How the community works to bring newcomers into the fold

By Jeff Ostroth
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The big day has arrived and you’ve just picked up the keys to your new home. The movers may not be there for a while, but you can’t wait to let yourself in.

A bit tentatively, you walk down the hall past the doors of neighbors you have yet to meet. Beside each door is a small shelf, which in most cases is adorned with some personal item the neighbor has placed there. Of course, you think, the shelf next to your door will be bare.

First greetings
Then, as you approach your door, you see on your shelf a “Welcome” sign with your name on it. Beside it is a note that reads:

“Dear ___, We are happy that you have come to join our family and share in the many activities that are available. If you have immediate questions, please feel free to contact me. Hopefully I can offer you some guidance and meet you personally.”

The note is signed by a member of Cedar Crest’s Welcome Committee and includes a phone number. A few days later, the same person follows up with call or visit.

Reaching out
“We think it’s very important to reach out to new people when they’re moving in,” says Rosemarie Allen, a coordinator for the Welcome Committee who assigns volunteers to contact newcomers and also visits them herself. “It makes them feel welcome, and that’s what our aim is.”

Rosemarie says the personal visits can also be very helpful to newcomers. “If they have any problems or questions, we can direct them to the right person on staff to contact. Or we help them out ourselves,” she says. “Sometimes it’s just a little thing.”

Following up
The Welcome Committee’s outreach is only the beginning of the effort to make newcomers feel at home. Every month, there is an orientation meeting followed by a social hour, in which new residents get to meet key staff members and other residents.