Open Letter to Employees, Residents, Clients, and Friends
Messiah Village Wins Worldwide Award
April 13, 2010

I am excited to share the news that WorldBlu, a company specializing in democracy in the workplace, has announced that Messiah Village is one of 44 organizations globally named to the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces™. Messiah Village is one of two Pennsylvania organizations and the only retirement community that made this year’s list.

The announcement of the 2010 winners was made as part of the fourth annual Democracy in the Workplace Day. The list includes for-profit and non-profit organizations from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, India, the Netherlands and Malaysia in industries such as technology, healthcare, telecommunications, media, manufacturing, aerospace and retail. They represent more than $12 billion in combined annual sales. 

This year’s 2010 winners include Zappos.com, Meetup, DaVita, 3i Infotech, HCL Technologies, Great Harvest Bread Company, Equal Exchange, Continuum, Menlo Innovations, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, BetterWorld Telecom, Chroma Technology Corp., and I Love Rewards. We are certainly in good company!

This award is particularly gratifying because it is based on how Messiah Village employees rated their workplace environment. More than 80 percent of Village employees completed the WorldBlu Democratic Workplace Scorecard™, evaluating the organization’s practice of 10 democratic principles, including transparency, dialogue and listening, integrity, accountability and choice on a leadership, individual, and a systems and processes level. The scorecard results showed that Village employees feel more positive about their workplace than those that did not make the list and rate it at a high level similar to many outstanding organizations around the world. 

We did not win this award because of anything I did, but because of what employees themselves said about their experience working at the Village.

WorldBlu defines an organizational democracy as a system of organization that is based on freedom instead of fear and control. It developed the scorecard tool based on a decade of research into what makes a world-class democratic organization. The system is a way of designing organizations to amplify the possibilities of human potential – and the organization as a whole. To learn more, visit www.worldblu.com.

We first entered the WorldBlu program to help us evaluate our transformation to a “person-centered, community-minded” organization. Many of the principles of the person-centered care movement are similar to the principles of democratic organizations. The results indicate that we have made good progress in our transformation. There is still more work to do, but we are moving forward and have a great foundation to go to the next level in our transformational journey.

The principles of a democratic organization create both a positive workplace and a participatory, enriching community for residents and clients to live and receive support. We strive to be an organization that offers a spectrum of aging services that invites older adult participation, offers choices, creates compassionate communities and encourages purposeful aging. We believe it is important for the workplace culture to align with the culture experienced by residents and clients. Living out the principles of organizational democracy has always been important to Messiah Village because they reflect many of the same values of the faith tradition upon which Messiah Village was founded and are a prime way to accomplish our mission and vision.

I believe this award gives us the confidence and courage to continue on our important journey. It is also an indicator of what we already know: Messiah Village is a unique, rewarding place to live and work. I consider this one of our top organizational highlights over the past several years.

We celebrated this world-class award on Friday, April 16, with special events for employees and residents. Additionally, we held a drawing to select two employees to join me at the WorldBlu award conference in Las Vegas in June.

Sincerely,

Emerson L. Lesher, president

 

Open Letter
New Childcare Provider at Messiah Village
March 23, 2010

The intergenerational childcare program at Messiah Village has been a unique and rewarding part of our community life. The partnership between Children’s Family Center and Messiah Village has touched the lives of many children and residents for over 30 years. We have appreciated the energy, innocence, and hope that the children bring to campus life. It has also been wonderful how many residents have enjoyed and been enriched by their relationships with the children.

As the Village looks to the future, we would like to continue to be a site for intergenerational childcare. We believe that intergenerational experiences are important to offer on this campus. Over the last year we have considered the best way to continue and to improve our intergenerational program. In April 2009, we invited the Children’s Family Center Board of Directors to join Village administration in looking at various options, including the possibility of partnering with another child care provider. CFC decided to remain an independent organization and preferred to be one of the two child care providers under final consideration. We then reviewed proposals from CFC and another provider. After considering these proposals, we decided to select the other provider and again invited CFC to consider becoming part of that organization. The CFC Board, however, decided not to consider the option of partnering together with this childcare provider.

The Children’s Family Center will continue to provide childcare at Messiah Village until
June 15, 2011. The Center will then be leaving the Village to start a program in a new location. We wish the Children’s Family Center well as they pursue their next phase of development.

