May 2008 - Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing recently celebrated its volunteers by having a dinner catered by Miley’s Old Inn and entertainment provided by Harmony Express at the Gerry Free Methodist Church.  Volunteers were honored for giving over 5,300 hours of service from March 2007 to March 2008.  The countless hours of service to residents of Heritage Village included visiting or helping Activity staff with an event, accompanying a resident on a medical appointment, gardening, presenting or assisting with some type of program, and helping with Daffodil and Harvest days. 

At the end of the evening, Elyse Carlson was named 2008 Volunteer of the Year. Elyse graduated with honors from Cassadaga Valley High School in 2004 and from Erie Community College in 2007 with an Associates Degree in Early Childhood.  While in college, she was part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and earned Dean’s List honors.  She has traveled to Hawaii and South Africa with the International Scholar Laureate Program.  Elyse has given over 600 hours of kind and caring volunteer service since June 2007, which has included helping with crafts, organizing photographs, preparing sheets for bandage rolling, playing games with residents and assisting in other areas where she was needed.  Elyse states “I find volunteering very fulfilling and meaningful, and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to volunteer wherever I can.”  She lives with her parents, Mark and Cynthia, in Gerry.   All recognized volunteers attended the WNYAHSA Employee/Volunteer Recognition Dinner in Buffalo on May 7th.

As one of Chautauqua County’s largest employers, Heritage Ministries Management Company is a non-profit, human service organization which operates Heritage Village Retirement Campus (Gerry, NY); Heritage Village (Gerry, NY), Heritage Green (Greenhurst, NY) and Heritage Park (Jamestown, NY) Rehab & Skilled Nursing; and Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center (Jamestown, NY).