Community Fund Grant Supports Dance Therapy Program at Wartburg
Wartburg received a $13,500 grant from The Community Fund of Bronxville Eastchester Tuckahoe, Inc. to support Wartburg’s Dance and Movement Program. The grant pays for a professional dance therapist to oversee the Dance and Movement Program offered across Wartburg’s residential facilities.
The dance program is part of Wartburg’s award-winning, internationally recognized Creative Aging and Lifelong Learning Program and will provide therapy to seniors in the independent and assisted living facilities, the nursing home, registrants in the Adult Day Services program and patients in the rehabilitation center. The dance program, already a favorite among residents, will be funded for one year.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous grant,” said David Gentner, president and CEO of Wartburg, an award-winning provider of comprehensive senior services. “Dance therapy is exceptionally rewarding, both physically and emotionally, and it embodies our mission of nurturing body, mind and spirit.”
“We are happy to provide the funding to support the Dance and Movement Therapy Program at Wartburg and the many seniors from our community who call Wartburg their home,” said Melinda Burge, executive director of The Community Fund of Bronxville Eastchester Tuckahoe, Inc. “After visiting Wartburg’s beautiful campus and seeing the program in person, it was clear to my colleagues and I the benefits the program provides to its residents.”
“Our dance therapy program will be led by a professional dance therapist from Sarah Lawrence College along with several Wartburg staff members and myself,” said Ann Frey, director of volunteers at Wartburg. “It’s a wonderful program that not only addresses the physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs of our residents, but is also a lot of fun!”
The prestigious and growing Creative Aging & Lifelong Learning Program was started in 2009 and includes classes in painting, quilt-making, singing, poetry and creative writing. More recent additions: puppet-making classes and a newly purchased video conferencing equipment to allow residents to remotely “tour” museums and other cultural sites.
Wartburg
Wartburg is an award-winning provider of comprehensive senior services, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s/dementia care, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, adult day services and hospice care. www.wartburg.org. Its 34-acre campus in Mount Vernon serves seniors and their families in southern Westchester and the northern Bronx, and now the tri-state area. Wartburg’s nursing home has been recognized by U. S. News & World Report as among the “Best Nursing Homes in New York State” for the fifth straight consecutive year, in 2015. Over the past few years, Wartburg has launched an ambitious building expansion program, including the Friedrichs Residence, providing affordable housing for seniors with 61 independent living apartments, and a rehabilitation and adult day services center of excellence both opened in 2013.
