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Our Stories

Homeless Vet Finds Birchez Very Accommodating

Friday, April 20th, 2012

When a local Vietnam-era veteran found himself living his worst imagined scenario – unemployed and homeless, existing day-by-day for six long weeks in the Motel 19 – he took a gamble on his service to the country and appeared at the Birchwood Village’s Celebration of Veterans’ Open House.

The gamble paid off – Edward Del Pezzo was soon busily moving his scant belongings into a beautiful apartment in Kingston’s Birchwood Village.

Having served from 1971-74 in the U.S. Army and with the New York National Guard from 1994-98, Del Pezzo is a proud man. As such, he was initially hesitant to seek out the available assistance. But, when his job disappeared in the economic downturn, he put his pride aside and sought help with a program established by the Veteran’s Administration that helps homeless veterans.

A draftsman by trade, Ed said “the bottom fell out” for him in 2011 when his job specs changed. Like many people struggling to survive a global economic crisis, the veteran is working to reinvent his skill sets in a changing market through retraining programs.

Working in concert with NYS Homes & Community Renewal and Albany’s Veteran’s Administration, Birchwood Village, an affordable housing community, provides quality housing to the area’s local veterans.

“The very least Vets deserve is clean, safe and affordable housing,” said Birchwood’s full-time property manager, Patrice Steigler.

New York State is particularly challenged in that it has one of the highest Veteran populations per capita and the Hudson Valley houses half that number.

Birchwood Village is designed for working families, the economy’s backbone. Earning less than the area’s median income, these families generally find housing costs eating up so much of their budget that other necessities, like food and health care, are neglected. With rents set by NYS each year, Birchwood Village includes heat and hot water for the 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, enabling a family to make ends meet.

The complex also offers a limited number of “flats” that are handicapped accessible units.

Birchwood Village is hosting an Open House on Wed., April 25, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Facility tours and light refreshments will be served. If unable to attend the open house, call 845-331-8232, for a private tour and application information.

A Sweet Treat

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

February 13, 2012
Residents of The Birches at Esopus celebrated Valentine’s Day in style with a delectable brunch of homemade treats, plenty of smiling faces and friendly hugs from a special guest. The Community Room was decked out in style for the event, which was organized by the residents of this premier affordable senior housing community which overlooks the Hudson River.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey & Fortunée Bennett.

Congressma Maurice Hinchey, who the residents lauded for his longtime support of and fight for seniors’ rights, dined with the residents, listened to their concerns and clearly enjoyed the delicious fare. He’s shown to the left enjoying a laugh with resident Fortunee Bennett.

Steve and Judy Aaron, who are responsible for this Birchez Associates community, praised those responsible for organizing the event, while delighting in the diversity of the scrumptious spread.

Bill & MaryAnn Banks

Longtime Valentines Bill and MaryAnn Banks, happily married for 35 years, spoke lovingly about the changes in their lifestyle since joining the Birches community and of the many activities and amenities offered at the facility. One of MaryAnn’s choices is the bus that comes to the door and takes her for excursions at the Mall (especially when Bill’s working or watching a game!).

Residents Eileen McGuire & Shirley Shumate

Spry and chic, the 91 year-young Shirley Shumate looked positively captivating in her red Valentine dress. For some seniors keeping in shape comes naturally, but many take advantage of the Fitness Studio, complete with instructor at no charge, at The Birches at Esopus.

Eileen McGuire, pictured with Shirley in the picture to the left, is president of the Residents Club at this award-winning facility.

Roseann Harominek spoke glowingly of her new life at the Birches at Esopus – as shown in the picture below, her smile speaks volumes. Many who attended were in their late 80s and 90s, fitting tribute to the aging in place philosophy of The Birches at Esopus and other Birchez Associates communities in the Hudson Valley.

Roseann Harominek

Valentines from loving hands

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Seniors give to other Seniors

Pictured is one of two hundred Valentine cards made by The Birchez at Esopus Crafts Club.