I am pleased to report that we have signed a Letter of Intent with U-GRO to begin services at Messiah Village on June 15, 2011. We expect a final agreement to be signed in the coming months.

In selecting a new childcare provider, we looked for an organization that has: (1) a compatible mission and vision, (2) a tradition of excellence and quality, (3) experience with intergenerational programming, (4) a stable and broad-based management structure, and (5) a track record of best practices in childcare and continually improving and growing. In addition, we see value in having more of a lease arrangement with specific terms rather than an indefinite arrangement with a childcare provider. 

We believe that U-GRO demonstrates these characteristics. U-GRO was established in 1973 and has 10 childcare sites, some of which are in campus settings and one in a retirement community.

We look forward to having U-GRO join our campus community and continue the great intergenerational experiences at Messiah Village.

I will be holding an open meeting on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Chapel if you would like to learn more about this decision.

Emerson L. Lesher, President

 

An Open Letter to Employees, Residents and Other Friends
Employee Satisfaction Results
March 2009

I am pleased to share the results of the most recent employee satisfaction survey.  I am particularly pleased because most employees rated their work experience at Messiah Village very high.  A primary goal of the Village is to enhance life, not only of residents and clients but of employees as well. 

In September 2008, every employee was given the opportunity to complete a satisfaction survey.  Of the 600+ full- and part-time employees, 79% completed a survey.  The survey was designed and scored by Holleran, a national survey firm that specializes in retirement communities.  This allows the Village to compare itself to 40,000 employees who work in 250 retirement communities across the nation.  Three quarters of these communities are accredited, so they tend to be the “better” communities.  Below is a summary of questions related to general satisfaction for Messiah Village (MV) and the National Survey (NS).

Questions of General Satisfaction	Messiah Village	National Survey
Overall, I am satisfied with my job	80%	77%
I would recommend MV as a great place to work	79%	74%
I think I will be working at MV in three years	69%	68%
I am proud to work for MV	83%	81%
I feel I personally make a difference here	85%	81%

As the chart above shows, Messiah Village scored higher on all five of the items compared to the average of retirement community employees from across the country.  While not shown the Village also scored higher than the average of eight other regional communities who took the survey at the same time by an average of 6 percentage points.

The survey included 61 questions.  The Holleran firm uses various statistical methods to determine what they believe to be the “strengths” of an organization.  Messiah Village’s strengths as defined by the Holleran method are:

• I have enough authority to do my work.
• I understand MV's mission and goals.
• I believe MV is living up to its mission and goals.
• I believe that MV plans well for the future.
• Messiah Village cares for its employees.
• My work is appreciated.
• My employee benefit plan is offered at an affordable rate.
• I am paid a competitive wage compared to similar positions in the industry.

Holleran also has statistical methods for determining the “opportunities” of an organization.  The opportunities listed do not necessarily mean the Village scored lower than other communities (in fact 65% or more of the employees were satisfied in these areas), but within the Village’s results, these five questions indicate areas of opportunity.  The opportunities as defined by the Holleran method are:

• My performance evaluation is done on time.
• I have opportunity for professional growth.
• Everyone is treated fairly and has the same opportunities.
• Information is well communicated between shifts.
• I receive information through the proper channels.

As a result of this survey, we will celebrate our strengths and develop plans to work on our opportunities.  We will particularly work on improving the timeliness of performance evaluations and communication between shifts and departments.  There will be a series of gatherings for employees to give input into how we might do this.

The findings of these types of surveys do guide decisions.  For example, in the 2006 survey employees identified benefits as an opportunity.  In the past two years we have increased Paid Time Off and Incentive Compensation Pay and instituted a new retirement savings plan.  We started to address the concern about timely evaluations by beginning to install a new software system (Cargas) to modify and streamline the evaluation process.  This was introduced in selected departments in the past two years.   

Compared to 2006, the overall satisfaction scores declined a couple of percentage points; however, the 2008 scores were still above the national and regional benchmarks.  I think it is important to note that our ratings remained high even in light of the significant change in structure and program that we have been undergoing, particularly during the months before and during the survey.  Moving to a person-centered, community-minded organization has not always been easy.  I appreciate that many employees remain committed to this change and are willing to adjust their roles and activities.

