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Whitney Hill Homestead Whitney Hill Homestead is designed in the style of an extended farmhouse with long porches and courtyards. It provides a warm and gracious setting for those 55 and older who wish to combine independent living with reduced maintenance. With its pastoral setting, Whitney Hill offers a relaxed environm... More Information.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 post by Kathryn Jarvis, Director of Human Resources:
An Internal Glimpse of Cathedral Square’s Culture
This summer, we offered an interesting variety of health and wellness programs for our employees to participate in. We offered our own version of the Biggest Loser Contest, organized by Rebecca Flewelling of Balanced Bodies, Balanced Lives, a summer exercise program – Get Moving Cathedral Square and monthly presentations from Dr. Angelo Marinakis, a chiropractor who presented information on the Fundamentals of Wellness - Eating Well, Moving Well and Thinking Well.
Beginning in June, employees were free to participate in all three programs or select just one or two, regardless; these programs were all a great way for our staff to focus on their individual health goals!
One of the most obvious changes was the lunches in our staff refrigerator. Within the first few weeks of our Biggest Loser Contest staff was bringing in fruit, veggies, salads, hummus, and healthy leftovers. Gone was the pizza, fast food, soda, and sodium filled frozen entrees. The water cooler conversations quickly turned to new healthy recipes ideas and trying creative ways to keep refined sugar out of our daily food choices.
To keep the Biggest Loser fun and interesting, we had monthly weigh-ins, which spurred on a healthy competition in our main office, a hula hooping and jump rope contest and fun quizzes about healthy food selections. We learned how to keep our metabolism up, all about our fat hormones and how to eat to beat stress. Dr. Marinakis inspired us to create a vision of what we want our health to be and to begin taking positive action towards wellness. And finally, our Get Moving program encouraged staff to get moving and stay active as a way to improve our overall health. Staff recorded their minutes of exercise on a monthly log sheet which made that program very easy to participate in.
And the results? Our employees lost 61.2 pounds for those that did the final weigh-in. In my mind, programs like this are priceless. Employees feel better about themselves and the sense of camaraderie was terrific. Helping each other to say “no” to the platter of brownies left over from a meeting or encouragement when someone had good results on the scale was wonderful. Employees learned new eating habits and new ways to look at health and wellness. Overall, staff really enjoyed the programs. Lise MacDonald, Property Manager/RSC said, “As an employee, I very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet with my colleagues, share nutrition tips and watch the fun jump roping. I really appreciate being in a culture that values my wellbeing.” Also, many thanks to Carmel Ewing, Human Resources Coordinator for planning this year’s wellness events.
In the fall, we have a staff hike planned up Mt. Philo, where everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful vista, fresh air and exercise. To find out more about our employee culture, check out our Employment and Volunteer page or call a member of our Human Resources staff at 863-3491 or 863-5056 to talk to us about future employment opportunities. Cathedral Square is a great place to work and get healthy at the same time.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010 post by Tim Ashe, Development Project Manager:
New North End Project Continues to Make Strides
At its final meeting in June, the Burlington Development Review Board (DRB) approved the zoning permit for our 59-unit development behind the Department of Motor Vehicles on North Avenue. This was an important milestone for the project, and allows us to proceed to Act 250. Our presentation to the DRB was emblematic of the whole development process. We were able to speak of the dozen or so community meetings we’ve attended, where we’ve engaged in an ongoing dialogue with community members to hear what they’d like the development to include, and how it ought to serve local needs. I cannot recall a single zoning application for which the developer voluntarily participated in such a thorough community engagement process. We, along with our partners at Champlain Housing and Housing Vermont, are confident that it will only better the end product.
At this point, we’re waiting to hear from HUD on a large grant application, and finalizing our state permit submissions. At present, we expect to start building the new housing in the late winter or early spring.
We held a meeting two months ago for New North Enders who may be interested in moving into the housing when it is complete. About 65 people attended which speaks to the enormous need for this type of housing. It also serves as a healthy pressure on us at Cathedral Square to make sure this is a project we and the community can be proud of.
Monday, October 12, 2009 post by Tim Ashe, Development Project Manager:
Plans for expansion at Grand Way Commons continue to make great strides. CSC is just trying to line up the final funding so we can proceed with construction. In that spirit, Amy Wright and Molly Dugan presented to the Vermont Community Development Program advisory board this past Thursday. This board, which makes recommendations to the Administration, hears from all VCDP funding applicants before determining how they believe the limited amount of federal pass through dollars should be allocated to projects throughout the state. Amy spoke to the progress already made on the project, and to the strong team we have in place to make Grand Way II the same success as Grand Way I. Molly spoke to the ballooning aging population, and the need to have proper housing with services in place as the “senior” population expands by the tens of thousands a week, which is on the horizon.
The highlight of the presentation was the presence of eight Grand Way Commons residents. These residents, who already benefit from CSC’s earlier efforts, attended to show their support for the expansion and the opportunity it will offer 28 more households like them. The highlight of the meeting was when one resident asked to speak and said that while the presentation and questions from the board had focused mostly on the building and land, it was important to not forget that we’re talking about people’s lives. She said that Grand Way Commons has offered her a high quality place to live, and she thinks of it as heaven. Everyone in the room was moved.
It really highlighted for CSC staff that the entire CSC enterprise really is one family – the staff, the residents, the family of CSC residents, and our funders and partners. We’re all part of making sure that people can live in safe, affordable, vibrant housing as they age.
Click here to learn more about our Grand Way Commons building in South Burlington.
