Westminster Communities of Florida

In a few short weeks, our Annual Awards Banquet will recognize some of our amazing volunteers and team members whom we selected as our Volunteers of the Year and Team Members of the Year. We are very pleased to congratulate them, beginning with our honorees from our Life Plan Communities in the Tampa Bay area. Over the coming weeks we'll continue to share our amazing Volunteers of the Year and Team Members of the Year from throughout the state. We can't wait to celebrate them in person!

Why are home care and primary care services expanding in senior living communities? We asked CEO Terry Rogers about that, our organization's work on developing new strategic initiatives, and about his favorite food to cook. Learn all about it in April's Take Three with Terry!

It's Volunteer Appreciation Week, and our communities have been going all out to celebrate the amazing individuals who contribute their time to making our communities a wonderful place to live and work. We've enjoyed picnics and brunches and distributed posters honoring our Volunteers of the Year, all throughout the state. The season culminates with our celebration of every Volunteer of the Year for 2023 at our Annual Awards Banquet on May 22. We can't wait to congratulate them all!

We showed our love for wellness and our planet on Earth Day and all April with a variety of amazing endeavors. The residents enjoyed outdoor walks and exercise programs, tree planting, a rose garden dedication and even a meet-and-greet with lizards. It's all part of MyWLife, our program for well-being of mind, body and spirit. Happy Earth Day!

Today, we celebrate our amazing administrative team members who serve our Mission and keep our organization running smoothly. Thank you for your dedication, attention to detail, and exceptional organizational skills. You are the unsung heroes who make our team shine!

Yesterday Westminster Woods on Julington Creek held a very special celebration to share the recognition of receiving the Governor’s Gold Seal Award for excellence in quality of care. “Thank you for the sweat and the tears that goes into producing great services that ultimately lead to this achievement,” said Andy Andre, MSH, NHA, Health Services Administrator. “Because of your work this entire event was possible.” The community was joined in celebration by Executive Director Mark Niemeyer, St. Johns County Commissioners Roy Alaimo and Christian Whitehurst; Teresa Scott, CEO of Penney Retirement Community and a representative of the Governor’s Gold Seal Panel; and senior leadership from Westminster Communities of Florida, including Chief Operating Officer Garry Hennis, Senior Vice President of Operations Jim Polaski, and Chris Callahan, Regional Vice President of Operations. Read all about the event on our website: https://loom.ly/JDYr4MM

Tonight we join our Jewish residents and team members in celebrating the first night of Passover with the Seder. L’shana haba’ah b'Yerushalayim!

We thank our Directors of Social Services for ensuring that residents are well cared for and our Nursing Care communities are prepared for surveys. Last week we held an educational meeting for the team to learn and collaborate with each other. It was a great way to share! Thanks to Bot Zantua, Angelyn Johns, RN, RAC-CT, Laure Zulkowski, Michael Antonio and Shavonta Demosthenes from our Community Support Services office in Orlando for hosting this amazing team.

On Friday, a group of Westminster Shores residents headed out on the water to enjoy the sunshine with a morning of kayaking around Little Bayou. They left from the bayou's shore in front of the Life Plan Community in St. Petersburg and paddled out to see the birds, fish and plant life among the mangroves. They were even joined by some of our future neighbors and special appearances by two of Westminster's own vice presidents, Cheryl Crooks and Chris Callahan . It was a spectacular day on the water!

We’re continuing to celebrate our 70th anniversary year in style, with an evening at Westminster Winter Park featuring live music, entertainment and even a congratulatory proclamation from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. “Congratulations to Westminster,” Mayor Demings said. “There’s a great group of people who work here and who live here to make this a wonderful place to live.” Read all about this amazing event on our website: https://loom.ly/WzhSSmQ