The results indicate that many things are going well at Messiah Village.  I am pleased and grateful that most people are proud to work at Messiah Village.  One of the things the survey indicates is that most employees understand and are committed to the Village’s mission of enhancing life.  

I would like to thank the hundreds of employees who completed the survey and the Human Resources department for their ongoing efforts and for helping to coordinate the survey and our response. 

I would like to thank residents, family members and others who help make Messiah Village a positive and rewarding workplace.  You have a big part in making the Village a positive work experience and improving our ability to recruit and retain outstanding employees.  Also, please continue to pray that employees will be blessed with health and a sense of satisfaction.

Emerson L. Lesher,President

 

Open Letter to Resident and Employee Satisfaction Survey Results
January 28, 2008

In an effort to continue to improve operational excellence and to better serve both residents and employees, Messiah Village recently participated in two different satisfaction surveys.  A survey of employees was conducted as part of the state-wide Best Places to Work in PA program sponsored by several state-wide organizations (www.bestplacestoworkinpa.com).  A second recent survey was of residents conducted by Holleran Consulting, a national research firm that works primarily with accredited retirement communities.  Messiah Village did very well on both of these surveys.  We are grateful that both those that work at the Village and that those who live at the Village find it to be a satisfying experience!

Employee Satisfaction – To be selected as a “best place to work,” an organization must do well in two areas:  (1) benefits and policies and (2) satisfaction, as surveyed among a random sample of employees.  The satisfaction survey is 2/3 of the ranking.  I am pleased to announce that Messiah Village was ranked as the 36th best place to work in PA.  We were the only non-profit aging services organizations listed in the “large” company category.  Some of the questions we did particularly well on were:

Question	% Agreement
I understand how my job contributes to the organization’s success.	96%
I understand our organization’s mission and strategic plan.	94%
In my workgroup, we actively seek to understand customer needs.	94%
I would recommend our services to family and friends.	91%
I feel a strong sense of loyalty to this organization.	90%

The survey also showed several opportunities for improvement.  These tended to relate to performance evaluations, wages, and being more involved in implementing change.  While we continue to improve our workplace, the results are consistent with previous surveys that show most employees find the Village a rewarding place to work.

Resident Satisfaction – This is the fourth time since 2002 that residents (or their responsible parties) have been surveyed using most of the same questions.  This allows us to compare the Village with national and regional accredited retirement communities.  Listed below are the results for general satisfaction questions from the 2007 survey.

Percent Who Agree	Residential Living		Assisted Living		Nursing Care
	MV	NS	MV	NS	MV	NS
Overall, are you satisfied?	93%	87%	93%	90%	90%	89%
Would you recommend MV?	91%	86%	95%	90%	94%	90%
Fulfillment of mission statement?	92%	85%	96%	90%	91%	87%
Value for price paid at MV?	82%	77%	81%	78%	75%	77%

MV = Messiah Village;  NS = National Survey

Compared to the Village’s ratings in 2005, many of the scores were the same or improved in 2007.  Those that declined did so only by 1 or 2 percentage points.  As noted above, most of the Village’s ratings were above the national results.  While not shown above, the Village is able to compare its results with similar faith-based communities from Pennsylvania who completed the same survey.  When compared with this group, Messiah Village is at or above most of the questions listed in the chart above.

In short, compared to regional and national retirement communities, Messiah Village is highly rated by residents (or their responsible parties).  Since the first rating in 2002, many scores have increased in the past five years.  This is good news and confirms that the Village is an organization that provides quality services.

Conclusion - While the results speak well of the Village, we cannot be content to rest on our laurels.  Our goal has always been to exceed the standard and to be a recognized leader of retirement services.  The results of the survey suggest several areas in which we can and should improve.  Over the next months, we will be designing methods to respond to these areas.  An employee and resident committee will be working together to identify specific areas for improvement.

I would like to especially thank each employee, resident and responsible party that completed a survey or interview.  By participating, you help to make Messiah Village a better place to live and work.  Please continue to spread the word that Messiah Village is a great place to live, work and volunteer!

Emerson L. Lesher, President

More Information about the Resident Satisfaction Survey

The survey was conducted by Holleran Consulting, a national research firm.  The survey also included 12 other communities who, along with Messiah Village, are members of the Anabaptist Providers Group (“APG”) Alliance.  The results can be compared with a database of 330 retirement communities across the nation, as well as with regional retirement communities with a similar faith tradition and mission. 

