchange memories and stories.  All veterans are invited to join us.

Our Ladies In Red

We had another wonderful Red Hatters meeting this week.  Ginny Yates of Markham Norton Financial planned a "Snowflake Tea Party" for our Juniper Village Red Hatters.  Our tables were adorned with Ginny's family heirloom fine china. What a beautiful site it was to see our ladies all dressed up with their beautiful red hats enjoying a lavish display of finger sandwiches, petit fours and a variety of specialty teas.  They shared fond memories of days in the snow and were very thankful that the sun was shining and it was a comfortable 75 degrees in Cape Coral that day.  Ginny read poetry as our residents enjoyed their treats.  The afternoon was topped off by sharing New Years Resolutions.