IGNITE Leadership Academy LeadingAge New York 2014-15 2014-15 | Page 29

Jody Shely
RN Director
Warner Place ADHC at Lutheran of
Jamestown

Cultivating and Supporting a Feeling
of Community
1

How would you describe your Action Learning Project and the difference you hope it will make
to advance your organization’s mission (or the field) and benefit the individuals you serve?

My project will take therapeutic activities to a new level and provide activities that cultivate and support a feeling of community.
I want to provide activities that give participants in our programs a sense of accomplishment. I will incorporate volunteers and
paid instructors to provide fun activities that are interesting to a wide range of people. I would like to bring together people from
the adult day health care program, skilled nursing program, assisted living program and the community on a regular basis, with a
goal of inspiring friendships and fun. I will nurture and encourage relationships with people. I was inspired by the art room and the
instructors and volunteers at the Jewish Home in Rochester when we toured during the second Leadership Academy session. They
all were having so much fun. We wanted all the programs here on the campus of Lutheran of Jamestown to exemplify the mission
of “Life Well-Lived Everyday”.

2

How have the relationships you’ve developed as part of your project (with mentors, partners,
stakeholders, etc.) influenced this direction and you as a leader?

I have already begun to establish many new relationships. When I talked to my administrator about the project, she directed me to
talk with the community life coordinator in the nursing home. When we talked, we found that we both had the same vision and
excitement for activities. When I mentioned that I was inspired by the art room, she said to me, “I was just talking with a young
lady, who is working on finishing her masters in divinity who is also an accomplished artist.” Next thing I knew, she was in the
office talking with us about her vision to inspire people to use art as a form of prayer and then our first activity began. We created
a Lenten program that we called Artful Prayer, which was very successful. We had people from the nursing home, adult day health
care and the community. What I have learned is that relationships are at the core of everything. Sometimes just putting ideas into
words and talking with others sets off synchronicity to inspire something much bigger than I could accomplish on my own.

3

What have been important turning points for you, in your own learning, as you’ve engaged
with the action learning process (you might consider a surprise, insight, setback, or challenge?

My biggest surprise was how many people stepped up to say “I would like to help with that,” or “I have a talent or interest that
I would like to share.” Another surprise was that it does not have to be really expensive. We were able to use supplies and space
that we already had available to us. One setback is that some people are reluctant to participate in an activity that includes
people with dementia, mental illness or visible physical disabilities. The insight that I have gained is to try to make the activity fun
and appealing to many people. When people do make a decision to give it a try, we take extra steps to make it a fun, worthwhile
experience. We encourage everyone to participate at their own level and consider any effort a success. We listen to feedback
from all people who participate and take that into consideration when planning our next event.

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IGNITE Leadership Academy Action Learning Project 2014-15

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