The survey was conducted in the Fall of 2007.  Residential Living residents received a written survey of over 50 questions with a stamped addressed envelope that was returned directly to Holleran.  A telephone survey was conducted for residents living in Assisted Living and Nursing Care.  Either a resident or the resident’s responsible party was interviewed via the telephone.  The percentage of completed surveys for Residential Living was 82%, for Assisted Living was 72%, and for Nursing Care was 73%.  Holleran analyzed the surveys and provided comparisons with the national database and APG results. 

A notebook prepared by Holleran, that gives a more complete description of the survey results, is available for review in the Bailey Street Library or in the Tuscarora Library.

 

Open Letter to Residents, Clients, Family Members, Employees and Others. May 17, 2007:

For more than a year, Messiah Village has been increasing the level of security in the Village Center, Apartment Building, and throughout the campus. We continue to seek a balance of allowing easy access with responsible management of potential risk. Unfortunately, the world we live in is changing, and we have to be responsive to ensure that our residents and employees remain safe.

As we previously reported, an employee was confronted by an unknown assailant last week on campus. As a result, we took several actions, one of which was to lock the external entrances to the Village Center and the Apartment Building. Over the past week we have evaluated when we should return to our previous pattern of unlocking doors. During this week, we have heard from some residents and employees that they would prefer that we continue to have the doors locked on a permanent basis. This is something that management has been considering over the past year as well. We see value in doing this; however, we also wish to balance accessibility and convenience. To respond to this situation, here is the action plan until July 30, 2007:

• The exterior doors to the Village Center and the Apartment Building will be locked 24 hours a day.
• There will be two exceptions to this:
  • Village Center Main Entrance will be open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Village Commons Main Entrance will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Fobs and ID badges will give access to all doors that are currently activated.
• We request that family members, volunteers, fitness members, and guests enter the Village Center building at the following entrances:
  •  Main Entrance
  • Nursing Care/Administration Entrance
  • Nittany/Bailey Street Entrance
  •  Donegal Entrance

• We are in the process of improving the technology so that the receptionist can give access to the following entrances: Nursing Care, Nittany and Donegal.
• By July 15, management will consult with different resident and employee groups to determine if and how we should continue to lock and secure the campus. We also invite feedback from all members of the community. Please give your comments by July 15 to Kelli Murtoff at 717-790-8222 or kmurtoff@messiahvillage.org.

We encourage all members of the Village community to (a) lock their car doors, (b) report suspicious activities or persons to the receptionist, and (c) we encourage cottagers and apartment dwellers to lock their doors when at home and when not at home.

If you have concerns about a specific safety situation or a general concern, please do not hesitate to contact Deanna Benner, Safety Manager, at

717-697-4666 or dbenner@messiahvillage.org.

Thank you for your support, prayers, and advice as we seek to continue - as our mission statement says - to ?responsibility enhance the lives of older adults (and I would add employees) with Christ-like love.?

Emerson L. Lesher,

President

An Open Letter to Employees, Residents and Other Friends

Employee Satisfaction Results
April 2007

I am pleased to share the results of the most recent employee satisfaction survey. I am particularly pleased because most employees rated their work experience at Messiah Village very highly. A primary goal of the Village is to enhance life, not only of residents and clients but of employees as well. Also, one of our strategic goals over the past several years has been to improve organizational health. When employees are satisfied, residents and clients will have a better experience.

In September 2006, every employee was given the opportunity to complete a satisfaction survey. Of the 600+ full- and part-time employees, 79% completed a survey. The survey was designed and scored by Holleran, a national survey firm that specializes in retirement communities. This allows the Village to compare itself to 24,000 employees who work in 275 retirement communities across the nation. Three quarters of these communities are accredited, so they tend to be the ?better? communities. Below is a summary of questions related to general satisfaction for Messiah Village (MV) and the National Survey (NS).

Questions of General Satisfaction	MV	NS
Overall, I am satisfied with my job	85%	76%
I would recommend MV as a great place to work	80%	73%
I think I will be working at MV in three years	72%	68%
I am proud to work for MV	87%	79%
I feel I personally make a difference here	86%	80%

As the chart above shows, Messiah Village scored higher on all five of the items compared to the average of retirement community employees from across the country. In addition, the Village scored higher than the average of eight other regional communities who took the survey at the same time.

