Life Under The Willow Tree

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Shelly Hockenbrocht, Lead Morning Hostess and Mentor Description: Shelly Hockenbrocht is the kind of employee HR Directors dream of hiring. Eager to work hard and learn everything, Shelly started at Willow Valley at age 17, still a Junior in high school. In her Senior year, she worked full-time in WV in culinary, afternoons and evenings. Thirty-nine years ago, when t...

Fun in Lancaster County Lancaster Central Market (Ann), located at 23 North Market Street in downtown Lancaster, is the oldest continuously operating farmers' market in the United States. It is open year-round on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and offers everything from local produce and meats to cheeses, crafts, and handmade items. Walking Tours of Downtown Lancaster (Tom): The visitor center n...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Alice Pero, WV resident, a retired nurse, and Quester member Description: WV resident Alice Pero introduces us to QUESTERS, a non-profit organization that promotes education, preservation, and restoration of artifacts, memorials, historical buildings, and landmarks. Host Carol MacAllister loves history because she believes if we fail to learn from the past, we are do...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: Pamela Bailey, Sr. Director of Resident Health & Wellness Services and Andrea Petrokonis, Credentialed Nurse Practioner Description: The Willow Valley Integrity Health office is a fully operational Primary Care Provider, offering routine exams, preventative care, acute illness visits, chronic disease management, diagnostic tests ordering, vaccinations, and many othe...

Host: Bill Adams Guest: Aaron Sherman, Odyssey Group Wealth Advisors Description: This podcast interview explores the differences between charity and philanthropy, emphasizing the latter's strategic and long-term approach to giving. The interviewee, a wealth manager, outlines a process for individuals and families to engage in thoughtful philanthropy, beginning with meeting their own needs and the...

Host: Don Helin Guest: Creg Scott, Design Architect, Historian on C Emlen Urban Description: Greg Scott is a partner emeritus and the co-founder of RLPS Architects in Lancaster. PA. He is also the author of the “Design Interventions” columns in the Lancaster newspaper. Greg is the author of URBAN LEGEND, the first hardcover book ever written about Lancaster’s most notable architect, C. Emlen Urban...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: Jerry Schramm and Allison Connelly, LEMS staff Description: We all depend on and even take for granted Lancaster’s EM Services, but did you know they receive no tax dollars, and Lancaster City is thinking of taking away their yearly contribution to this non-profit service to balance the city budget? That means a cutback on this life-saving service! Membership: OUR m...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Pat McGee, WV Resident Services Office Manager Description: “Call the front desk; they’ll know.” That is a refrain spoken daily by WV residents, new and long-timers, for indeed, it seems our Concierges do know everything about Willow Valley and our community. They are supreme multi-taskers as they answer the phones, receive and log in packages, help residents registe...

Host: Dale Johnson Guest: Dr. Michael Mumma, Astrobiologist Description: We welcome Dr. Michael Mumma, WV resident and renowned astrobiologist. He explores the fascinating question of intelligent life in the universe. Hear his thought-provoking insights on why other intelligent life might be expected – or why it could be rare or even non-existent. He also shares the latest technologies being used...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Kendall Hunsicker, Senior VP for Willow Valley Health Care Description: After 25 years of service at Willow Valley and four decades of working in the Health Care world, Kendall is finally taking her well-deserved retirement. It took some effort to get Kendall away from her packed calendar to do this podcast, but we wanted all our residents to know just who it is that...

Host: Dale Johnson Guests: Barry Sipe, Joe & Bridget Kasinskas Description: In this episode, team member Barry Sipe, who helps new residents transition smoothly into our community, shares his top tips for settling in. We also hear from two relatively new residents, who offer their insights from a newcomer’s perspective. Host Dale Johnson, a longtime resident, adds his valuable perspective as well.

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest, Jen White, WV Manager of Catering & Retail Services Description: In 1992, Jen White was fresh out of Quarryville, PA, high school when her mother insisted she find a job. As they drove to Willow Valley, Jen cried all the way, but by the end of the day, she called her mother to say she had made a friend and would not need to be picked up. And so, a lifelong friendship...

