Team Homewood Donates $7,000

By Juls Bratton

Sales & Marketing Director, Homewood at Martinsburg

Team Homewood donates $7,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association, bringing their total donations over the past three years to $17,000.00.

As an individual with many years’ experience working with individuals afflicted with the various stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Sandy Deininger, Director of Therapeutic Recreation, has always been an advocate for the patient, to try and enhance their daily lives each and every day; and, for the institutional and family caregivers, the furtherance of research to improve patient protocols and care, and to ultimately discover a cure for this cruel & debilitating disease.

Homewood at Martinsburg has always been a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association and related research and development for a cure and has held a number of fundraising events throughout the years. Upon becoming the Director of Therapeutic Recreation in 2020, one of Sandy’s goals was to coordinate fundraising efforts and become more fervent in our support for the Alzheimer’s Association. Team Homewood was created to be the image of our fundraising efforts. Additionally, the facility had participated in the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s, but only a limited number of residents and individuals would actually walk. Be it from physical limitations, a disability, or other logistical reasons, I felt we could do better and be more inclusive of our entire campus population. The Homewood Mini-Walk to End Alzheimer’s was created to accomplish the goal of allowing all residents, regardless of physical capabilities, to come together, fellowship and walk, independently or with assistance, according to their abilities and desires.

At the onset, staff at Homewood at Martinsburg was very receptive to Team Homewood’s efforts and raised a significant amount to be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Mini-Walk was started in 2022 and has become an annual event, with an increasing number of campus residents attending and participating. A basket raffle held within the month prior to the Mini-Walk has become a much-looked-forward-to event and an important part of our fundraising effort. Local businesses and individuals donate items, or entire baskets, and the baskets are raffled the day of the Mini-Walk. A challenge for a staff member to create an Alzheimer’s-themed design for a t-shirt has also become a favorite of staff, the sales of t-shirts increasing and selling out each year.

Throughout the year, we maintain a minimal-cost snack cart for staff and visitors, hold pancake breakfasts, and facilitate a campus wide car wash each summer. This past year the residents of our Health Care unit, Assisted Lifestyles, and Independent living came together to paint ceramic soup bowls. We made homemade soup and held an event for individuals to purchase a resident-hand-painted bowl, filled with their chosen soup.

Another year of fundraising for Alzheimer’s research and a cure is upon us. Team Homewood at Martinsburg is planning a number of events throughout the year. And mark your calendars and “SAVE THE DATE!” for the ANNUAL Homewood Mini-Walk to End Alzheimer’s on the Homewood campus will be Saturday, September 20, 2025.