The survey included over 50 questions. The Holleran firm uses various statistical methods to determine what they believe to be the ?strengths? of an organization. Messiah Village?s strengths as defined by the Holleran method are:

• I respect my Supervisor.
• I often leave work feeling good about the work I did.
• My work is appreciated.
• Everyone is treated fairly and has the same opportunities.
• I understand the Human Resources? policies.

Holleran also has statistical methods for determining the ?opportunities? of an organization. The opportunities listed do not necessarily mean the Village scored lower than other communities, but within the Village?s results, these five questions indicate areas of opportunity. The opportunities as defined by the Holleran method are:

• My performance evaluation is done on time.
• Information is well communicated between shifts.
• I receive information through the proper channels.
• The employee benefit package covers my needs.
• My employee benefit plan is offered at an affordable rate.

Over the last several months, all employees were invited to a series of meetings to learn about the results and to give advice on which areas should be addressed. Over 60% of employees participated in these meetings. The most frequently mentioned opportunities noted for improvement were: communication, wages, and benefits (often mentioned was increased hours for holidays/vacation). I am pleased to report that the Executive Team, in consultation with Organizational Council, has decided to increase the amount of Paid Time Off (PTO) by 8 hours for full-time employees and 4 hours of Incentive Compensation (ICP) for part-time employees. This is an area that we have wanted to address for some time and now feel we are in a position to provide the increased benefit. Human Resources will be giving more information about when this will become available to you. A plan is being developed to address some of the other opportunities identified in the survey.

The results indicate that many things are going well at Messiah Village. I am pleased and grateful that most people are proud to work at Messiah Village. One of the things the survey indicates is that most employees respect and appreciate their supervisor. The positive results help set a good foundation for continuing to improve organizational health. We are not yet where we wish to be, but we are well on the way!

I would like to thank the hundreds of employees who completed the survey and also came to the town meetings to discuss the results. Also, thanks to the 45+ members of Organizational Council who play a prime role in what employees experience. Also, many thanks go to the Human Resources department for their ongoing efforts and for helping to coordinate the survey and our response.

I would like to thank residents, family members and others who help make Messiah Village a positive and rewarding workplace. You have a big part in making the Village a positive work experience and improving our ability to recruit and retain outstanding employees. Also, please continue to pray that employees will be blessed with health and a sense of satisfaction.

Emerson L. Lesher,

President

 

An Open Letter to Residents, Employees and Other Friends
October 2006

What are the next steps in pursuing Messiah Village?s strategic goals of growth, strength and health? At their recent October 10 all day planning session, the Board of Directors reviewed four potential projects and gave direction for future action.

First, the Board affirmed the actions related to three current strategic methods it had previously approved: (1) the new cottage and chapel entrance project, (2) transformation to a person centered community minded organization, and (3) apartment combination project. These projects will continue to move forward as planned.

Second, The Board identified two projects for which management should develop more specific plans. (1) The Board decided that the current space in Special Care should be redesigned to better accommodate a person centered community minded approach for residents and employees. The Board decided not to build Green Houses at this time. (2) The Board believes that we should expand to new campuses and, in particular, increase the number of Residential Living accommodations. Mount Joy Country Homes, Lancaster County, a Brethren in Christ Church-related organization with whom the Village has been affiliated since 1998, was identified as the first site on which we should consider expansion. These two projects help the Village better serve two groups of older adults: those with severe memory problems and those seeking moderately priced senior housing.

Third, the Board recommended that three projects not be pursued at this time, but should be re-considered in the future. (1) It was decided that a new wellness center should not be built at this time, but that we should find ways to enhance the current program and reevaluate the building of a new center in the future. A major factor in not proceeding at this time is the operating expense of a new enlarged center. (2) "Messiah at Home", a new home-based service sometimes referred to as a "retirement community without walls", was also put on hold. (3) While there continues to be interest in Green Houses, it was decided that this may not be the time or place best suited for Green Houses. Several reasons for not selecting this option at this time include: concerns about operational costs, site/space considerations and future census trends in nursing care. The Board did suggest that there may be ways in which Green Houses can be included in future plans for this campus or in the plans for new campuses yet to be developed.