Host: Bill Adams Guest: Susan Culbertson, Teacher of all things APPLE Description: Technology is ever-evolving, and Apple has always been at the forefront of innovations, both with its computers and now especially its phones and smartwatches. It is hard to keep up with it all, but Susan does. And she has been teaching multiple classes at Willow Valley on how to take full advantage of all that APPL...

Guest: Ray Loewe Host: Deborah Brandt, founder and CEO of Fig Industries Description: Deborah Brandt is the founder and CEO of Fig Industries, a company devoted to showing all who live in and near Lancaster City what a fantastic place Lancaster City is to live, work, and play. Today Deborah explains all Lancaster City has to offer, from a vibrant arts scene to ethnically diverse restaurants to Bro...

Host: Candace O’Donnell Guest: Ronald James Scholl, Certified Nursing Assistant Description: R.J., known on the floor at Lakeside, gives exceptional care. Not only is he strong, skilled, and well-trained, but most importantly, he is CARING. R.J. is just one of the many wonderful nursing assistants throughout the WV Health Care system. Growing old is not easy, and when the body and mind begin to br...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Tammi Brennan, Personal Trainer Description: Tammi Brennan was a featured guest speaker at a two-day seminar organized by Willow Valley resident and founder of the Life Under the Willow Tree Podcast, Ray Loewe. After retirement, Ray found he needed help reorienting and reinvigorating his life. Tammi helped him find new meaning, projects, friendships, and greater fulf...

Host: Bill Adams Guest: Dr. Robert Winningham, Professor of Psychological Sciences Description: There is mounting evidence that lifestyle factors, including staying mentally and physically active, can maximize our memory ability and even delay memory loss. Dr. Willingham shares with Bill Adams the latest research including how aerobic and resistance training (weights, even light ones) positively a...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Madeleine Ortman Description: Madeleine Ortman moved to Willow Valley after a long career in education, first as a teacher, to a principal, and then as head of several different private and independent schools. She then moved into consulting with Independent School Management, traveling around the world. She moved to Willow Valley in December 2021. Hereditary issues...

Host: Candance O’Donnell Guest: Carol Church Description: Carol Church taught science and math in schools in the “hollers” of West Virginia and then began to learn to fly. Eventually, she became a full-time commercial pilot and instructor (including training the pilot that flies the PA governor around.) When she decided she'd eventually need a different career, she went to night school to become a...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: Cori Steiner, WV Director of Resident Services Alice Pero, WV resident and retired nurse Description: Today, we are talking about suicide with two courageous people whose lives were deeply affected by the suicide of or attempts at suicide by a family member. We talked about what helped them deal with it in the immediate aftermath, what was helpful from others and wh...

Host: Ray Loewe Guests: Don Helin, Alexandra Koys, Tammi Brannin, & Glenna Crooks Description: Our speakers for our September 18 - 19 conference tell you why you need to attend and what value you'll receive from attending.

Host: Bill Adams Guest: Al Williams, President of the WV Computer Club Description: With Computer Scams on the rise, especially targeting seniors who may not be as computer literate as they wish, Bill and Al explore how to spot these scams and how to deal with them. These scamers are so good, it is easy to click on what looks like a legitimate website or message only to be instantly pulled into a...

Host: Ray Loewe Guest: Don Helin Description: A conference we are bringing to Willow Valley on September 18-19th is going to help you find new magic in your life. 1. What happens when things change in your life and how do you adjust and rebound from them. For example, retirement ends your work life, routine, identity. What do you do next. Or illness changes one’s mobility. Or what do you do when a...

Host: Ray Loewe Guests: Nancy Loane, Peter MeCouch, Lyra Newswanger Description: Two winners of the Team Members Scholarship, Peter MeCouch and Lyra Newswanger, and Scholarship committee member, Nancy Loane, were interviewed by Ray Loewe. Peter, who works at the Lakes dining room, will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York, majoring in physics and mathematics. He ult...

Host: Candace McDonnell Guest: Michael Finn Description: Michael Finn, has been enthralled with the art of cinema since he watched silent movies as a child. Now in his 95th year, he continues to screen 2-4 films weekly and publishes a popular blog, https://omattm.blogspot.com/.” You’ll be astonished at his insights, his grasp of film history, and his talent with the words of this Mid-Rise Resident...