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Donors Are Our Heroes
Why I Give
Veronica Suber, WPCSS member and donor
Veronica Suber, WPCSS member and donor
The West Philadelphia Senior Community Center (WPSCC) provides a vibrant environment for older adults to engage in activities that stimulate the mind, body, and spirit. When I first went to the Center, I could feel the warmth extended through the friendships that the members shared. The virus hit everyone hard in one way or another. Iwasn’t traveling as much and staying home. With a
little extra to give, I knew that I wanted to make sure the Center could fulfill its mission to help older adults throughout West Philly. In additionto wonderful activities, the Center is a sourceof hope for those who struggle under tryingcircumstances. It was important for me to make sure their mission was sustained. Thanks to the Center, seniors in West Philadelphia have access to resources, friendship, and hope.”
The Elias Family
The Elias Family
Our mother had been living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) for 10 years when she developed dementia. We found that the CCRC was not able to provide the activities and social opportunities that she needed. Despite our best efforts she was becoming more and more withdrawn. Several professionals we consulted recommended a move to a memory care unit and when we visited the unit at The Hearth, we knew that this was a place where our mother could be happy and thrive. And indeed, she did. She blossomed with the care and attention of the wonderful Hearth staff.But shortly after she moved to The Hearth COVID-19 became a part of our lives. We saw the many precautions that The Hearth was taking to keep the residents and staff safe and we knew how frightened everyone was. Our parents had taught us that in times like these everyone had to pitch in and help and a donation to the COVID-19 Response Fund seemed like the best way to help.
Norm Barbieri, chair of The Friends of Paul’s Run
The board of The Friends of Paul’s Run appreciates all the different services being provided to the community at no additional expense during the COVID-19 pandemic. We felt that it was our responsibility to financially support these services, which have been so important for the safety of the community. On a personal level, Paul’s Run provides wonderful care to residents. I saw that in how they treated my mother as a resident. Now as a volunteer at the community, I am proud to be a part of that promise of safety, care, and empowerment. As you hear throughout the community, Paul’s Run is simply the best!”

Keiko Miwa
“Liberty Lutheran has made
positive changes here at
The Village.” Keiko shares.
“They have moved The Village
in the right direction with all
the new spaces, new atmosphere,
and a new attitude.”
One thing that brings joy to Dr. Keiko Miwa
Ross is her pretty gardens at The Village at
Penn State. For over 16 years she has landscaped, built and cared for
them continuously. Her Japanese
culture inspires her selection of
plants and features that she uses
in her gardens.
The depth and rich history of
Keiko's life and her legacy go far
beyond her garden. She was born in
Hyogo, Japan, where her father was
a college professor. In 1953 the old
Japanese higher education system
was drastically changed to model
the American system, and the
college education was opened to
Japanese women for the first time
in the nation’s history. Under this
new college system, Keiko became
one of the first female college
students in Japan.
After attending National Kobe
University in Japan for two years,
she received a scholarship to
study at Eastern Washington State
University in Cheney, Washington,
USA. There she enrolled as a junior
student, lived one year at the
college dormitory, and another year
she lived with an American family
in Spokane, Washington. It was also
there that she earned her Bachelor
of Arts in Education degree in two
years with honors from Eastern
Washington State University.
After graduation, she went
back to Japan, began to teach
at a Japanese college, and
lived in Nishinomiya City. When
Nishinomiya and Spokane wanted to become sister cities,
Keiko contributed a great deal
for this sister city program. The
mayor of Spokane consequently
awarded her honorary citizenship
of Spokane, and the Washington
Water Company awarded her a
scholarship to do her graduate
studies in the USA. So, Keiko got her
Master of Education degree from
Eastern Washington State University
in one year, and Doctor of Education
degree from Washington State
University in Pullman, Washington
in two years.
In 1974, the American Embassy in
Japan requested Keiko’s help for a
visit by then President Gerald Ford.
“Back then, there were no computers,
no cell phones,” she points out.
“They had to set up an entire floor
of the largest hotel in Japan as the
communications center to connect
President Ford from wherever he
visited in Japan to the people he
needed to be in touch with in the
USA in case of an international
critical emergency. It was quite
an operation.” When President
Ford left Japan, he awarded Keiko
the Presidential Certificate of
Appreciation.
Keiko met her husband, Samuel
Thomas Ross, at Expo ’70, the
world’s fair in Osaka, Japan. He
was the director of a US-Japan
joint venture company in Japan.
Eventually, they moved to New York City. When Samuel, a graduate of
Penn State University, was ready to
retire, the couple decided to live in
State College. They moved to The
Village at Penn State in 2003, the
first year when The Village at Penn
State was built.