The decisions coming out of the planning day help prioritize the energy and resources of the Village for the next several years. The projects help advance each of our three strategic goals in the following ways:

• Growth - According to our vision statement, we plan to increase the number of persons served by Messiah Village. By expanding to more campuses we help achieve this goal. The current and new methods to achieve growth are:
  *    Build new cottages and add a chapel entrance on the current  campus
  *    Combine apartments, as available, to maintain a high census
  *    Expand to new campuses, starting first with Mount Joy Country Homes
  

• Strength - Selecting new projects that advance the mission but also maintain the financial strength of the Village was a key to the projects that were selected or put on hold at this time. Projects were selected that can help generate revenue, not contribute to an operating loss, or incur significant debt for which there is no off-setting revenue. In addition to selecting projects that increase financial strength, two specific strategic methods were identified to achieve this goal:

         *    Develop a strategy for managing benevolent care costs
         *    Conduct a fund raising campaign

• Health The organizational health of the Village continues to be a primary goal.  The current strategic methods to achieve this goal are:
  *     Transform to a person centered community minded organization
  *     Consider improvements to the employee retirement plan
  

We are thankful for God's direction as we move forward. We are also grateful to the participants of the planning session: Board members, Resident Council leaders, General Secretary of the Brethren in Christ Church, external professionals, and senior team members. Please pray that the Village will continue to be blessed as we move forward.

Emerson L. Lesher

President

Open Letter to Employees, Residents, Clients, Families and Other Friends
August 1, 2006
Saying Thank You to Employees

Messiah Village has many exceptional employees who do many wonderful things for residents, clients and family members. Messiah Village also has many wonderful residents, clients and family members who wish to recognize and thank employees. Gratitude and appreciation are important qualities and Messiah Village is well known for the expression of these qualities.

In recent weeks on campus, there have been questions about appropriate ways for residents, clients and family members to show their gratitude and appreciation to employees. Just as some customs are appropriate in some cultures or settings but not others, the way we give and receive gifts is a bit different at Messiah Village. But, nevertheless, there are ways in which gratitude and appreciation can be expressed.

What are appropriate ways to show appreciation or give thanks to an employee(s)?

• Verbally say thank you!
• Give a card or note to the employee(s)
• Give a card or note to the supervisor of the employee(s)
• Recommend to a supervisor that an employee(s) receive a formal commendation (Commendations are listed weekly in an employee newsletter and noted in the annual employee review.)
• Send an email about an employee to humanres@messiahvillage.org, which will then be passed on to their supervisor.
• Give a gift to the Employee Christmas Fund in honor of the employee(s)
• Give food items that can be shared with a team of employees
• Give flowers that can be displayed in a public place

What are some ways that are NOT appropriate to show appreciation or give thanks to employees:

• Give money such as a tip (gratuity) to an employee
• Give a gift certificate/card (whether from on campus or off campus)
• Give store bought items (whether from on campus or off campus)
• Give furniture, electronics, jewelry, car or other household/personal items
• Give a financial instrument, such as a bequest, annuity, trust, etc.

Why does the Village prohibit showing appreciation with monetary gifts? In short, there are three reasons:

1. It is fairer for all residents. We don't want residents who "tip" to receive more or better care than those residents or clients who don't tip. We don't want residents or clients to think they should tip to receive the care they deserve.
2. It is fairer for all employees. Providing services is a team effort. One resident may have direct contact with one employee; however, in most situations there may be several others who make it possible for that one employee to do their job well. So, it is not fair to the employees who do not have direct contact with residents or clients if the employee who does have contact receives a gift.
3. The governmental regulations are very clear on this point. The PA Department of Health and Department of Public Welfare have regulations on this issue. So, in a very real way, we do not have a choice. We have checked with our corporate compliance officer and he agrees with our policy. We have checked with other retirement communities and our policies are nearly identical to theirs and these communities also apply this policy across all levels of living. So this is not unique to Messiah Village and is the current standard of practice.

What should an employee do if they are offered a gift?

