Love Notes

 A few weeks ago, we celebrated our team with an Employee Appreciation Day.  The gifts we shared – a sweatshirt, a gift card -- were modest in comparison to the gifts they share with us every day. On Facebook, we often post pictures of our residents smiling; engaging in fun activities – and thanks to our caregivers, they do have good, fulfilling lives. Of course, It wouldn’t be appropriate to share the more challenging moments – but that is the reality of assisting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Understanding complex emotional states -- sometimes, when the people you’re trying to help don’t have the words to describe what they need. Managing the complexities of a household with 3, 4, 5, 6 adults -- sometimes arbitrating compromises across those residents and their families. Assisting with personal hygiene and nutrition -- sometimes when the caregiver has their own needs. Our caregivers chose to dedicate their lives in service.  And they do a grea...

Today is a good day at Angels’ Place.  We hope you will celebrate with us. Over the last year, the good people at Blessed Assurance Home Inspections have (at no charge) examined each of the homes Angels’ Place owns – the kind of physical inspection you might contract when you buy a home.  With this information, we have prioritized our maintenance workload and investment. One home needed several major repairs – Pine Center. As we engaged various vendors to estimate the work, it also became apparent that even with a significant investment, the setup of the home would not be ideal to accommodate aging-in-place.  The home has narrow hallways, small bathrooms and bedrooms, etc. This property was donated to Angels’ Place by the Miller Family twenty-eight years ago.  It has served us well.  The neighbors have been kind and helpful.  The ladies love the location and its short walk to the beach on Pine Lake. And so, armed with this information, the board chose to bu...

Dear Friends: On April 1, the newest Angels’ Place home opened.  Imagine the joy for Andy, Carl, Lenny, and Stephen, their families, and everyone associated with Angels’ Place.  We are grateful for the many miracles over the last dozen-plus years that brought us to that day. A month later, on May 2, we were still feeling the glow of this special day. It’s rarely good news when the phone rings on a Monday after 11pm. But that night, in the few seconds it took me to get from the bed to the phone, a thousand things raced through my mind. The call was to share the sad news that Jack Palmer, a resident at our Mahon Home, had died. By the time I arrived at the home in Troy, Jack’s brother Hugh was there.  Through his grief, he shared the important role that Angels’ Place played in his brother’s life for over twenty-five years.  The next day, his sister Sue shared similar sentiments. The caregivers, filled with sorrow themselves, shared stories of the impact the “Chief” had...

When we describe Angels’ Place, we almost always talk about the parents’ worry: “What happens to my child when I’m gone?” We hear a similar concern from the donors and volunteers who created Angels’ Place: “Who is going to take my place?  What are you doing to cultivate the next generation of supporters?” In that spirit, you should know that in the last several weeks alone, the men and women of Angels’ Place have benefitted from the efforts of: Brother Rice Catholic Central Detroit County Day Holy Family Middle School Holy Name Parish Marian High School Notre Dame Prep Orchard Lake St. Mary’s  Our Lady of Refuge Royal Oak Shrine Parish Sacred Heart Seminary Seaholm High School St. Patrick’s Parish University of Detroit Mercy The risk of any list is missing another person or group who makes a difference.  Know that there are many new, next-generation board members, volunteers, and donors in addition to those listed above. Your kindness to Angels’ Place serves as an inspira...

There is a friendly debate about who was the first Angels’ Place resident – Mark or Frank.  One was first on the list, the other was the first to move in. Regardless of who was first at what was then called the Saddlewood Home, they both still live there.  Since then, we have opened nineteen more homes.  Every time it was the answer to many prayers. Today is another blessed day – the new Middlebury Home, our twenty-first home, is now open. The planning began over a dozen years ago.  Today, Stephen, Lenny, Andy, and Carl can settle in.  As you can imagine, the parents are simultaneously anxious and joyous. As we begin Holy Week, we invite you to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for these men, this new home, and everyone who helped make it possible.  Pray too for the families’ peace and for our continued ability to attract and retain high quality caregivers. It is a good day.