Chateau Retirement

Bucket List Helicopter Ride

Rick — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:23:43 +0000

83 YEAR OLD CHECKS OFF BUCKET LIST
June 14, 2011

Groupon Turns Memory Walk Fundraiser Turns Helicopter Ride for 3

Elizabeth Shier manages a Memory Care Community at Chateau Valley Center in Renton. Recently she bought a Groupon for three to ride on a helicopter tour of Seattle with Seattle HeliTours. Formerly an Activity Director who had created a “Bucket List” activity with residents, Elizabeth knew of several Chateau residents whose bucket wish list included a helicopter ride.

Working with Activity Director Melissa Brown, Elizabeth set up a raffle to sell the tickets for $2 apiece as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk, at which Chateau Valley Center sponsors a team. Employees and residents could participate in the raffle.

The raffle, which raised just under $500, was won by two residents and one employee: Residents Shirley Bruce, 83 and Sally Van Asperen, 94, and housekeeper Sandy Woodman.

A helicopter ride is the second item on Shirley Bruce’s bucket list. “I got the first item on my list, a tattoo, for my 80^th birthday,” says Shirley Bruce. “The second item was a helicopter ride, and the third is a ride on a working tugboat, which I have yet to accomplish. I’m just thrilled to be going.”

Sally Van Asperen says she’s also very excited. “I always wanted to go on a helicopter ride but never did—I couldn’t afford it,” she says.

Housekeeper Sandy Woodman says, “It’s wonderful. After cleaning apartments all day, I get to clock out at 3 pm and head for the skies.”

The Chateau trio will leave Chateau Valley Center in Renton at 3pm on Wednesday, June 15^th to arrive at Boeing Field for their departure at 3:30 pm.

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For over 20 years, family owned and operated Chateau Retirement Communities has worked individually with residents to help them Live Life On Their Terms.

If you have questions about this story or about Chateau Retirement Communities, or to schedule an interview, please call Communications Director Adam Conley at 425 488 2400 x230, or e-mail adam.conley@chateaullc.com.

Gazette – June 2011

james — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:44:39 +0000

Employee Profile

Janelle Retka

Everyone Can Find Their Perfect “Niche” At the Chateau

Witness Bistro food server Janelle Retka. This recent Bothell High Alumnus has the intelligence, drive and initiative (she’s a Chateau employee, after all) to put together an incredible project for her senior year at Bothell High. The fruit of her labor was a gem called “Niche”, a self-published anthology of fine art, short stories and poetry. Not only did Janelle contribute a variety of artistic media to this anthology, she encouraged her peers and classmates to do the same.
Read More.

Mary Jane Naehter:

The Reluctant Retiree
Retirement Community? Not Quite Yet…

Until recently, to say that Mary Jane Naehter lives in a retirement community would be something of a misstatement. Sure, she’s lived at Chateau Valley Center for the past four months, but for a majority of that time, she was still on the payroll of The Boeing Company.
Read More.

Musings from a Chateau Resident

Keeping it Jolly with Jerry
One of our greatest gifts as a human being is the “gift of humor”–the ability to smile, chuckle or laugh. The unfortunate fact is that this gift often lies dormant and undeveloped in many people. One of our aims in life should be to bring more joy into peoples lives and laughter is just one expression of joy.

Infants begin to laugh at about 12 weeks of age, but they sometimes smile at six days. Some say it is indigestion, but many of us choose to interpret it as a smile of approval.
Read More.

Employee Profile

Chateau Resident & Employees Give Over $10,000 for Red Cross Relief in Japan
Chateau residents, employees and ownership collectively raised over $10,000 for disaster relief efforts in Japan. The Snohomish County Chapter of American Red Cross said it was the second largest company donation it received from the region. In the words of owner Jim Godfrey, “This generosity speaks to the kindness and compassion of the entire Chateau community”.

Musing from Chateau Resident – June2011

james — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:59:52 +0000

Musings from a Chateau Resident:

Keeping it Jolly with Jerry

One of our greatest gifts as a human being is the “gift of humor”–the ability to smile, chuckle or laugh. The unfortunate fact is that this gift often lies dormant and undeveloped in many people. One of our aims in life should be to bring more joy into peoples lives and laughter is just one expression of joy.

Infants begin to laugh at about 12 weeks of age, but they sometimes smile at six days. Some say it is indigestion, but many of us choose to interpret it as a smile of approval.

Elbert Hubbard, American writer, editor and printer stated that a sense of humor is like the springs of a wagon—it helps us over the rough places.

