Search Results for: bingo night at the mansion

Joan is one of the most cheerful and sunny people I meet at the Mansion, but sometimes I find her crying. Tonight, Susan Popper, a Mansion volunteer and a friend who helps us run the Friday night Bingo Games, came in early and found Joan sitting crying on a bench.

Joan’s memories sometimes bubble up, and like all of the residents, she is sometimes achingly aware of who she has lost – a daughter, a husband, a mother and father – and most of the memories of her life.

This is frustrating beyond imagination, she tries so hard to put the pieces together, and remembers some things so clearly, like the death of her husband, he collapsed right in front of her.

When this happens, we hug her, walk with  her, hold her, tell her stories, ask her about her memories. She comes out of it quickly, but I know that the residents are rich in memories, and even richer in loss and things left behind.

Sometimes, it is necessary to mourn. When this happens, I not try to cheer them  up, I just try to listen. I can’t replace their losses or heal their wounds, I can only listen and be grateful for being trusted.

Susan and Joan have  become friends. Joan knows the people who care about her, even if she will never know their names. It was a gift to see the two of them laughing and smiling and yakking on the bench as we came into the Mansion.

This means so much to Joan, and to the other  residents. Even those with memories feel forgotten.

You can write to the Mansion residents at this address: 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. I should explain that many of the residents cannot replay to your letters for various reasons, and if the get sick or even die, I am not permitted to tell you about it, due to privacy laws, unless they give me explicit permission.

Here is a list of Mansion residents who have asked to receive their letters. Letters are a joy to them, a reminder that they have not been forgotten by the other world. The list changes week to week for many reasons. I wouldn’t read much into that.

And thanks for writing them, it means more than you might imagine.

Winnie, Ellen, Matt, Mar, Sylvie, Diane, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, Bill, Blanche, Helen, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Jackie, Guerda, Brenda, Ruth. Kenneth is no longer on the list.

Joan won the first two Bingo games at night, and even though she was quite surprised, she also joined in the celebration, applauding for herself. Joan’s CD Player isn’t hooked up in her room yet, the Mansion maintenance  staff is all jammed up, they’ll hopefully get to it on Monday.

I danced with Joan in the hallway tonight, we did a waltz. She’s a fine dancer, she deserves better than me. Someone – either me, Maria or a Mansion volunteer, our friend Susan Popper, sits alongside Joanie to keep an eye on her board. A lucky night for Joan.

The Mansion work depends heavily on the Army Of Good. In recent weeks, I’ve applied some of my own money to give the residents some of the small things they urgently need, and our fund is now down to $600, which won’t last too long.

I want to stay small but not too small.

Small donations are as welcome as large ones, you can send your contributions to Jon Katz, c/o. P.O Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816 or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark the donations to “The Mansion.”

I like to keep the fund between $1,500 and $2,000 any support will be appreciated.

This summer, we have done a lot. In addition to supporting the Mansion Wish List and sending streams of letters, we’ve bought clothes for people who needed them, one or two air conditioners and fans, books and a camera for Tim, whose leg was amputated, we send hundreds of CD’s for the residents to watch,  funded a wonderful boat ride, four or five outings into down, and various art and other supplies.

The Amazon Mansion Wish List program has been a stunning success, we’ve bought everything on the lists more than 20 times. Thank you, the Army Of Good is…well, good.

The Mansion is a Medicaid facility, nobody has much money and they are living on the edge of life. We have made a stunning difference in their lives.

We have purchased a fireplace insert that glows and crackles, a new wheelchair scale that is easy to use, a CD player and CD’s for Joan, sweat pants and underpants, shirts and jackets, shoes and bras, and several musical afternoons.

Now, the blog is supporting the Mansion’s “map” project in which members of the AOG send short descriptions and/or photos of the towns they live  in to [email protected] to put up on a big map of the U.S. The residents are very excited about this map.