Birches at Esopus resident and crafter Barbara Fidow shows off a card.

For the last several weeks, a dedicated group of crafters at The Birches at Esopus have handcrafted some two hundred Valentine’s Day cards. And where have they directed Cupid’s arrows? The Golden Hill Health Care Center, Ulster County’s nursing home, located off the Boulevard in Kingston. Started 65 years ago, Golden Hill provides both rehabilitation services and long-term health care.

A range of materials were creatively incorporated in these one of kind cards. Ribbons, jewels, doilies, wallpaper, whatever these clever crafters had at hand. Designs varied from whimsical to modern, something for everyone’s tastes.

According to Crafts Club member Marie Shultis, this is the third year the Esopus seniors have created Valentine’s Day cards for the seniors at Golden Hill. “If we had one thing to do over, we would have started earlier,” she said. But with a new target of 200 cards this year, their highest to date, they made it with a few days to spare.

Some Birches at Esopus Crafts Club members in the final stretch (seated: Janis Loring, Rae Skinner, Barbara Fidow, Ruby Sterling,
standing: Senior Advocate for Birchez Associates communities Alice Tipp.)

At Golden Hill, Marie Shultis tells Resident Virginia Burhans how the card was made; Ruby Sterling looks on.

On Friday, February 10th, a contingent of the crafters met with a few residents of Golden Hill to present the cards. The intent is that the cards could be used to brighten the resident’s room or to give to a loved one.

Golden Hill resident Ralph Hayner shows off his pick as Ruby Sterling and Barbara Fidow smile with approval.

As The Birches at Esopus group chatted with the residents, there was some sharing of techniques and materials used. Marie Shultis talked about some exacting measurements used in various crafts to make sure the results look as best as possible. Looking at the results, one might even say professional!

(More text below photos.)

Resident Ken Hyatt has his choice of cards presented by Janis Loring and Marie Shultis.

The Crafts Clubs keep busy year ’round at both The Birches at Esopus and The Birches at Chambers. Chambers has had two annual collaborative events knitting hats for children with cancer.

At Esopus, the crafts room has shown off holiday gifts ranging from cards, kissing balls, knitted scarves and hats, and at this time of year, lots of red cards.

Every now and then the public gets a chance to check out the crafts at The Birches at Esopus. Last year, during the Town of Esopus Fall Festival, the tour bus made a stop at this senior affordable community so interested purchasers could browse the Crafts Club’s creations. We’ll let you know when the seniors have newly created crafts to share.

Going Strong at 100

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Recent projections on seniors living longer are certainly borne out at The Birches communities. Just last week members of the Residents Club for The Birches at Chambers and Chambers Court met to fete William McDonough on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Bill was born November 23, 1911, and he considers himself “just an ordinary guy.” Bill didn’t know why people would make such a fuss. So he was surprised at the turnout that included residents, owners Steve and Judy Aaron, and staff of Birchez Associates and Rondout Properties. Or that we would want to interview him.

Earlier this year, Bill was honored as a centenarian by the Ulster County Office for the Aging. On the left, pictured before the luncheon began at the Hillside Manor, is Bill with his loyal helper Dorothea Schwenk, a resident of Chambers Court since 2004.

Since the County’s celebration, it’s been about six months of birthday acknowledgments. He brought one to the party this week, a birthday card from the President and First Lady (click on the photo so you can read it!). This was in addition to the number of declarations and proclamations from many local politicians and dignitaries including State Senator John Bonacic, Assemblymember Kevin Cahill, and Ulster County Executive Mike Hein.

Bill lived in the area for 25 years before moving to Chambers Court early in 2008. He values living in a safe senior community. Bill says he’s found a really nice place and values the new friends he’s made.

Bill served as a conductor for the New York Central Railroad for many years. His “route” was Grand Central to Buffalo on the 20th Century Limited. At the time it was the fastest train out there. Today Bill wonders why people want to go much faster. “When I think of some of these tiny cars speeding down the highway at 70 miles per hour, I don’t think it’s safe. Why is everyone in such a hurry?”

