Category: News

This summer, twelve special families packed up their cars and headed to East Texas to share a memorable camping weekend. However, this camping experience ran deeper than traditional campfires, s’mores, chasing fireflies and stargazing. These families sought solace and joy from the great outdoors after suffering the loss of a loved one.

Forefront Living Foundation and teammates were honored to partner with Eluna, the founding organization for Camp Erin®, the largest national bereavement program for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them. Led by bereavement professionals and caring volunteers, the camp is offered at no cost to families and provides a safe environment to explore their grief, learn essential coping skills and make friends with peers who are also grieving.

Because of this partnership with Eluna, campers and their family members were able to attend Camp Erin DFW as part of the organization’s first family camp program. Nestled in the Piney Woods of East Texas, Camp Gilmont was the perfect setting for Camp Erin DFW, allowing these extraordinary families to unplug and spend time together while participating in games, ziplining, hiking, canoeing and swimming. The serene backdrop also provided an ideal location for therapeutic group sessions, where families shared their grief and participated in healing experiences.

While the weekend was filled with many wonderful moments, the memorial activities sprinkled throughout the camping experience were especially unforgettable. An introductory Memory Board Ceremony provided campers with a unique platform to share memories and a favorite photo of those they wanted to remember. During group therapy sessions, children and adults decorated luminaries honoring their lost loved ones. On Saturday evening, as the sun was setting and silence encompassed the wooded retreat, campers observed a solemn event in which they took turns releasing their luminaries over the lake near their campsite. As part of the weekend’s closing ceremony, participants hiked to the “Chapel in the Sky,” where they enjoyed a magnificent view of the entire campground and beyond. There, families tied a piece of colorful, torn fabric with their loved one’s name written on it, to a camp “memory catcher.” These moving and emotional activities directed by trained professionals, helped to normalize the grief experience for the children, reminding them that they are not alone.

Faith Presbyterian Hospice Child Life Specialist, Erica Smith, shared that watching the relationship transformation between campers was uplifting. “Friday evening began with a quiet, nervous energy as everyone settled in. By Sunday, the energy was BIG and joyful. Families were exchanging contact information and campers were signing each other’s t-shirts.” Families can look forward to reconnecting at an August reunion, potentially planned at a Texas Rangers game.

Forefront Living is grateful to the generous organizations and volunteers who provided comfort kits to each Camp Erin DFW family. Comfort kits included personalized camper blankets donated by Project Linus, stuffed bears, hand-crafted by Presbyterian Village North’s sewing group, the Sew ‘N Sews, pop-its, a grief book called My Favorite Color is Blue, donated by the author Roger Hutchison, journals and glow in the dark bracelets. Additionally, New York Life – Frisco branch, donated snacks and drinks to families to enjoy on the ride home from camp. To learn more about Eluna or register for programs, click here.

On the day with the most light is the day we fight.

On June 21, residents and teammates from Presbyterian Village North (PVN) and The Outlook at Windhaven (OAW) gathered at two locations to participate in fundraising walks, while also raising awareness for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association on The Longest Day. The Longest Day, also known as summer solstice, is the day with the most light in the calendar year.

In Plano, OAW VIPs gathered at Windhaven Meadows Park, located across the street from the OAW construction site, to stretch, walk and mingle with their future neighbors. After the walk, participants refueled with donuts and breakfast tacos under a shaded park pavilion. At PVN, residents and teammates walked the campus and then enjoyed a fundraising continental breakfast and bake sale. Several furry friends made appearances at both locations to support the worthwhile cause.  

Forefront Living is pleased to announce that more than $1,600 was raised for the Alzheimer’s Association, thanks to the combined efforts of dedicated residents and teammates! Click here to learn how you can join the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Forefront Living broke ground today on its newest senior living community, The Outlook at Windhaven.

The Plano community is located on the former site of Haggard Farms, an 18.2-acre creekside location at West Spring Creek Parkway and Windhaven Parkway, near Windhaven Meadows Park.

“The Outlook at Windhaven continues to enjoy great interest from Plano, and surrounding area seniors, and is already more than 70 percent pre-sold,” said Tim Mallad, CEO of Forefront Living. “We look forward to 2024 when construction will be complete and The Outlook at Windhaven will be home to a thriving community of people.”

The Outlook at Windhaven will be a gated community offering 153 independent living apartment homes, 30 independent living cottage homes, 32 assisted living apartment homes and 24 memory support suites. The independent living apartments will feature 14 unique floor plans ranging from 900-1,950 square feet. The independent living cottages will feature two distinct floor plan options ranging from 1,800-2,000 square feet and will include front porches, private courtyards and attached garages. Additionally, the campus will showcase a state-of-the-art clubhouse with dining, fitness, entertainment and other lifestyle amenities.

A groundbreaking celebration will be held in early fall 2022.

“We engaged a stellar group of seasoned and experienced partners to help design and build a senior living community that blends casual elegance with the richness of nature,” continued Mallad. “Our team represents the best and the brightest in the senior living industry, and we are proud to bring this community as well as more than 120 new jobs to Plano.”

The Outlook at Windhaven project team includes Greystone Communities, senior living development consultants; Three Living Architecture; Andres Construction; TBG Partners, landscape architect; Bridget Bohacz & Associates, interior design; Kimley-Horn, civil engineer; B.C. Ziegler and Company, financing; and CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, auditor.

For more information, please call 972-996-3887 or visit TheOutlookatWindhaven.org.