Former magazine editor, Norman Cousins, overcame a crippling disease by drawing on the regenerative power of humor. He wrote in his book “Anatomy of an illness” that “10 minutes of laughter acted as an anesthetic and would give me at least two hours of pain free sleep.”

A humorist who kept us laughing at ourselves was Erma Bombeck. Bill Keane, the creator of cartoon “The Family Circus” commented after Erma’s funeral that “she would find it laughable that after her columns about trying to lose weight that they needed ten men to carry her casket.”

Keene’s tribute to her: “She did much for the health of humanity by bringing us the joy of laughter.”

Here are a few chuckles to lighten your day:

“The trouble with humor is that not enough people take it seriously.”

“A laugh is an instant vacation.”

“A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.”

“God in his wisdom made the fly–and then forgot to tell us why.”

Share your smiles and laughter with others. This is how we connect with people. Flash a smile!! It could be contagious — let’s pray for an epidemic!!

The most wasted day of all — one in which we have not laughed!!

Victor Borge said it: “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Have you laughed today??

–by CBL Resident Jerry Rutherford

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Employee Profile – June 2011

james — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:40:48 +0000

Employee Profile: Janelle Retka

Everyone Can Find Their Perfect “Niche” At the Chateau

The culmination of Janelle’s efforts (as if the beautifully self-published “Niche” wasn’t enough) was an art show produced on Wednesday, May 25th in the Chateau Bistro. Niche contributors hung their original photographs and artwork and conducted live readings of their poetry and short stories. The result was a truly delightful cultural event, generating that special energy that always comes with intergenerational events. Residents, employees, family members and Bothell High guests alike commented on the quality of the artwork, and the joy of shared camaraderie across generations of avid art enthusiasts. We’re proud of Janelle and Emily: they truly represent the quality of Team Chateau.

After publishing “Niche” and partnering with Chateau to stage the recent art exhibit, Janelle plans to pursue a career in print journalism. She was accepted to the journalism program at New York University in the Fall of 2011. “I’m thrilled to be working in a cultural hubbub like New York”, observes Janelle. Certainly it’s the right place to be to source the news of the world and report on it! Janelle loves following current events, and even if her eventual newspaper job takes her to a different city, she’ll be happy. Janelle is someone unusual in her love of newsprint—especially as she hails from a generation used to digital media.

This high achiever also plans to double in cultural anthropology. This is an appropriate interest, considering her twin passions of current world events, cultural trends and people. Janelle is a sweet, soft-spoken, kind-hearted person, as anyone who meets her will instantly recognize. She chose to work at Chateau Bothell Landing because she has a heart for service. A quick study with a customer-service heart of gold, Janelle quickly progressed to Lead Server in the main dining room shortly after being hired in 2009. Like so many Chateau employees, Janelle identifies with everyone at the Chateau as family. From the residents to employees in all departments, “Chateau feels like home. I’m so comfortable here. We all know each other’s names, whether resident or employee. What first started as a paycheck is now so much more.”

Well, when Janelle moves on to her big city job and takes her first paycheck from a new employer, all of us at Chateau can be grateful that Janelle is one of those special individuals that had a significant role to play in making Chateau Bothell Landing “so much more” than your average retirement community. Check out pictures from the “Niche” exhibit on Chateau’s Facebook page. Copies of “Niche” are also available for sale. Just speak to Janelle.

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Resident Profile – June 2011

james — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Mary Jane Naehter:
The Reluctant Retiree

Retirement Community? Not Quite Yet. . .

Never before in the history of Chateau Retirement Communities have we been home to a resident who received W2 forms in their Chateau mailbox. And Mary Jane didn’t just maintain a part-time job in retirement—she was an employee in good standing with the company where she built her lifelong career.

Her last day of work was officially July 25, 2010, but Mary Jane was still on the books and enjoyed regular part time working visits with her co-horts at the venerable local company she originally went to work for in 1962 when her husband passed away. Her official retirement party was just last month, in April, and she was joined by friends, family (she has a son who came up from California), and even one member of her new Chateau family, Dining Room Lead Nancy Marshall.

When asked why Mary Jane didn’t want to retire early, she simply says, “Why would I want to? I loved what I did and my co-workers were like family.” Even now, retiring isn’t Mary Jane’s first choice, but at age 91, she goes on record as having the most seniority of any Boeing employee. Mary Jane was beloved by her co-workers and her employer too, as evidenced by the grand send-off, together with decades of service awards bestowed upon her.