Bill is, at the moment, the only centenarian living at one of the Birches Communities but there are a number of residents close behind. Currently there are 43 residents aged 85 and over, with 14 of those 90 or over. In the picture to the right taken at the Residents’ celebration, Bill is pictured with Tess Glassman, a Birches at Chambers resident who turned 90 on November 20th. Between them is Steve Aaron, founder and managing member of Birchez Associates which developed and manages four senior communities in Ulster County.

Steve Aaron spoke about aging in place in independent living communities. “Bill’s a great example of why I believe so in the aging-in-place concept. It’s a better quality of life and much more economical for society than nursing homes or alternate level of care facilities.” Most units at The Birches Communities are handicapped ready if not fully ADA handicapped accessible. Home care and personal care aides from a number of local agencies can help provide assistance with daily living tasks which allows many seniors to spend their time “at home.”

Steve went on to say, “Annecdotally, we’re hearing that our residents, when they do have to be hospitalized or spend time in a rehab setting, are coming home sooner because the apartments’ features encourage that. They don’t have to wait for a ramp to be built or a bedroom created on the first floor or even the necessity to move from their home.”

– K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, Birchez Associates

Alice Tipp Appreciation Day

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

August 22, 2011, Town of Ulster: It’s not easy surprising Alice Tipp, the Senior Advocate for Birchez Associates, but the Birchez staff and the residents of The Birches at Chambers and Chambers Court managed to do just that. Today it was Alice Tipp Appreciation Day!

Alice has served in her position for the last six years. And as Steve Aaron, Founder and Managing Director of Birchez Associates, often says, “Alice works five days a week and is the first one in every morning.”

Alice has plenty of experience showing up and being on time having served thirty years in the Ulster County Legislature before accepting her position as Senior Advocate. Alice’s experience is invaluable as she matches resources to the needs of the residents in the four Birchez communities she services.

Appreciation was apparent in the applause, warmth and laughter expressed in the room of fifty or so. Among the attendees were several surprise guests including her son Tippy (Walter Scott Tipp II), her daughter Cheryl and son-in-law James McTague.

The residents presented Alice with a candle and candle holder to express the sentiment: “You Light up Our Lives.”

Steve and Judy Aaron presented Alice with a pearl necklace, and the staff gave her a basket of goodies and flowers. Ice cream cakes and pound cake rounded out her luncheon. Alice even read the sentiments of the many cards aloud and admired the stealth with which her friends had operated to pull off her surprise party.

The crown from Senior Property Manager Judy Fitzpatrick was just the right touch for a lady who deserves to be queen every day.

Living History

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

August 6, 2011: Always There, the area’s leading agency for home health, personal care, and adult daycare (www.alwaystherehomecare.org), held its second annual car and motorcycle show today. One of the highlights was a Sherman Tank from World War II which held a position of attention on Ulster Avenue. One of only 20 tanks from World War II extant in the United States today, this Sherman Tank is owned by Bud Walker, a collector of World War II memorabilia from Gardiner, NY. The reason for the scarcity is that we sold or jettisoned our armaments at the end of the war, rather than have the expense of bringing them back in country. This tank was sold to the French government, then Israel, before receiving a Presidential pardon to be allowed to be shipped back to the states.

Joe Vanacore, a 91 year old veteran of World War II and a resident of The Birches at Chambers, again held forth to provide living history to the attendees at the event. Many who came to listen to Joe had fathers or grandfathers in the European theater, some assigned to tanks.

A common observation was the relative small size of the quarters for the men who rode in the tanks. A picture of Joe Vanacore in the book “The Liberators” from the time shows a scrawny kid, maybe 110 pounds. Joe quips that he saw a lot of Europe, but most of it through his gun sight.

Joe came prepared for the day. He sported his Patton’s Best T- shirt (he was a member of General George Patton’s tank corps) and his cap bore his medals. He brought along pictures from the War.

