I'll be the first to admit that most of my experiences with Wesley Manor Retirement Community have…read morebeen rather casual. In other words, I've visited residents and, in one case, visited one resident multiple times while also having the opportunity to utilize the Wesley Manor walking trail while on a Tenderness Tour awareness event in Frankfort. Wesley Manor is an 83-acre retirement campus. It's operated by a non-profit organization and associated with the United Methodist Church. Wesley Manor offers a wide range of residential options ranging from independent living to Memory Care. They have an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, a greenhouse, and even the only bowling alley in Clinton County. Wesley Manor is right next to Frankfort Commons, a golf course, and residents can golf there for free. The key friend who I had who resided at Wesley Manor began in the assisted living area before eventually moving to the skilled nursing area where she passed away. She resided at Wesley Manor quite a bit longer than most people do reside in retirement communities, but the visits I had were always positive and she was for the most part well cared for throughout her time (It likely did help that her son was quite involved). As noted, they have a walking trail that was quite wheelchair friendly even on the day I arrived when it was horridly rainy and gross. I was with my friend whose mother lived at Wesley Manor and we were able to visit (pre-Covid) without any difficulty. A visit to Wesley Manor reveals that facility quality really depends on where you're staying. There's a much older building, which is where my friend lived, while the independent living areas seem to be much newer and more up-to-date. I didn't really mind the older building, but there is little denying that it has a more institutional feeling to it. I think it speaks volumes about quality of care when someone does live for quite a while in a setting - the environment and people at Wesley Manor seemed to always be positive and empowering. As a person with a disability myself, it's always challenging because you want a setting that both honors limitations yet still believes in a person's ability. It seems like for the most part that's what happens here. I miss being able to visit here and I haven't done another event in Frankfort recently, but I remember fondly my visits here and the care and compassion shown to multiple friends. While some of the facilities are undeniably older, overall you have quality facilities and staff for those in need.

The Chi Chapter of Psi Iota Xi, located in Brookston, was chartered in 1921. They meet monthly…read more They raise money to support local community and have donated funds to: Frontier Elementary Bare Books, Boy Scouts, Elementary and High School Music Departments, Brookston Library, Frontier High School Scholarship, and other local projects. They also rent out the use of their house to community members. It has been used for showers, graduation parties, family reunions, and it is also used by a local art club and yoga instructor.

My girlfriend and I visited the Farm at Prophetstown this weekend after checking out the Tippecanoe…read moreBattlefield Museum earlier in the day and realizing this was right down the road. The site is a working farm depicting 1920s farm life, complete with two homes that were built from kits the original owners ordered from the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog. They're fully furnished with period-appropriate materials and visitors can browse through at their leisure. There's also a barn for the animals and a blacksmith shop. We had a quick visit because it was a cold, rainy March day, but the animals were a particular highlight. The farm houses were neat, but I think we would have enjoyed them more if we'd visited when there were historic interpreters to discuss the buildings and their contents. Still, a nice afternoon trip.

I find the farm to be so delightful. We went on a "Meet the animals" day, and I got to meet all…read moresorts of critters! So what if I was the only adult there without a child. Don't judge me. I love that all their animals are rescued and rehomed, and they emphasize that mission while still using age-appropriate language. For example, adults can tell that the female mini horse is a rescue and came from a bad situation, but kids just know she's skittish. That's just about perfect. I also appreciate that I know that none of the animals (in particular, the cows and chickens) are going to be dinner for anyone. I recommend following their social media. They tend to give announcements about events, as well as generally let you know what's going on with the animals at the farm.

My team and I had a down day at work since it was inventory so we were looking for a volunteer…read moreproject to do together. We work at a different food bank so we thought it'd be cool to visit and see what's the same and what's different. It was super easy to go online and sign up for a shift. The directions were clear and I appreciated the easy parking. The staff person and the crew of regular volunteers were so friendly! We were bagging up bulk Cheerios into family-sized bags. We had a blast and they were even kind enough to show us around afterwards. The other volunteer projects that day included bagging fresh green beans and sorting donated food items.

The office is always welcoming to both volunteers and those in need. They strive to be of service…read moreto others and help the community.

Being homeschoolers with a strong focus on animal welfare, my son and I were really intrigued by…read moreIndiana Coyote Rescue Center and wanted to learn more about this local rescue/sanctuary. I contacted them thru their Facebook page, via messenger, and inquired about an educational tour. While they are not "open to the public," per say, they are happy to set up a private tour with anyone. We weren't sure what to expect. I hoped that it wouldn't be a sad experience, like walking thru the kennels at your local shelter. I was surprised when I pulled up to a home, nestled into the country Indiana scenery. Jayme met us at the gate and walked us to the back of the property, where the coyotes and one red fox are held. I can't remember how many acres she said they have, but I was impressed with the spacious, green and clean kennels that everyone was kept in. Everyone looks well cared for and Jayme clearly makes great efforts to ensure everyone is living as close to natural as possible and receiving plenty of enrichment. Enclosures are full of grass, plants, trees, stumps, toys and often a kiddie pool. It was nice to see that if they can't be returned to the wild, they are at least being kept close to it. I found it interesting that instead of doing spay/neuters, the males are given vasectomies. That way, coyotes can be kept with mates without reproducing. We learned that coyotes mate for life, with parents taking equal care of their pups. So it's really important that the coyotes be kept with another for their own well being. This has also enabled them to study them, like no one else ever has. We spent nearly 2 hours, walking the property and interacting with some of the canine residents and Echo, the red fox. Jayme is a really nice, down-to-earth woman, and she was really enjoyable to learn from. For liability, you aren't allowed to touch even the more social and friendly coyotes. But we were in luck when we visited, because Jayme had just unexpectedly received a coyote pup. She said they receive most of their coyotes from illegal pet situations, and this pup was a product of just that. We were allowed to go in to her enclosure and sit down and observe her. She was curious about us, especially when we came back again with peaches. But she would only take food from Jayme. The highlight of the trip, for me, was meeting Echo the red fox. He was selectively bred to be all white, to harvest his fur. Echo is such a sweet, curious, social creature, that it's just unbearable to think of someone wanting to kill him for his coat. My son and I were so tickled to feed him some peaches and even get to put our hands out to scratch under his chin. We weren't even expecting to be able to interact so closely with any animals during our visit, understanding they are wild animals. So it was really an exciting treat for us. We learned that coyotes are not the monstrous pests that they are made out to be. They actually have an extremely important role in our ecosystem, and Jayme did an excellent job explaining what that is. I really encourage my fellow Hoosiers to check this place out and learn more about our coyotes and humane ways of managing them. They are a nonprofit and depend upon us to help them continue their mission and research. So please consider making a donation to them, in exchange for an amazing learning experience with them.

thank you for helping the little guys. this is a wonderful organization…read more ms, hammer is an angel

My husband and I have had memberships here for about 6 months. It's never overly crowded (except…read morefor January-March when everyone has that cliche New Years resolution) and I've never had to wait for a machine. If we go after 8 pm there's only a handful of people there which is great. The staff is very friendly and they got a handful of new machines about 4 months ago.

The staff is nice. The gym is clean. They offer tons of programs. What more do you need?read more

Area IV is where to go for information about local services to help you with caregiving, support…read moregroups, raising grandchildren, legal aid, Medicare, Medicaid, Disability, and more. I turn first to the people at Area IV when I need to know where to find helpful services in the Tippecanoe and surrounding counties.