So Kassi Garmley, the young and dynamic Mansion director, asked me to take a walk with her this morning down some long corridors and to the edge of the new wing that houses the Memory Care patients.

She was unusually secretive for her; she said what we were doing should be a secret surprise. I was curious. Kassi rarely asks me for everything, she never wants to take advantage.

The people who need the most help rarely ask for it, I’ve learned over the past few years. Sue Silverstein at Bishop Maginn is the same way.

Kassi said she needed my help in planning a major and desperately needed surprise for the Mansion aides.  The aides, who work long hours with little rest, have nowhere to go to take a break, eat lunch, or rest for a few minutes.

The residents occupy the public spaces of the Mansion, and the aides, already worn out, really get no break at all.

A Break Room is essential.

Health care jobs are hard to fill in upstate New York right now, and aides are often working double shifts, six or seven days a week. They need a quiet, private space to rest.

Beyond that, the work is draining and demanding enough.

Kassi’s work is very complex, but she always worries about the aides and what they need.

The happier the aides are, the better the lives of the residents are.

Kassi said she had no budget to furnish a Break Room, but there is a new storage room that is empty and would be perfect for that purpose. It’s down a long hall and out of the way.

Could I and the Army Of Good help? (the new Memory Care unit is dedicated to the Army Of Good.)

I see how tired and drained the aides are; I said sure.

I left the Mansion and drove right over to the ShinySisters re-cycling and repurpose furniture and antique store.  I bought the desk I write on from Leslie.

I bought a perfect table and four chairs, a lamp, a soft chair, an aluminum bucket with beautiful paper yellow orchids, a small table (below), and two bright small paintings for $458.

The table is just perfect for a Break Room.

I purchased these things out of most of the remaining funds in my Mansion/Refugee Fund. The table and chairs were a great bargain, and perfect for a lunch or break room.

Kassi and I agreed that two soft cushion chairs for sitting down, resting, reading, or just relaxing were also needed, along with a few more hangings for the walls.

Maria wants to make a fiber painting for one wall. Kassi left the particulars to me, and I’m going for a warm and quiet and very comfortable space. There could hardly be a better Christmas present for the staff.

They can’t hang out in the office, because there is too much medical information stored there. And the staff is always busy. The Great Room is now used by residents watching the big new TV we bought for them, there is no quiet place for the aides on their break or lunch.

Many of them go out to their cars to eat lunch or dinner.

I need a floor lamp; the overhead light is too harsh for relaxing.

So I have about 60 percent of what we need (the fund is low now), and I could use some help purchasing the rest of the things necessary to make the room cozy and comfortable.

It’s a pretty bare space.

I see it as a Christmas gift for the aides.

Leslie (Green-Witham )of Shiny Sisters said she would be happy to team up with me on this project and search for the rest of the things we need. It might take a couple of months to have the place fixed up the way it should be. But I think we’re close.

Leslie and her husband are bringing the soft chair, table, and chairs over to the Mansion this weekend.

We could have a partial Break Room up and running by Monday. There is more to do.

I love this kind of project, and I don’t like to waste too much time before tackling it. I got a perfect start today, Kassi couldn’t believe it when I showed up with an iPhone of the new table and chairs 20 minutes after we talk about it.

I’d appreciate some help, $300 to $400 should do it. If you wish and can, you can contribute via Paypal, [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Mansion Break Room, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y, 12816.

Any overage, if there is one, will go to replenish the Mansion Fund. I bought a lot of sweaters, pants, socks, and shawls for the winter.

The Break Room is one of those small acts of kindness that will yield significant results for the staff for the residents. I see how weary the aides sometimes are, and how hard they work and how much they care.

It will change the dynamic of a busy, ever-changing place.

This room is something the aides very much need.

They take care of our mothers and fathers when no one else can.

I told Kassi I had to raise some funds on the blog, so it might not be as big a secret as she wished. We’ll pretend.

I would be pleased to finish this project and do something so meaningful for them, especially as the holiday season approaches. Thanks in advance for your support. I think this project is right up our alley.