Joining Hands Across Generations set for September 19 in Kendallville

Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville will offer its first “Joining Hands Across Generations,” an event to promote health and wellness in the community, on Sunday, September 19.

Joining Hands Across Generations will include a 5K run, a 2K walk, the Fun Senior Stroll, and the Tot Trot, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Kendallville Public Library, 221 South Park Avenue.

All pre-registered participants will receive an event T-shirt, and awards will be presented in several age groups. Registration before the event is $12. On the day of the event, it will be $15. For more information or to register, call Brian Shepherd at (260) 894-4638.

Proceeds from the event will help fund a new walking trail on the Lutheran Life Villages campus, 351 North Allen Chapel Road.

“Joining Hands Across Generations is another way we’re striving to promote overall wellness among our residents and staff, students at our Children’s Village early-learning center, and in the community as a whole,” says Jim Cross, administrator at Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville.

Stuff the Bus in Kendallville

Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville is encouraging everyone to help “Stuff the Bus” on behalf of the Noble County Council on Aging from Monday, August 16, through Friday, August 27.

The plan is to stuff the Lutheran Life Villages bus to the brim with nonperishable food and other items to help area older adults having a tough time making ends meet. Some of the food items sought include canned goods, seasonings, condiments, beverages (coffee, tea, powdered drinks), potato chips, rice, and instant potatoes and other boxed foods. Other items include paper products, such as towels and napkins, and personal-hygiene products, such as toothpaste.

For the convenience of Stuff the Bus contributors, the Lutheran Life Villages bus will be parked from 1 to 5 p.m. at these locations:

• Tuesday, August 17: Scott’s, at the intersection of U.S. 6 and S.R. 3.
• Wednesday, August 18: Walgreens, at the corner of Main Street and U.S. 6.
• Friday, August 20: CVS, at the intersection of U.S. 6 and S.R. 3.

Donations may also be brought directly to Lutheran Life Villages, 351 North Allen Chapel Road, during the Stuff the Bus collection period.

"We’re more than happy to help the Noble County Council on Aging with this effort," says Jim Cross, administrator of Lutheran Life Villages Kendallville."The Council on Aging provides a variety of programs and services that are essential to the well-being of older adults in our community. We hope that people will remember to pick up a few extra items to help stuff the bus while they are shopping for their households."

A fond farewell to Johnny Rowlett

When Bruce Blalock took over as president and CEO of Lutheran Life Villages in 2008, he met individually with members of his new staff to become better acquainted. After he sat down with John “Johnny” Rowlett, the organization’s longtime director of volunteers, Bruce had to clear his schedule.

“I asked Johnny what his volunteers did for Lutheran Life Villages,” Bruce recalls. “Three hours later, Johnny stopped talking. His enthusiasm for what he was doing was obvious, and as I quickly learned, the work of his volunteers was absolutely essential to Lutheran Life Villages.”

So it’s with no small sense of loss that Lutheran Life Villages has bid farewell to Johnny, who left the organization at the end of July after leading volunteer efforts for 16 years.

“I’m going to miss this job and working with all the wonderful people here on a daily basis,” Johnny says. “But the bottom line is that I’ll be able to set my own schedule as I pursue my business interests and work with civic organizations.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to know and to work with our dedicated volunteers,” Johnny says. “I look at every one of them as God’s hand extended—they’re an integral part of the mission of Lutheran Life Villages. We have the most dedicated, hardworking, faithful volunteers of any place I know.”

Indeed, Lutheran Life Villages’ volunteers—approximately 160 active, and another 100 on standby—give more than 25,000 hours of service annually. This large contingent of helpers saves the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and raises $30,000 to $50,000 annually through fundraisers such as the Bargain Bonanza Extravaganza.

During Johnny’s tenure, for example, funds have been raised to buy five buses, including the $60,000-plus vehicle purchased for the Fort Wayne campus this summer. Other money generated has gone toward significant remodeling efforts on both campuses in Fort Wayne and Kendallville.

“Johnny took a good volunteer program and raised it to a level of excellence,” Bruce says. “Now other retirement communities look at our program as one to emulate—and much of that has to do with the hard work and heart Johnny has put into our program.

“Johnny would be the first to say it has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with the superb, fantastic, unbelievable volunteers who help our residents,” Bruce adds. “But, it also takes a dedicated, big-hearted person to lead and direct that group—and Johnny filled that role better than anyone I know.”

A native of Madison, Indiana, Johnny served as activities director at Byron Health Center in Fort Wayne for 23 years before joining Lutheran Life Villages. He’s currently a member of the board of directors of RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals, and will soon be president of the board for Audiences Unlimited.

Johnny is also co-owner of Rowlett and Laker, a company that provides training and materials for activities directors. The company is contracted by the state of Indiana, and also provides services in 24 other states.

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