The staff at Birkwood Village would like to thank the community and their residents for one year of joy and friendship here in Toledo. (L to R) Holly Dunn, Stacy Betts, Katherine Sieck, Heather Keen, Alana Betz, and Blake Mohon. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

On Thursday, Jan. 12, Birkwood Village, a retirement and assisted living facility in Toledo, celebrated its one-year anniversary with the community with delicious foods, refreshing drinks, and delightful conversations with residents.

“Today is exactly our one-year anniversary. Many of our employees complimented that there was a lot of traffic within Birkwood tonight. This celebration is mainly for our tenants here as well as our employees. We wanted to get together and bring the Tama-Toledo community into our family here at Birkwood,” commented Kaleigh Sieck, the executive director and communication relations director at Birkwood Village.

Over the last year, the community within Birkwood has grown from a handful of residents to an active senior living center.

“It was a good addition to the Tama-Toledo community because of the higher elderly population. Just having the option for them to come here and be active is vital to community health. My philosophy is ‘an active senior community,’ so getting the tenants and the Tama-Toledo community together here at Birkwood has been excellent,” said Sieck.

Birkwood Village is a community center for adults 55+, providing amenities and facilities that help facilitate their needs and recreation without sacrificing their independence. Residents enjoy exercise classes, games, creative exercises, and more on-site.

Community members joined the residents and staff of Birkwood Village on Jan. 12 to celebrate their one-year anniversary of serving the elderly community in Tama County. Photo by Vanessa Roudabush.

The staff at Birkwood prides themselves on being a family with the residents they care for.

“We’re very active, very interactive, and everyone’s always in a good mood. The residents make you feel like you want to come back every day. Just today, I had a resident come by me with a fist bump and a ‘love you.'[The staff] have a very professional side and a very fun side, and everybody gets along well. We even have happy hour every Friday with the residents,” said Alana Betz, a housekeeping supervisor who’s been with Birkwood since the beginning.

Maintenance director Blake Mohon enjoys the community he helps keep in tip-top shape,

“We like to have a lot of fun. Everyone’s just hanging out, having a good time, and eating good food. If they want to do activities, there’s tons to do. Come to Birkwood. It’ll be great,” he said.

With one year under its belt, Birkwood is still working on improving itself going into the future. Sieck hopes to create a stronger bond between the Birkwood and Tama-Toledo communities.

“We’re all family here at Birkwood Village. We do a great job at being an active senior community, but I would like to push for more involvement within the Tama-Toledo community,” she said. “If people out there want to teach an art, gardening, or music class or even showcase some kind of special talent they have, they can contact us to make that an option for our tenants that live here. We’ll expand our activities this year, and that would be a great thing for our Birkwood community.”

After celebrating its first year, Birkwood and its staff will continue to facilitate and create a community in which the elderly of Tama-Toledo can thrive for years to come.

“If you have loved ones at home that truly need that extra attention and support, whether it’s independent assisted or memory loss care, we’re here for the community,” said Sieck.

For more information on Birkwood Village, check their website www.birkwoodvillage.com/ or call (641) 481-2300.