A Concordia Lutheran Ministries resident poses with Santa Claus. Submitted photo

Continuing in its traditions, Concordia Lutheran Ministries will hold two seasonal events this year, the Adopt-A-Resident for Christmas Program and the Season of Hope Campaign.

According to Frank Skrip, the director of public relations at Concordia, the Adopt-A-Resident Program, “has been around as long as anyone here can remember,” stating that the program dates back as far as the early 1980s when Concordia was a single-site organization that served around 100 people a year.

Now, Concordia has 14 locations, 11 of which are in Western Pennsylvania.

“Every resident in Concordia long-term nursing facility, personal care, assisted living and memory care community has a gift to open for Christmas, which comes out to around 1,500 gifts,” Skrip said. “It’s really come a long way since the early days of maybe 100 gifts a year, which is why we love involving our local communities to participate as much as we can.”

The process of creating gift lists starts around the end of October or the beginning of November, when the activities teams request lists from all the residents. Throughout all of Concordia’s facilities, there are around 2,700 residents at any given time, but the Adopt-A-Resident program is only for residents in long-term skilled nursing, memory care, personal care and assisted living, which is around 1,500 people.

“Many of our independent living residents, like those who live in the Concordia Haven Apartments in Cabot, will adopt a few residents themselves,” Skrip said. “This program is just one part of what happens in our communities around Christmas to bring joy.”

When some residents don’t have their families for the holidays, the Adopt-A-Resident program and party mean a lot to residents.

“When you see the smiles at the Christmas parties, and you hear the buzz of so many residents showing off their gifts to their friends, you understand how important it is,” Skrip said. “For some residents, the holidays can be difficult for any number of reasons, whether they have family in their lives or not. These gifts and the Christmas parties we host provide such a sense of joy and a reprieve for some of those residents who may be experiencing some loneliness or depression.”

Concordia Lutheran Ministries arranges for about 1,500 residents each year to receive Christmas gifts. Submitted photo

Another way to give is through Concordia’s eighth annual Season of Hope Campaign. For the past few years, the goal amount has been set at $200,000.

At the time of publication, the Season of Hope Campaign has raised more than $25,000.

Donations go to multiple different funds and facilities, and donors get to pick where their donations go. For example, if they have a loved one living in a specific facility, they can choose that facility to be the recipient of the donation.

“Someone might give a small gift during Easter, but then they’ll give their larger gifts during the end of the year, and that varies across our facilities,” Larissa Yates, Concordia’s director of development, said. “Seventy-five percent of our donations come in at our end-of-the-year giving period. The vast majority of the gifts we get come in at that last two week period of December.”

While most of the donations received in the past were in check form, according to Yates, it is easier for them to direct donors to their website or take their donations over the phone.

If an individual, company, community group or congregation is interested in participating in the Adopt-A-Resident program, they should call the Concordia community of their choice. For those who prefer to send a general gift, the activities staff can suggest some newly purchased items that residents typically use.

Locations participating in Adopt-A-Resident are listed below, along with contact information and gift deadlines for Concordia’s Butler County facilities:

● Concordia at Cabot Skilled Nursing — Carolyn Piskor: 724-352-1571, ext. 8241. Gifts by Dec. 12

● Concordia at Cabot Personal Care — Jaime White at ext. 8302. Gifts by Dec. 19

● Concordia at the Orchard — Jodi Macko: 724-285-4490. Gifts by Dec. 16

● Concordia of Cranberry — Beth Schultz: 724-779-4300. Gifts by Dec. 15

A Concordia Lutheran Ministries residents holds a new sweater she received as a Christmas gift. Submitted photo