If you prefer, you can mail your comments on your town to Julia, The Mansion 11 S.Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

The blog readership is all over the country, it should be a great map.

Tonight is Bingo night at the Mansion, Maria and I also call the games each week and scour the area for good prizes. Your help is essential and appreciated, and thanks. Please remember that $5 and $10 and $20 are very welcome contributions, as are larger ones.

It all adds up. Donations go to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark the contributions to “The Mansion.” Thanks.

I had this flash earlier tonight at Mansion Bingo Night that it would be a wonderful thing to do a weekly Karaoke show at the Mansion. We were all singing and laughing during Bingo tonight, and I’ve also heard the songs of some residents – Madeline, in her 90’s, loves to belt out Broadway show songs.

They would love Karaoke, nothing lifts their spirits more than song and laughter and stepping out of themselves. I’m excited about this idea although I know nothing about Karaoke or how to do it or what equipment we will need. I’m looking online and doing some homework.

I already know we will need a Karaoke stand and a  digital screen to put it on.

We’ll need some music software also. That’s all I know, it doesn’t sound too expensive.

I think the staff and the residents will have a blast. So I’m going to go ahead and figure out what we need and price it. I’ll probably start with this stand, assuming Mansion Director Morgan Jones gives me the go-ahead.

She would be the first one to get up there and sing.

If you want to help with this or other Mansion activities we support, please send a contribution to Jon Katz. c/o P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected].

And thanks. Please mark all payments “the Mansion,” or if you prefer, “Karaoke.” Think of the videos.

Ellen didn’t win tonight, and she didn’t like my singing either. She let me know, Ellen has a wicked sense of humor. Matt won five different games, he is the runaway Bingo Champion this year.

It was another night of small acts of great kindness.

Ruth wanted a printout of a photo of her on the Lake George Steamboat Thursday for her “hubby,” Kenneth, who is in a rehab facility.

I bought a $299 fireplace/heater insert for the Mansion Great Room at the request of the staff, in cool and cold weather the  residents love to sit in the room in the evening, and the fireplace insert crackles and glows and has a safety turn off if the insert warms at all.

The residents have always pleaded for an insert, it feels like a real fire to them.

I scored a victory tonight with Jack. In the three months in which she has been coming to the Bingo games, she has never accepted or wanted a single one of the many prizes I’ve bought and the Army Of Good sends regularly to the Mansion.

I’ve tried just about everything, from stuffed animals to singing flower pots, but no luck until tonight. She  accepted a large print novel. Jackie is bright and very serious, Maria got her to laugh and smile tonight. She is quite serious about Bingo and never misses a night. I know what to get her now.

Today, the new easy-to-use lightweight scale arrived at the Mansion, the residents can simply roll up onto it to be weighed, it will save the staff a lot of work. I’ll take a photo when it’s assembled.

The Army Of Good cleaned out the new Amazon Mansion Wish List, Halloween  decorations and party plates are on the way. Any personal contributions of Halloween symbols or crafts would be most welcome.

I bought Tim a $40 gift certificate at the Battenkill Book store, he is a little down after his leg amputation, and dealing with some of the aftereffects. He seemed understandably depressed to me, it’s no fun losing a leg. If you’d like you can write him c/o Tim, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Jean loves her new wide sneakers, he feet do not hurt for the first time in many weeks.

Buying book is one of Tim’s absolute loves, the certificate always gets him visiting Battenkill Books.

The refugee/ Mansion fund is unusually low, down to $800. The boat trip, scale and underwear/clothing purchases took a toll.  I’d like to get it a bit higher, soccer season approaches.

If you can please consider helping by sending a contribution to the fund c/o Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. Please mark the payments for “The Mansion.”

Here is a list of Mansion residents who wish to receive mail. You can write them c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Winnie, Ellen, Matt, Mary, Sylvie, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Allan, Bill, Blanche, Helen, Alanna, Peggie, Dottie, Tim, Jackie, Brenda, Wayne, Ruth.