• 2 •
The Pinecone
|
January 2015
Kirby Pines Retirement Community
is managed by
BOARD OF D I R ECTOR S
Dr. James Latimer, Chairman
Mr. Rudy Herzke, President
Mr. Berry Terry, Secretary/Treasurer
Mr. Larry Braughton Rev. Richard Coons
Mr. Jim Ethridge Dr. Fred Grogan
Ms. Mary Ann Hodges
Mr. Boyd Rhodes, Jr.
RCA S TA F F
Charlie Trammell
President, RCA
K I RBY P I NE S S TA F F
Michael Escamilla
Executive Director, Kirby Pines
Annette Marlar
Director of Medical Services and HR
Lyle Bohlman, M.D.
Medical Director
Linda Huston
Director of Accounting
Don Johnson
Chaplain
Cheryl Grimes
Director of Activities/Social Events
Daniel Longstreth
Director of Environmental Services
Chuck Neeley
Director of Maintenance
Patrick O’Brien
Director of Dining Services
Mike Rayder
Director of Grounds & Landscaping
Calvin Sims
Director of Security
Faye Smith
Director of Transportation
This magazine is produced by
R.C.A.
Marketing Department located at
6465
N. Quail Hollow Rd., Suite 400
Memphis, TN 38120, 901-794-2598
Electronic version of
The Pinecone is
available at
ON THE PINECONE COVER
Happy New Year, everyone! Each
year seems to get here quicker, with
little difference from the previous year.
However, 2015 will not be one of those
years. Before I begin to write about
improvements made in 2014, let me thank
each of you for another wonderful year of
service at Kirby Pines.
In
2014
we
made
several
improvements in our meal service venues
and one of the most successful was the
creation of a Live Action Station in the
dining room. Originally done as a chef
special, the Live Action Station proved to
be such a hit that we went from once a
month to everyday for lunch and dinner,
and eventually rolled this into the daily
breakfast schedule. The live action daily
specials continue to be successful and
truly set Kirby apart from other retirement
communities in the area.
The installation of High Speed
Internet and HDTV services throughout
the community was completed. Thanks to
a few “trial” residents, we were able to
adjust the system and began broadcasting
to everyone December first without
a charge. We even had a dozen or so
residents pay to install High Speed Internet
service a month early. Coupled with Easy
Connect, Kirby is fast becoming known
for the high tech environment available
to all of it’s residents. Easy Connect
provides residents and families across
the world the ability to connect face to
face using virtual technology, making it
seem that they are right there in the same
room with you; all without a charge to the
resident or family.
During the first part of the year, we
took time to honor our many volunteers
who again surpassed the previous year’s
total number of volunteer hours. These
A Look Back at a Wonderful Year
a t K i r b y P i n e s
hours should once again surpass the
previous year’s total because of the
expanded hours due to the move of the
Blossom Shop to the second floor.
In early summer Kirby Pines was once
again named the area’s Best Retirement
Community, an honor bestowed upon
Kirby for eight consecutive years now.
No other retirement community in our
tri-state area has been able to earn this
public recognition. With the unique event
Cheryl created inviting area merchants to
participate in our first Carousel of Shops,
we should be able to hold on to our top
spot again in 2015.
In September we celebrated our 31st
Anniversary. The ceremonies and parties
made this anniversary celebration truly a
special week to remember. In November,
we continued our tradition by honoring
all Kirby residents who served in the
armed services with a full page ad in the
Commercial Appeal.
Renovations to improve the quality of
life for residents in the Villa finally came
to a completion, and the results show why
Kirby continues to be considered a leader
in the senior living industry.
As we move into the year 2015, I
look forward to beginning my thirteenth
year of service to each of you and the
community. May we all be blessed
throughout the coming year.
Michael
Escamilla,
Executive
Director,
Kirby Pines
This month our New Year focus is
cleaning up and helping the community.
During 2015, Kirby Pines will be working
on implementing a plan to begin to help
the city of Memphis achieve their goals
of cleaning up (see page 8).
So far, residents, including the three
featured on our covers this month, have
been more than recepetive to the idea of
chipping in. Phil Trenary, President &
CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber
of Commerce is, “Very excited to have
Residents, Fran Gentry, Andy Boles and
Marsha Greiner at Beale Street Landing
Kirby on board with this program”.
So a big Thank You to Marsha, Fran
&
Andy for enduring the cold temps to
raise awareness of our upcoming efforts
to make a difference!