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September 18, 2001
Illinois Nursing Home Residents "Reach Out in Love"
to Help Victims of Terrorist Attacks.
(CHICAGO) -- Thousands of nursing home residents across Illinois are reaching
out to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC
through the statewide "Residents Reaching Out in Love" campaign,
sponsored by the Illinois Council on Long Term Care, a professional nursing home
association. These residents are profoundly affected by this terrible tragedy,
and are seeking to make meaningful contributions to the victims and the families
of this crisis through a variety of emotional, spiritual and financial supports.
Nursing home residents have sponsored several programs throughout the state
as part of the "Residents Reaching Out in Love" campaign. Among
these notable and caring initiatives:
- Raising money for the victims and their
families through a variety of community Fundraisers, including bake sales,
raffles, dinners and auctions
- Hosting community blood drives
- Making cards of appreciation for the New
York and local fire and police departments
- Forming prayer vigils for the community
- Initiating special interfaith religious
services
- Hosting flag ceremonies with local veterans
groups
- Establishing discussion groups with social
workers to discuss the tragedy and past memories of wartime
- Singing America the Beautiful and God
Bless America
- Wearing red, white and blue ribbons as a
sign of solidarity
- Hosting memorial services for the victims
of this tragedy with candle-lighting and the reading of spiritual texts
The Illinois Council on Long Term Care has set up a Relief Fund to
provide much needed assistance to the victims and families of this crisis. The
Illinois Council will be matching dollar-for-dollar all monies contributed by
residents, family members, staff and volunteers in Council facilities. The
minimum donation from the Illinois Council will be $25,000. It is hoped that
this statewide initiative will result in over $100,000 being raised for victim
assistance.
Illinois nursing home residents have been vigilant in wanting to help the
victims of this terrible tragedy, and have been proud to make a difference to
those in need. "By participating in the Residents Reaching Out in Love
campaign, these residents are able to better deal with their own emotions that
have resulted from this crisis, particularly in the resurfacing of past
memories from World War II and Pearl Harbor," states Terrence Sullivan,
executive director of the Illinois Council. "By helping others, these
nursing home residents feel less traumatized by last week's events and are
able to experience a sense of healing."
"It is our hope that our Residents Reaching Out in Love campaign will
provide meaningful assistance to the thousands of Americans who have been
devastated by last week's terrorist attacks," explains Martin J. Weiss,
President of the Illinois Council on Long Term Care. "We applaud the many
Illinois nursing home residents participating in our statewide initiative for
their caring, compassionate and dedicated efforts to help the victims of the
horrific national crisis."
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The Illinois Council on Long Term Care is a professional
association of more than 210 nursing facilities committed
to quality residential health care in Illinois through
a productive and responsible partnership between the private
and public sectors. The Council represents more than 26,000
nursing home professionals serving more than 38,000 residents.
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