people’s way with grateful love and bright wishes for a

1 An In-house Monthly ReView for Camphill Ghent and Camphill Communities in North America

Gry’s farewell event was a magnificent outpouring of love and admiration for the wonderful person she is and the many gifts she’s given to Camphill Ghent in her years here. Gry confessed she was quite overcome by all the love and gratitude that came her way, both in the farewell event and during her last days and weeks here. The farewell program included eurythmy, words of appreciation and poems and songs that were written just for Gry – whimsical, humorous and showing off people’s belletristic best. So we surely sent Gry on her way with grateful love and bright wishes for a happy and successful new phase in her life!!!


Gry received many notes of appreciation and we’ll share a couple in the ReView from people who don’t live in Camphill Ghent, yet were deeply touched by Gry:

“Dear Gry, We will miss you, your energy, commitment, and dedication, when you leave. You arrived in Ghent at a critical time in its development, when the community was in a kind of turmoil, and you deserve great credit for your role in soothing the community and bringing stability and an open, engaging personal style to your work. I don’t like to think where Ghent would be today had you and Deborah not been such integral parts of the community’s recovery. We owe you a great debt of gratitude for all you did for us. Thank you. I wish you every success in whatever lies ahead for you in Pennsylvania, and please do come back for visits when you can. With affection and respect, Bill” (Vogt)

“Gry, I was disappointed to hear that Camphill Ghent was losing you. You are very highly regarded, and I wanted to say so before you left. Our interactions were few but your calm and caring demeanor made those easier and left me feeling a sense of trust in you and therefore Camphill Ghent.


Thank you for filling your role with the caring and lovely spirit that you bring to your work and all who have the pleasure of working with you. As someone who has a loved one living at Camphill Ghent, I know how vital it is to be able to have faith in the people who are involved with the work there. Knowing that my dear dad has people like yourself that he can reach out to has given me a certain peace that allows me to rest in that fact. I wish you well in this new adventure in your life and thank you most sincerely for the relationship that you gave to my father. I hope your replacement, Onat, has huge feet because he has some big shoes to fill! My best, Lori” (Ted Bayer’s daughter)


February 2nd is Groundhog Day, which in folklore signifies either the early arrival of spring or the persistence of winter. If it’s a cloudy day, then change will come early. As I look outside my office window - blue skies, temperature in the 60s, people able to walk in the paths again with the snow on the ground (almost) all melted - it does feel that spring is almost with us - that change has come! This month certainly signified a new beginning in our community. Our beloved Gry was celebrated by all in a festive farewell gathering filled with music, eurythmy, choral singing, tributes, and even an impromptu chime choir performance. The gathering was heartfelt, filled with both laughter and tears of joy, and a celebration of a truly remarkable individual who has poured her passion and energy into the years that she’s been with us. Gry left us with an inspiring thought - she said that she has felt so much love from everyone in the weeks leading to her departure that she wishes that all of us can share that love with each other in order to make our community even better than it already is now. Gry, we will miss you!

This change brought about my welcome to Camphill Ghent and everyone has been so, well…welcoming! Already, I have enjoyed a classical concert, a musical at the Ghent Playhouse, the opening of a new art exhibit - have I mentioned that this was in my first two weeks here? All of this I enjoyed with friends, some I’ve known before and some I hope to form friendships with.

And this month ended with a literal bang - the circus came to town! A lot of people came to our carnival dressed up in different costumes. The Willow Lodge Tight Rope Walkers were a hit! The homeschool kids who performed their juggling acts

and sang their merry songs really boosted the energy level in the room. What a great way to start my new work here at Ghent - I feel that the fun has begun!

Onat


“101 Dalmatians? No! Birthdays!!”

How can it be that so much could change after 100?

Isn’t it strange. That you live here at Ghent

on a hill with a view

And your daughter’s here too?! who knew...

What courage you had that miraculous day when you said “It’s ok,

just take me away Brooklyn’s passé”

And so it has been that you entered this world Where everything’s different

and nothing is old.

At 101 there really are few who are open and ready

to welcome the new

So Anne, are you ready? It’s coming...

