In times of uncertainly, we still have reason to celebrate all of the amazing things that make us Juniper! After much diligence and hard work throughout the pandemic, The Spearly Center’s Marie Lopez completed our Nursing Home Administrator Program allowing her to have even more positive impact on our communities.
Sue Pappas, Administrator, commemorated this amazing achievement with a lovely plaque and much fanfare. All of our Juniper Berries are extremely proud of Marie and her amazing Juniper Spirit. One of us in particular has a strong tie to The Spearly Center, Tsultrim Datso and she has sent this encouraging message to Marie:
I am very moved by your accomplishment and celebrate the contributions you have made and will make for the benefit of folks who live and work in long-term care. Although I am on the other side of the country at Juniper Village at Brookline working on wellbeing programs for residents and associates, you and I have something very special in common. Your accomplishment raises memories for me of a lineage you are a part of at Spearly. Back in the day (early 1990s), Lynne Katzmann as an economist and business owner in the field of senior living and long-term care and Jim Spearly as a lawyer and community pyschologist on the faculty of Naropa University in Boulder, were part of a team that created the Gerontology and Long-term Care Master’s Program at Naropa. They trained many students in nursing home administration with a holistic approach of nurturing the whole person in community – attending to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and societal aspects of living. At the time, it was revolutionary. You are carrying on that tradition beautifully. I thank you, as Jim is my late husband, and I so appreciate that through Juniper Communities, Lynne and all of us continue to grow what was planted long ago. It takes a village — and successive generations! It is so heartening. Warm wishes, Tsultrim
To learn more about what makes The Spearly Center so special, visit the Third Act blog, or call Katie at 720.504.2616.