Joe’s tank in the war had been specially outfitted with a dozer blade, like a giant snow plow, that was mounted to the front of his tank. Originally the dozer was designed to plow through the mounds of earth that the troops encountered during landings, less the tanks rise up and expose their underbelly’s which were more vulnerable to attack. But Joe found himself using the dozer blade in other applications as the war progressed.

He spoke of ramming through the heavy wooden doors of what they thought was a Prisoner of War camp holding American soldiers in Germany. The camp appeared abandoned, and most of his unit went after the German soldiers who had moved out ahead of them. But Joe stayed at the camp and blasted through.

In his gun sight he saw what appeared to be a large pile of logs. As he got closer, he realized it wasn’t a pile of logs, they were bodies. His unit was at a death camp, not a POW camp. The book “The Liberators: America’s Witnesses to the Holocaust” by Michael Hirsch, published in 2010, tells of Joe’s experiences along with others who liberated the concentration camps.

Joe Vanacore spent three hours at the Always There event, talking to strangers about his experiences. Many reported goose bumps, some had tears in their eyes. It is important that a Veteran like Joe Vanacore be able to tell his or her story of the War as there are so few left to provide this living history. He clocked some 3,000 miles in his tank, yet when he returned stateside it wasn’t a time to tell of the stories. Not then. Many who listened to Joe said their fathers or grandfathers never really spoke of the War. Fortunately, Joe has lived long enough that he can speak of it today. We appreciate him giving of his time to tell others of what he witnessed.

pictures courtesy of Shirley V. Anson

Centenarian William McDonough Honored

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Chambers Court resident William McDonough’s 100th birthday won’t be until November 23, 2011, but the celebration has already begun. Bill was honored at the Ulster County Centenarian luncheon organized by the Office for the Aging on Friday, May 6th, 2011, held at the Hillside Manor, sponsored in part by Birchez Associates.

County Executive Mike Hein presented Bill and 16 other centenarians with a proclamation; each birthday “boy or girl” also received certificates from State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill. The photo to the left shows Mike Hein handing Bill his own proclamation.

Ann Cardinale, head of Ulster County’s Office for the Aging, remarked on the growing number of centenarians country wide and that this year’s recognition represented the largest class ever. The oldest recognized this year is 106 years young.

Ms. Cardinale also presented some of the qualities that lead to such longevity including a positive attitude. This certainly characterizes Bill McDonough, a gentleman who continues to live on his own with the assistance of his loyal caretaker Dorothea Schwenk (also a Chambers Court resident and pictured with Bill in the photo to the left). Bill still votes in person; although he said maybe this year he’d consider an absentee ballot he’d prefer to go to the polls.

Birchez Associates salutes Bill and looks forward to celebrating with him throughout his 100th year. Chambers Court, the first of Birchez Associates affordable senior communities, opened in the town of Ulster in 2004/. As with all of the company’s communities, it is designed to help seniors live successful, independent lives of quality as they age in place. Adjacent to the company’s latest community, The Birches at Chambers, Chambers Court residents now enjoy all the amenities of the latest community, including a fitness studio with trainer who specializes in senior exercise, a media room — a small state of the art theater, library/game room, crafts room and more, all at no cost to the residents.

Spring Expo shows off Birchez Associates

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

This year’s Lions’ Club Expo at the Hudson Valley Mall featured a new participant: Birchez Associates. Shown to the left with our booth are Teri Sola, Property Management Compliance, and Cheryl Meehan, Property Manager at both The Birches at Esopus and The Birches at Saugerties. Throughout the two day event we were also represented by Judy Fitzpatrick, Senior Property Manager, Paul Watzka, Director of Community Affairs, and K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing.

Last but certainly not least, the one and only Alice Tipp, Senior Advocate for The Birches Communities, held court for several hours on Sunday. After her 30 years in the legislature and over five years with us, Alice is known far and wide. One couple who stopped by, married for over 50 years seemed to take almost more pride in their voting record for Alice from the beginning of her career in public service.