One hundred and Two! ~ Lois

~ Lois

~ Lois


As February comes to a close it is hard to believe the snow we have endured, considering the temperature is reaching 50 today and the sun is shining bright! I would like to thank our Facilities and Grounds team, Martin and Adam for their tireless work to keep our roads and pathways cleared during the many inches of snow that fell in the past weeks. Also thank you to the resident coworkers who assisted and the care givers, kitchen staff and everyone else who were able to come to work during the inclement weather to provide the superb care in which we at Camphill Ghent are known for! The residents are fortunate to have such dedicated individuals to provide for them on a daily basis!

This month also brought us a heartfelt farewell to the one and only Gry Brudvik! Gry is someone who will be missed greatly! We are lucky enough though to have Onat join our team and look forward to all he has to offer to Camphill Ghent! Our best wishes to Gry and a very warm welcome to Onat!

We look forward to welcoming a new resident to our Adult Home family in the coming weeks. Once we have finalized who will actually be in the space that is available, the news will be shared with everyone so we may welcome them to the already bustling house in Tourmaline!

We are currently looking to hire per diem home health aides in the Adult Home! If you know anyone who would like to join our team please tell them to contact us!

Happy healthy wishes to you all!

Jo-An


Kayla LaValley is a caregiver and Home Health Aide who works in our Adult Home. She is a member of our trusty night crew, and she has been helping to carry this shift since she began working here at Camphill Ghent in November 2013. At first, Kayla worked just on weekends while still keeping her other full-time job elsewhere. But before long this became too much, and she soon joined our care team on a full-time basis, and she readily progressed to became one of the mainstays of our night shift.

You know, it takes a special kind of person to work the night shift, especially for so many years. It takes resilience, stamina, flexibility and determination, to stick with this type of a work schedule. And these are all qualities that Kayla has, and she has brought them to her work here at Camphill Ghent. In addition, Kayla brings her strong organizational skills, as well as the flexibility, humor, patience and kindness that are required when residents wake up in the middle of the night, needing help, redirection and support. Kayla's appreciation for elders and feeling comfortable in a care setting began in her childhood. Her mother was an administrator at a large nursing home, and Kayla and her sister would go there for years with their mother, when not in school, joining in activities with elders and becoming part of the "family" there. Kayla's work experience prior to coming here was mostly as a dietary aide in nursing homes in the area, where she worked steadily for many years. With this background, Kayla naturally feels very much at home here at Camphill Ghent, providing care to our residents.

Outside of work, Kayla is a dedicated mother to her two children, who keep her busy with their many involvements outside of school. We have had the pleasure of meeting her family at some of our open houses, where they have come and joined in our festivities - and also when Kayla occasionally brings them along to an in-service or just to visit. Kayla finished her associate's degree as a medical assistant (this while being a single mom and working!) We


are grateful that Kayla chose to bring her caring and skills to Camphill Ghent (and that she eventually brought her sister Amanda to join our care team as well - thank you!!) When asked what she would like to say about Camphill Ghent, Kayla's face brightens and she says, "Honestly, this place provides the best care! Definitely! I tell my family that if my grandparents ever need to be in a care home, please send them to Camphill Ghent!"

With appreciation, Renate


“In a sleepy hamlet in New York's Hudson Valley, high on a hillside in the heart of a thoughtfully designed community for elders, we are sitting comfortably in a packed auditorium with peach, rose and turquoise walls. Here, on a clear, brisk Saturday afternoon, the sun streaming through the windows, illuminates three world-class musicians who are performing a haunting piece. Here, enveloped by the music, our busy thoughts dissolve and the body lets go; we are in the Beauty and the Beauty is in us. “This little miracle occurred when we attended one of a series of concerts called, The Concerts at Camphill Ghent. In these turbulent times, in this culture of endless distractions, it is rare to encounter such an uplifting and deeply nourishing experience. We feel privileged to support Gili Lev and the staff at Camphill Ghent in their efforts to provide our community with this on-going feast for the soul."

~ Diane Rossman (concert series sponsor)

On March 18 the Concerts at Camphill Ghent will feature the Lev-Evans duo with piano 4 hands – Schubert, Brahms and a piece of guest composer Philip Lasser of the Juilliard faculty. The April 22 concert features a Dvorak piano quintet, Beethoven trio and guest composer Larry Wallach of the Simon's Rock at Bard faculty, in a collaboration with faculty and students from the Bard Conservatory of Music and GML.

Left ~ Anne Smith Right ~ Lois Smith

people’s way with grateful love and bright wishes for a

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