Some Good News in Uncertain Times

Today was an amazing day for the residents of Berry Manor. With nonstop news reports surrounding COVID-19, anxieties are high, especially in seniors dedicated RSC Nicole Bridges has made it her duty to perform wellness checks on all 60 of her residents. One of her concerns for residents during this time has been lack of food, hand sanitizer, disinfectant, and other basic necessities. With this in mind, Nicole reached out to a close friend Jahmal Cole, founder and CEO of Chicago's fastest growing social impact organization, #MyBlockMyHoodMyCity a non-profit organization. Nicole informed Jahmal that she worked at a senior building and the residents were in need of supplies. With short notice he was able to do something special for the residents here at Berry Manor.

On the morning of March 17, 2020, Jahmal, several volunteers and NBC TV local news came to Berry Manor to deliver care packages to the residents. Inside of the care packages were hand sanitizer, healthy supplements, canned goods, snacks, playing cards, and frozen pizza. The residents were so grateful to be receiving these items as many of them have been unable to get to the store. The local news interviewed the residents and they were far from camera shy and excited to see themselves on today’s news report.. Seeing the smiles on their faces made me happy to be in this position.

As a precaution, we have closed our community room and stopped all programs for March. Most of the residents are becoming bored, so Nicole decided to roll out a new service called “Telephone Topics”. It’s a way residents can connect with other people without leaving their home. It is a toll-free number to listen to a wide range of interesting discussions and programs ranging from, wellness, education, music reviews, to live performances. The toll-free number is 888-600-2560.