View media coverage:

Dallas Morning News | Candy’s Dirt | Community Impact | Plano Magazine | Biznow.com | SeniorHousingBusiness.com | Plano Star Courier

Recently, twelve teammates became certified coaches following an interactive training session for DementiaLive®, a specialized program featuring unique dementia simulation as well as offering awareness training. DementiaLive® provides an inside-out understanding of dementia and the aging process by offering participants an impactful immersion experience to increase awareness of the challenges associated with living with dementia. The program also delivers valuable tips and tools designed to improve communication and connection between patients and caregivers by heightening understanding, deepening empathy and elevating care. The first Forefront Living DementiaLive® orientation occurred this past week.

The famous quote “If you build it, they will come” from the 1989 baseball movie, Field of Dreams, has a special meaning to The Outlook at Windhaven (OAW). This week construction began at the site of the future community AND a group of those planning to move in once it is built enjoyed an outing at the Frisco RoughRiders ballpark!

Forty-eight VIPs and the entire OAW sales team attended the Frisco RoughRiders vs. Midland RockHounds game on the afternoon of June 14. While the temperature soared around the 100 degree mark, the OAW crew kept cool in a private, shaded section as they sipped cold beverages, and ate hamburgers and hot dogs. OAW VIP, Don Bishop, even caught a home run ball! As the game progressed in Frisco, construction equipment was delivered and excavation began at the site in Plano.

The OAW team continues to hold events like this ‘afternoon at the ballpark’ to help build the community of residents as the physical community is being constructed; giving a new meaning to the quote “If you build it, they will come”!

Follow us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn and visit our website often to stay up-to-date on construction progress and future events!

When did you begin employment at Faith Presbyterian Hospice (FPH/Faith) and what was your job title when you began?

I was a Registered Nurse (RN) Case Manager when I joined Faith in May of 2013, almost nine years ago!

What is your current job title?

I am the Patient Care Manager for the Simmons Inpatient Unit.

Can you share a little about your professional growth within the organization? What has helped you advance in your career? What has kept you at Forefront Living?

I believe in positivity, having a strong sense of integrity and being an advocate for patients and teammates. I love my teammates and believe Forefront Living does good work for the community – this has kept me here for nine years. 

What do you like best about working here?

I love to help people! If I can leave work at the end of the day and feel like I have helped someone, then it has been a great day.

Please share a special “Moment That Mattered” to you.

There are so many! When I see the Certified Nursing Aides (CNA) I work with providing gentle care during a patient’s last moments, when I hear the Chaplain praying with loved ones at a patient’s bedside, when I see the Social Worker being a supportive shoulder to cry on for a grieving spouse, when I see children smiling with the Child Life Therapist, when I hear “Amazing Grace” sung by the Music Therapist during a patient’s final moments, when I see the Massage Therapists working their magic and bringing peace to patients, when I see RNs and Nurse Practitioners giving their all to the patients and families day in and day out – these are the Moments that Matter!

Please share a little about yourself personally.

I love to bake and try new recipes. I enjoy walking my dog, Tippy. Tippy is almost 80lbs now! She was only 3lbs when we rescued her as a puppy. I am married to a wonderful man, Jordan! We have two sons, Elijah (age 9) and Isaac (age 8). They are my world!

Brooks Loukas, member of Boy Scout Troop 82 of Dallas, built a “Comfort Cart” for the T. Boone Pickens Hospice Center (TBPHC) as his Eagle Scout Service Project. Also part of his project was organizing a drive to collect items to stock the cart. The cart he constructed is designed to be part of the hospice center’s concierge program and is stocked with snacks, mints, gum, tissue, books, Bibles, phone chargers, playing cards and other comfort items. Volunteers will wheel the Comfort Cart from room to room to provide entertainment, comfort and enjoyment to patients and their families.

The Comfort Cart project was planned, refined, built and delivered in the period of eight months. The project involved around 15 volunteers, including fellow Boy Scouts, adults and other youth volunteers who worked a combined 151 hours on the planning and execution of the project. Brooks raised more than $1,100 from 23 donors and also collected items to stock the cart valued at several hundred dollars. Brooks and the scout volunteers delivered the cart to the TBPHC in late February and it is expected to be in service this summer. Brooks completed his Eagle Scout Board of Review on March 31 and was formally inducted as an Eagle Scout in the Troop 82 Court of Honor held on May 9.

More about Eagle Scout Service Projects:

Eagle Scout Service Projects are designed for Eagle Scout Candidates to contribute to their community while learning valuable planning and leadership skills. The goal of these projects is to qualify the candidate to become an Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank of the Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America). Because it takes years of hard work, service and determination to become an Eagle Scout, this prestigious milestone is recognized across the country and the world. Learn more Eagle Scout requirements, here.

On the evening of May 10, Each Moment Matters Host Committee Members gathered at the beautiful home of Jennifer and Richard Dix to kick-off the upcoming Each Moment Matters Luncheon.

This signature fundraising event, to be held Sept. 23, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, benefits The Faith Caring Fund at Faith Presbyterian Hospice. Guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails and delicious bites while learning more about The Faith Caring Fund, providing benevolent care for those who do not have the financial resources or insurance coverage for end-of-life services.

Guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails and delicious bites while learning more about The Faith Caring Fund, providing benevolent care for those who do not have the financial resources or insurance coverage for end-of-life services.

Through generous donor support, more than $650,000 was raised at last year’s luncheon. Forefront Living is grateful for the wonderful volunteers serving on this year’s Host Committee including:

Visit eachmomentmatters.org for more information.