Barbara Becker
A Second Home
"We all quickly learned that there many things for them to do. They wouldn’t get bored – there was no time for it."
Having come to the US after World War II from a part of Germany that is now in Poland, my mother, Brigitte, and my father, Paul, lived the American dream, raising a family and building a life together.
My father had several jobs until the early 1960s when he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which provided him with the opportunity to earn the credentials he needed to become a German teacher. For her part, my mother, who had taught kindergarten in Germany, was convinced by her minister here to become a first-grade teacher – a job she held until the mid-1980s.
When Mother and Daddy retired, they moved from Levittown to Northeast Philadelphia, where they lived in a home they loved until they moved into Paul’s Run in 1999. Although my family lives in Texas, over the years we were able to visit and stay in an apartment at the community and see just how wonderful everything was.
When they first moved in, they were presented with many opportunities. We all quickly learned that there many things for them to do. They wouldn’t get bored – there was no time for it. Although Daddy had trouble moving around, he had plenty of friends to interact with and was always enjoying something. At the time, Paul’s Run had a greenhouse. My mother was a passionate gardener and really enjoyed having the opportunity to continue putting her green thumb to use.
What stood out to me was just how much warmth the community and its staff exuded. Whether it was housekeeping and maintenance helping Mother and Daddy with their apartment, or the interactions they had with the dining staff while enjoying their meals, everyone went out of their way. No one simply did their job – everyone took the time to show that they cared for each resident.
When my father passed away in 2003, my mother received a lot of support from the staff and her neighbors. Although losing my father was hard, my mother found opportunities to become even more involved at Paul’s Run. She helped around the chapel, arranging flowers and preparing communion, while at the same time she became involved with the welcoming committee. She knew many people and made many friends.
Paul’s Run became a second home for me. I would visit from Texas initially three or four times a year and finally once a month and was always welcomed by the staff with open arms.
After my mother passed, I received a lot of support and help from the staff at Paul’s Run. I consider myself fortunate to have experienced the same generous spirit that was extended to my parents.
I give to Paul’s Run because I think they are always looking for opportunities to reach higher, and because of the level of care and appreciation they extend to their residents. Having other older adults in my family, and having looked at retirement communities in Texas, for me, there isn’t anything that compares to Paul’s Run.

Beverly Coller
Building A Legacy
"Given the situation we found ourselves in, we set our eyes upon the benevolent care program, which has since made an impact for so many individuals and families."
My connection to Liberty Lutheran began more than thirty years ago when I was approached by a fellow member of my church to join the board of Artman. It was a distinct time in the community’s history, long before Liberty was even an idea. Faced with uncertainty, we knew that we needed to head in a different direction to fulfill Artman’s legacy as a leading provider of compassionate care.
When we ultimately decided to change the leadership, we were lucky to find Luanne Fisher, now Liberty’s President and CEO, whose vision and expertise match perfectly with what we were looking for. Given the situation we found ourselves in, we set our eyes upon the benevolent care program, which has since made an impact for so many individuals and families.
Over time I’ve maintained my connection with Artman and Liberty, not just having served on boards for our communities and services, but also having my mother as a resident at Artman.
I was very fortunate to have a great relationship with my mother. Even when I was an adult, we shared a house for many years. When she became older, my role as her daughter was joined with a new role as a caregiver.
Eventually, when she was 93, I came to the realization that she needed more than I could provide alone. I knew that Artman was the best place for her.
When I would visit, I could see that she was content and in a place that looked after her physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Having seen that first-hand, I am even more fulfilled by knowing that Liberty exists and extends that standard of care to all its communities.
As a faith-based organization with Lutheran roots, Liberty Lutheran follows a call to be charitable. Benevolent care remains a key.
Within the senior care industry, there is no requirement for benevolent care, which is what makes Liberty’s mission to carry a charitable message in our hearts so important.
For some older adults, aging comes with the unfortunate instance of outliving their resources. This causes uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. The prospect of having to leave their community because they can longer make payments is a very real threat.
I give to Liberty Lutheran because I know that this does not apply within their communities. Residents enjoy the safety and security of knowing they can remain in their homes.
This is a legacy that my husband and I are proud to support as donors and as volunteers.
We have seen the impact that Liberty Lutheran makes as an organization, and how Liberty’s philosophy to fulfill a legacy of compassionate care and empowerment is lived out in the people who work within the organization.
I give to sustain that legacy, which is emboldened by a commitment to ensure that those facing uncertainties receive relief in the knowledge that they are cared for.