For most of her career, Mary Jane worked at the Spares Distribution Center by SeaTac Airport. She answered phones, prepared bills, and even made the transition from typewriters to computers what is now decades ago. She enjoyed her work as an office clerk as it allowed her to interact, joke and spar with coworkers and vendors alike. Just one conversation with Mary Jane reveals her spitfire sense of humor, honest, hard work-ethic and honest, unfettered integrity. When asked how her supervisor might describe her, this salt-of-the-earth gem said, “hard working, dependable, gets along with everybody.”

This rings true for Mary Jane as well at Chateau Valley Center, where she enjoys interacting with folks of all generations, just like she did at Boeing. Her special friendship with culinary staff, including Nancy Marshall who attended her retirement party is evidence of that.

Mary Jane’s one regret is that she didn’t quite make it to her 50 year-anniversary with Boeing, which would have been in 2012. But even someone with Mary Jane’s incomparable work ethic admits there comes a time to slow down and take things a bit easier. At Chateau Valley Center, she knows she can take things as easy, or as busy as she wants to.

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Video

Rick — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:22:11 +0000

Rotating Pics

Rick — Thu, 05 May 2011 22:50:40 +0000

Red Cross Japan Relief

james — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:01:27 +0000

CHATEAU RESIDENTS & EMPLOYEES GIVE OVER $10,000 FOR RED CROSS RELIEF IN JAPAN

April 7, 2011
Chateau residents, employees and ownership have contributed $10,025 collectively to support Red Cross relief efforts in Japan following the recent earthquake, tsunami and damage to nuclear reactors. Significant contributions came in from individual resident checks, employee payroll deductions and owner matching incentives.

Employees and residents participated from Chateau’s three communities in Lynnwood, Bothell and Renton, as well as from home office employees based in Bothell.

“I am repeatedly impressed with the generosity of our Chateau family,” observes Chief Operations Officer Michael Schaedig. “Chateau residents and employees truly care about the world community in which they live, and this is evidenced by a track record of contributing to the Red Cross for past world disasters including the South Pacific Tsunami and last year’s earthquake in Haiti”.

In addition to financial support, the entire Chateau family sends well wishes, thoughts and encouragement to all the people of Japan.

# # #

For over 20 years, family owned and operated Chateau Retirement Communities has worked individually with residents to help them Live Life On Their Terms.

Index

admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:08:43 +0000

Chateau Retirement Communities is committed to provide you with a retirement lifestyle that is truly inspired. To discover what we mean by inspired living, we invite you to take advantage of our world-class services and amenities.

For over 20 years, our local, family-owned and operated company has specialized in premier retirement communities throughout the Puget Sound region. Led by two generations of family members, our success, stability and reputation speaks to a company whose vision is informed by both its heart and mind. That’s why life at Chateau is truly inspired.

Chateau Retirement Communities proudly owns and operates:

Chateau at Bothell Landing. This campus includes our newest project,
Chateau St. Laurent
Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood
Chateau Valley Center in Renton

Gazette – Issue 3

james — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:48:10 +0000

Resident Profile


		*A WORLD CLASS LADY* Maryon Troxel is a true class act. She is a noble and graceful reminder of a vanishing era of immaculate manners and courteous demeanor. A tall, stately gentlewoman with a lush, impeccable coiffure of snowy white hair; she is as much a grand and commanding presence as she is a kind and generous soul. As one of the original residents to move into Chateau Pacific almost 10 years ago, Maryon adds a spirited dash of regal color to the rich and diverse mix of residents that make Chateau Pacific a unique and wonderful place to live. Read More.

Employee Profile

CHATEAU EMPLOYEE LOG:
MARATHON NOTES

In a recent issue of the Chateau Gazette, readers were introduced to Chateau at Valley Center’s Memory Care Director, Elizabeth Shier. In the following personal account, Elizabeth treats us to the story of how she ran the Portland Marathon recently, together with her boss, Executive Director Molly Clark. Elizabeth’s narrative is followed by Molly’s recap in her own voice:
Read More.

Chris’s Corner

“Retiring from a Career in Retirement”

In a matter of months I will be leaving Chateau to enter the world of retirees, a world I have served in a professional capacity for over 25 years. One of the great joys of my tenure working in the retirement community business has been my time as a regular contributor to this “Chris’ Corner” column, both in the regional retirement monthly Northwest Primetime and for the Chateau Gazette (previously the St. Laurent Gazette). Writing this column has been a true joy, and in addition to the many ways in which it has connected me to folks all around the region, it has been one of the highlights of my tenure as a Chateau employee.