May 16th 2011
Unseasonal cold, drizzly rain and wind didn't keep our spirits down yesterday. We accepted an invite by the residents and staff with the Wausau program to attend a grill out during the course of Saturday afternoon with residents and staff from The Plex joining us later in the day.
It had been some time since we last saw everyone from Wausau, so it was a great opportunity to socialize over great food along with some fun involving the air hockey table in the residence basement. :)
We wanted to express our thanks in regards to the time and effort involved with meals and of course, the warm hospitality of our hosts. Always a pleasure and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!
-Bell Street
May 7th 2011
Following two solid weeks of remodeling, The Lair became home for one young man. He would like to thank everyone for their donations and volunteer efforts to make this happen for him.
House warming party to be announced...
April 30th 2011
We were hoping that this would have been a much more pleasant month, but we have to do what we can with the likes of the tumultuous April weather we had. It can certainly be said that the month overall has been quite a busy one for we here at Bell Street with a lot more coming up before a planned move to the tentatively titled Stead Drive residence in August.
The guys enjoyed a unique opportunity via the ARC to watch the Lakota Sioux Dance Troupe at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center and we had a special outing to St. Elizabeth hospital to deliver flowers the guys planted as part of the ARC and MR Cares Inc.’s “Make a Difference” day activity early on in the month. The flowers were dropped off to be given to anyone in need of some cheering up and they were very well received when we stopped by and passed them on to the receptionist.
Easter was a predominant theme throughout the course of the month and residents were very much involved with a number of activities regarding the holiday. We kicked off the first weekend by watching Hop at the theater. Everyone visited the Easter bunny at the Fox River Mall (reported by one of our staff in the previous post), spent time with staff in regards to decorating the house, dyed and decorated eggs, and put together treat baskets with Rice Krispie eggs laiden with M&M's to deliver to fellow residences within the MR CARES, Inc. program spectrum.
Eggs were raining at Bell Street all month long in a most creative approach to decorating and it certainly beat the rain outside. :)
To top off the month, the guys participated in the ARC’s Spring Extravaganza held at Prince of Peace church in Appleton, which was an enjoyable hit with all, especially the karate demonstrations, social opportunities and face painting going on at the event. The image going with this post involved one of our residents learning basic sword skills via the use of a heavy plastic training sword with one of the demonstrators. Some of our staff tried their hand (no pun intended) at board breaking amidst the variety involved with that facet of activites going on.
Last but not least, we visited the new residence of one of the former Viola Street residents which is located at 8th Street in Menasha. The guys expressively enjoyed stopping by to see the progress involved with the house.
With that said, we're hoping the upcoming month can bring nicer days and warmer temperatures as we're excited to start grilling out, setting up the badminton net for play and inviting other residences to join us outside of the community activities that will be in bloom.
-Bell Street
April 23rd 2011
Today was a fun filled Easter day! We went and got our pictures taken with the easter bunny and spent some time coloring eggs. A very much enjoyed activity.
BellStreet
April 17th 2011
The M and the R of MR CARES, Matthew and Rick have been busy working on projects for the new home we purchased on Thursday. As many of you know, our youngest client is looking to move into his own place soon. He had the opportunity to work on a new bedframe for his new bed this weekend. He is doing a great job and looks forward to painting the frame blue this week.
If anyone would like to volunteer some time helping with projects at the house, please give Matthew a call.
March 28th 2011
In February, we had an opportunity to get out and visit the domes in Milwaukee along with resident and staff from The Plex.
The trip itself was cut short due to the day's weather conditions, but everyone got an opportunity to explore the domes as a bit of a retreat from the snow and ice and other 'fun' conditions this long-rolling Winter has been giving us.
Attached is an image from the trip. :)
-Bell Street
March 20th 2011
Boy, it was a gloomy day this Sunday. The question one could ask is, "What's there to do?". Aside from a solid walk at the Fox River Mall to get out for some exercise...
...we found that an investigation of the Weis Earth Science Museum was a great idea some of the residents here at Bell enjoyed quite a bit.
While small in overall size, the $2 adult admission rate made this the surprise hit of the afternoon with some unique hands on exhibits, fossil displays (including Stan the tyranosaur), information on geological stratums over the millions of years, crystals, geodes and more. The gift shop had a lot of unique items of its own including astronaut ice cream.
A definite "must-visit" for those interested in all things geologic with dashes of other scinece fields thrown in. :)
And to throw a little science humor out there: please remember taconite is not just a meal option.
March 15th 2011
Marshall Franzen, 70, passed away peacefully on March 15, 2011
Marshall was born July 6, 1940 in Neenah. He lived most of his life in Madison, but returned to Neenah in 2007 to enjoy a fullfilling retirement with his friends and roommates under the care of MR CARES. Marshall enjoyed long walks on sunny, breezy days feeling the sun on his face, community events, and many dances.
A memorial service, celebrating his life will be held at his his home at 1200 Viola Street in Neenah, at 11:30a on Saturday March 19'th.
March 10th 2011
"Ethics is Power because ethical environments are more likely to bring out peoples’ personal best instead of their personal worst - often the result of unethical environments. When ordinary people are functioning together at their personal best they are often capable of extraordinary performance thus increasing personal and organizational impact and power."
Joel Deluca, Ph.D.
February 10th 2011
Super Weekend
To help us beat off the Winter blues, we decided to kick off our February with a drive to the Brown County Arena on Saturday to attend the WAPL Monster Trucks XL 2011 event with a resident and staff from Viola Street.
Prior to the show, we utilized our pit passes to get up close and personal with the towering vehicular stars of the show, which was a big hit. Not only was there great destructive shows of force by Storm Damage, Purple Rain and Shell-Camino, but residents enjoyed watching dirtbike stunts as well as races by the Tuff Trucks.
Sunday was, of course, the day of the big game. Area businesses closed early in regrads to the magnitude of the event with, as we are sure, many a desolate streetside scene due to people taking time to watch the game.An epic faceoff between two multi-title holding champions.
Prior to the game, we attended church services at St. Mark's Lutheran in Neenah and prepared snacks and game day food items for party attendees from The Plex along with another residence. A good social with good food to accent a nailbiting and quality game.
We've additionally been busy with regards to Valentine's Day and put together a surprise for our friends at other residences outside of decking the house out in amorous fashion with hearts and similar Valentine's Day themes. Add to this a night at the Neenah/Menasha ARC to make Valentine's Day treats and it all adds up to a busy month for we here at Bell. The guys will be looking forward to attending the ARC Valentine's Day Dance and later in the monthon the 26th, we'll be looking at a day trip to Milwaukee to explore the Milwaukee Domes.
-Bell Street