• Politely remind the giver that, as an employee, they are grateful for the appreciation but that employees may not receive gifts.
• If the giver offers items such as food or flowers, they can be accepted if they can be shared or displayed with others.
• If uncertain of what to do or say, an employee should always contact their supervisor or Human Resources.
• If the giver is insistent in giving money, the employee should take it to their supervisor or to Fiscal Services to be deposited in the Employee Christmas Fund.
• If the giver is insistent in giving gift certificates (from on or off campus), the employee should take them to Human Resources (and they will be randomly given to employees at events such as the employee picnic.)

Does the gift acceptance policy apply to: a resident giving to a resident, a client giving to a client, or employees giving to employees? 

It does not apply and this type of giving is acceptable and within thebounds of typical social etiquette of gift giving.

Are random acts of kindness still permitted at Messiah Village?

YES!

    So, please continue to show your appreciation and gratitude to the many people who are a part of Messiah Village. I believe there are fun and rewarding ways we can carry on the tradition of expressing thanks to employees, while remaining within the gift acceptance policy.

Emerson L. Lesher, President

(Copies of the actual policy are available in the Administrative Suite and Commons Office. They can also be accessed electronically by residents via the Members Only section of the Messiah Village website or on the Messiah Village Intranet for employees who have access.)

 

An Open Letter to Residents, Employees and Other Friends
July 2006

Messiah Village continues to advance its mission and move forward with its three strategic goals: Growth, Strength, and Health. I would like to give an update on several items as we start a new fiscal year on July 1. Specifically, there are three items that the Board of Directors recently approved related to our moving into the future.

New Board Officers

The Board approved two new and two returning officers for a two-year term. The board approved Clarence Asbury, Chair; Wesley Carr, Vice Chair; Pauline Allison, Secretary; and Jay "Will" Charles, Treasurer.

Clarence Asbury first joined the board in 2003. He is replacing Lenora Stern who retired from the board after serving six years as chair. We will miss her compassion, commitment and ability to see the bigger picture. Mr. Asbury is a CPA and partner at McKonly and Asbury and is also involved in other business ventures. He has a long history of service to church and community organizations. He has family members who live at the Village.

Pauline Allison has been on the board since 2000, and this is her first term as an officer. She has a unique background in that she is both a licensed and experienced nursing home administrator and a pastor. She also has many family and friends who have been associated with the Village over the years. Ms. Allison is replacing Becky Wenger who is retiring from the Board.

Wes Carr and Will Charles were both re-elected for the same office they have held before. Mr. Carr is involved in investment advisory services for Liberty Financial Strategies. Mr. Charles is a Registered Principal of Raymond James Financial Services.

I am very pleased that these persons have agreed to share their expertise, advice and time with the Village in this way. I look forward to working with this new team of officers.

Revised Vision Statement

The revised vision statement approved by the Board at its June meeting is:

Messiah Village will aim to be the best in South Central Pennsylvania at coordinating a network of campus and home based services which transforms the quality of life for older adults and the persons who serve them.

In 2004, the board approved a new statement; however, as we have continued to better understand internal and external forces impacting the Village, it was determined we should revise the statement. While the "mission statement" gives the purpose of an organization, the "vision statement" gives a picture of the future. Our purpose will continue to be enhancing life with Christ-like love, but the vision gives a picture of when, how, where and with whom we will live out the mission. We see this as a 10-year vision. 

Strategic Plan

The Board also approved an updated strategic plan. It included continuing many of the initiatives from last year that had not yet been completed. Listed below are some of the initiatives under each of our three goals.

Growth - Develop the Messiah Village Network

• Seek approvals to build new cottages and chapel entrance
• Study a possible new wellness center
• Study how to improve Special Care environment
• Study a new in-home based service
• Study possible expansion at Mount Joy Country Homes and/or other sites

Strength - Improve Financial Performance

• Study benevolent care long-term strategy
• Examine methods to become more operationally efficient

Health - Improve Organizational Health

• Implement the person centered-community minded process in Assisted Living
• Reevaluate employee benefit programs

As you see, while we will pursue initiatives for all three goals, we will be particularly pushing forward on the strategic goal of " Growth". We believe it is important for the Village to grow so as to meet the needs of more people and to provide a better financial base for current operations.

Thank You!