One unexpected treat for the staff was the number of residents who stopped by, frequently showing off photos or stopping to point out parts of the videos being shown to their friends and family. We hope that many of our visitors will in fact submit applications so that we might add them to the wait lists. Sooner you are on the list, the sooner a spot might open with your name on it! If you didn’t make it to the mall, stop by one of our communities (call first to assure a tour and application will be ready for you). Just click on the communities tab or one of the community photos on the home page for contact information.

K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, Birchez Associates, kjmcintyre@birchez.com

Going Pink for the Cause

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Ulster Park 10/19/2010 – For Rie Schreiver, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has a special significance — because for the last 15 years she’s been able to participate as a breast cancer survivor. Rie and her husband Al have made cancer — specifically breast cancer — their charity. They’ve participated in Relays for Life, Strides, and a variety of American Cancer fundraisers over the years. So when The Birches at Esopus Residents’ Club president Barbara Conklin asked if anyone wanted to organize something for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Rie and Al stepped up to the plate.

The cause became a joint effort with the Crafts Club. Hand made cards, adorned with fabric, pearls, and many, many pink ribbons were enscribed with positive messages with a Hope/Believe/Cure theme. These cards will be donated to the American Cancer Society for those with or recovering from cancer. The Crafts Club went a step further creating glass coasters with a white grid and pink yarn ribbon.

Today it all came together with a special bagels brunch for breast cancer awareness held in the Community Room at The Birches of Esopus. Rie selected Panera “pink ribbon” bagels because not only were they shaped in the classic pink ribbon twist, but because she knew that Panera’s donates $0.33 of each of these bagels sold during October to the cause.

Residents enjoyed a relaxed — and very pink — event, all for a very good cause. And while fundraising wasn’t the primary aim of the event, Rie and Al Schreiver are very pleased with the check they will present to the American Cancer Society on behalf of The Birches at Esopus residents.

photos: top right is Rie Schreiver shows off some of the handmade cards that will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Lower left is one of the Panera “pink ribbon” bagels.

Resident Profile: Emanuela Mauro

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Though she’s originally from Brooklyn, Emanuela Mauro (Ela to her friends), made her way up to Saugerties back in the early 1950s, when she moved with her husband, Mike, back to his hometown.

“Mike was born right here in Glasco. So I moved up here with him and my two children at the time. And that was ’50 or ’51,” she says. “Then we built a home right here on Route 32 outside of Glasco.”

After raising her kids and retiring from a job in sales, Emanuela and Mike moved to Florida, where they lived for the next 20 or so years. But when her husband passed away from a stroke in 2000, Emanuela knew that it was time to come home.

“My kids are here, so if something happened to me, I didn’t want them worrying, like they did when my husband had his stroke,” she says. “They had to jump on a plane and out they came. I had to consider them too, so I came back.

“So, here I be, like they say.”

After living in an apartment building on Simmons Street in Saugerties, Emanuela decided that she was tired of the landlord’s lax attitude toward taking care of problems.

“I heard of The Birches at Saugerties apartments being built at one of our senior meetings in the Town of Saugerties. I think Steve [Aaron] had come in and spoke to us, to the elderly people, about wanting to put up a place… I put my application in, and I was eligible. I didn’t know if I was eligible or not, never having applied for any kind of help.”

Part of what makes living in The Birches at Saugerties good for Emanuela is that she can afford it on her fixed income. “We didn’t get a raise in social security, so we don’t have any extra income,” she says.

Fortunately, there are amenities in place at The Birches at Saugerties — like Senior Advocate Alice Tipp — that help residents like Emanuela live well without breaking the bank.

“Living here, we found out that the [Ulster County] Office for the Aging offers a lot of different help we can get,” she says. “I didn’t know that when I lived in my other place. Here, Alice will tell us different things. At the end of this month, they’re going to give us a $20 booklet towards produce at the local Farmers’ Market. That’s fresh vegetables we get to have. Lots of different things like that that we wouldn’t know about if we weren’t here.”