If you’re ever at Buffalo Terrace and looking for Marvin Schultz, you can often find him in the Patio Room or Wooden Nickel playing games with his friends.  Marvin has long enjoyed games of all kinds.  I know this first-hand because I’ve known him all my life—he’s my Grandpa.

Marvin moved in to Buffalo Hill Terrace almost two years ago.  As soon as he moved in, he found a group of friends with whom he regularly plays his favorite card game, Hand and Foot.  And if you walk in the North Entrance and see a group of people playing a dice game called Farkle in the Café, that’s probably our family.  Marvin can and will play almost any game—board games, card games, dice games, games of chance, games of strategy—that others want to play.  No matter whom he’s playing with, he takes a relaxed approach.  “To me games should be fun and relaxing,” he comments.  “If you get all uptight about losing, don’t play.”

Family has always been central to Marvin’s love of games.  When he was growing up, he played games with his mother, Hilda, and his whole family of four would play canasta at Christmas time. His Passions Project photo shows him playing chess, one of his favorites.  His older brother, Merlyn, taught him to play the game and was his most common opponent when they were growing up.    Eventually, Marvin got good enough that he could beat Merlyn at a game or two, but it didn’t happen often!

That was okay, though, because winning has never been what Marvin likes most about playing chess.  He enjoys formulating a strategy, including a plan of attack and a defense at the same time.  He doesn’t memorize move sequences the way some players do.  Instead, he takes it one move a time—and one game at a time.  “Every game’s different to me,” he says. “It depends on what your opponent does.”

Marvin was born in Wisconsin and, when he was growing up, his family lived in a variety of states including New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Texas.  After graduating with his engineering degree, Marvin took a job at Boeing and moved to Wichita, Kansas.  He soon met Shirley, the love of his life.  The couple dated for one summer.  Then, Shirley went back to college.  While she was away, he wrote her one letter.  It must have been a good letter, because they became engaged almost as soon as she came back to Wichita the next summer and married that August.  They went on to have six children (one passed away as a young child), three of whom now live in Northwest Montana.

Marvin moved to Kalispell in 2013 to live with his second daughter, Carla (I call her Mom).  In 2017, he moved into Buffalo Hill Terrace.  He loves living here, where he has a lot of friends and game-playing buddies.  And next week, his two children who don’t live nearby will be coming to visit along with their spouses and some of their kids (Marvin’s grandkids, my cousins).  I know he’s looking forward to it, and I’m sure we’ll be playing some games! 

When prospective residents or other newcomers visit Immanuel, they often remark on what a positive environment they find.  Many of them have remarked that “it just feels different” from other communities or workplaces.  That difference usually has to do with the way staff members interact with each other and with residents.  People say to hi to each other in the halls, often calling each other by name and sometimes stopping for a brief exchange about how the day is going.  Residents gather in the Patio Room for coffee and games or just for a chat before dinner.  Floor staff are busy, but they always appear to enjoy each other’s company when they’re working in teams, and they take the time to greet passersby.

At Immanuel, we emphasize “community,” and that’s part of what creates this atmosphere.  But we also strive every day to live and work the values described in the Immanuel Spirit.  The Immanuel Spirit was developed by leadership several years ago to structure the culture we want to create here at Immanuel.  For example, the Immanuel Spirit reminds us to “Greet everyone warmly, by name, and with a smile” and to “Contribute to an atmosphere of positivity, teamwork, and cultural support.”  It’s these values that are reflected in the exchanges visitors notice.

But these values aren’t just for show.  They shine through in other areas, as well.  For example, recently our culinary team was preparing a meal from a specific ethnic tradition for some visiting VIPs.  A housekeeper with experience preparing this kind of ethnic cuisine happened to wander through the kitchen.  She noticed that something wasn’t quite right, and she jumped in to help.  A little bit later, she returned to the kitchen when her assistance was requested.  This housekeeper isn’t on the culinary team, of course, and she still had housekeeping work to finish, but because teamwork is so important at Immanuel, she stopped what she was doing to make sure that a big event turned out as well as it possibly could.  She saw a problem she could help solve and jumped in—incidentally, another of the Immanuel Spirit commitments is “Respond to every problem I see.”

It’s not always easy to honor all fifteen points of the Immanuel Spirit, but when we keep them in mind, we create a culture that is welcoming and special.  We strive to work as a team across departments, and when we do, residents and guests notice.

When guests enter The Retreat at Buffalo Hill, Immanuel Lutheran Communities’ short-term rehabilitation community, they’re usually not feeling too great.  They come to the Retreat because they need help getting back on their feet after illness, injury, or surgery, and while they’re there, they get a variety of therapies, depending on what their doctor orders.  By the time they leave, they’re usually feeling a lot better.

Because they feel so much better when they leave than when they arrived, many guests over the years have expressed their desire to say thank you to the team at the Retreat.  That’s why the Immanuel Foundation has just rolled out our Grateful Guest program.  This program allows donors to make a gift to one of several funds—and, if they choose, to recognize a staff member who made a particularly big difference for them.

Some guests will choose to donate to the Employee Fund.  This fund has two main purposes: to support employees going through a rough patch via the Christ Care Fund (administered by our Pastoral Care department) and to provide funding for those looking to advance their education.  Grateful guests help our employees become even better at their jobs.  They also help them weather challenges like medical emergencies, car trouble, and heating outages.

Some guests might prefer to give in ways that help future guests experience the same level of service they received during their stay.  Gifts to our Programs and Services help make up the difference between Medicaid reimbursement rates and Immanuel’s costs to provide service.  They might also purchase necessary equipment that strengthens the Retreat’s ability to help guests get better.

And if guests don’t know how they want their gifts to be used, they can simply tell us to use them for the Greatest Need.  Greatest Need funds fill in gaps across campus, and the Immanuel Foundation board helps determine how they’re used.

No matter how they choose to designate their gifts, grateful guests can use their gift to honor a specific staff member who made their time at the Retreat particularly special, healing, or comfortable.  This person might be a CNA, a cook, a therapist, a housekeeper, or anyone else who made a difference for them specifically.  The staff member will be notified and recognized by their fellow employees.

All in all, the Grateful Guest program is a great new way for Retreat guests to say thank you for their stay while helping Immanuel become an even stronger organization.