Thank you for your support of Messiah Village over this past year. It has been a good year in many ways:

• Monthly financial operating performances were better than projected
• Resident satisfaction reports were high
• Contributions were higher than the past several years
• Started the Pathways Institute for Life Long Learning
• Received good reports from regulatory agencies
• Held a number of outstanding events and gatherings (i.e. Fall Festival, Mission Statement Day, March of Times), which have given great opportunities to celebrate our heritage and give thanks

Please continue to pray for the Board of Directors, Executive Team, Management Team and others who give leadership, and for those who carry out the important mission of the Village. We look forward to an exciting year as we follow our Principles of Community Life and Journey Together, Inward, and Outward.

Emerson L. Lesher,

President

 

Open Letter to Residents, Employees, Family Members and Volunteers
Resident Satisfaction Survey Results
January 2006

In an effort to continue to improve operational excellence and to better serve both current and future residents, Messiah Village voluntarily participated in a resident satisfaction survey in the Fall of 2005. A national research firm conducted the survey. For more details about the survey process, please see the information box at the end of this letter.

The survey results showed that residents (or their powers of attorney) are very satisfied with Messiah Village. When respondents were asked to rate "overall satisfaction", all levels of living were rated as 92% or better. This is the first time since we started surveying that we have reached this level of satisfaction. You will also see in the chart below that Messiah Village ("MV") ratings were higher than the average of 136 comparison retirement communities in a national survey ("NS"). We also rated high when asked if ?would you recommend Messiah Village to a friend??

What is also rewarding is to see that our ratings have been generally increasing since 2002. Below is a chart that shows the results for the three years the survey has been conducted. As you will see, overall satisfaction has increased in Residential Living and Nursing Care from 2002 to 2005, and Assisted Living has remained quite high.

	Residential Living			Assisted Living			Nursing Care
	2002	2004	2005	2002	2004	2005	2002	2004	2005
Overall Satisfaction	90%	89%	94%	93%	93%	93%	87%	88%	92%
Recommend to a Friend	91%	89%	87%	93%	97%	93%	88%	91%	92%

When asked about specific items related to administration, buildings, daily living, dining, etc., Messiah Village tends to compare favorably with other retirement communities. Some of the items that were rated high and should be celebrated are:

• Quality of spiritual services
• Appearance and upkeep of buildings
• Friendliness of direct care employees

There have been several areas that we have been monitoring and attempting to improve over the last three years. Here is a brief report:

• Accessibility of administration improved in Assisted Living and Nursing Care by 5 points and 8 points, respectively. Residential Living improved by 2 points.
• Orientation of new residents improved in Assisted Living by 6 points, whereas Nursing Care decreased by 1 point and Residential Living decreased by 8 points.

These results show that some progress has been made, particularly with accessibility of administration; however, they also show that we need to continue to improve resident orientation. Messiah Village has never been satisfied to only compare favorably with other retirement communities. Our goal has always been to exceed the standard and to be a recognized leader of retirement services. Over the next months, we will continue to work on these areas.

If you would like more information about the survey, please come to the Resident Council meeting on January 23, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel to hear a representative of Holleran Consulting present the results.

I would like to especially thank each resident and power of attorney that completed a survey or interview. I would also like to thank each employee who helped the Village score so well on this satisfaction survey. The comments and support of residents, families and employees are important in accomplishing our mission of enhancing lives with Christ-like love. Please continue to spread the word that Messiah Village is a great place to live, work and volunteer!

Emerson L. Lesher, President

More Information About the Survey

The survey was conducted by Holleran Consulting, a national research firm, endorsed by CARF-CCAC (Continuing Care Accreditation Commission). The survey included Messiah Village and four other retirement communities who are members along with the Village in the Anabaptist Providers Group Alliance. The results can also be compared with a database of 136 retirement communities across the nation.

The survey was conducted in September and October of 2005. Residential Living residents received a written survey with a stamped addressed envelope that was returned directly to Holleran Consulting. A telephone survey was conducted with residents living in Assisted Living and Nursing Care. Either a resident or the resident's power of attorney was interviewed via the telephone. The percentage of completed surveys for Residential Living was 80%, for Assisted Living was 77%, and for Nursing Care was 75%. Holleran Consulting analyzed the surveys and provided comparisons with the national database and Anabaptist Providers Group results.

A notebook prepared by Holleran Consulting that gives a more complete description of the survey results is available for review in the Bailey Street Library on the lower level of the Nittany Building and in the Tuscarora Library.