A Gift to Green Ridge
Please accept the enclosed donation from my husband Don and I in honor of and in memory of my mother, Margaret F. Collins who passed away on December 19. Thanks so much to all of the staff at Green Ridge and especially the Swaim Health Center for the wonderful care my mother received there as a resident. I just can’t say enough about all of the good things that were done for my mother. I especially remember last year that, because of the efforts of your staff, my mother was able to see her great-grandson, Christopher, graduate from West Point Military Academy on their special website on the Internet. It meant so much to our family, and especially to Christopher that Nana saw him graduate.
Most Sincerely,
Lois Bliss
A Letter About Nana
Margaret Floyd Collins was a member and deaconess of the Olivet Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg and later joined Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church. She and her husband Delphin raised five children who gave them 15 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson. The Collins’ moved to Gilliland Manor at Green Ridge Village in 1992. As a child, Christopher Moirin (one of those 21 great-grandchildren) and the grandson of Lois Bliss, loved to visit his great-grandparents and watch the ducks playing down below in the Big Spring Creek. He so loved those special visits.
His grandparents describe Christopher as an intelligent, compassionate and humble young man. His visits with Nana continued and sometimes he would be in his “plebe” uniform. During one of these visits, he noticed that the resident across the hallway was struggling to tie her shoe. Christopher excused himself from visiting his Nana to lend a hand. As he finished tying her shoe and stood to say good-by, the resident looked up at him in his dashing uniform and exclaimed “Where have YOU been all of my life?”
On May 26, 2007, while the rest of Christopher’s proud family was at West Point, staff at Green Ridge arranged for Margaret to see Christopher graduate “live” via a special webcast that West Point had set up. As each name was read, staff and Margaret tensed as they heard one Christopher after another be called. Finally, “her” Christopher’s name was read to the cheers of all in attendance. The next time Lois saw her mother, Margaret exclaimed “Boy, there were a lot of Christophers that day!”
After her husband died two days after Christmas in 1997, Margaret moved to the Swaim Health Center which became her home for the next ten years. According to her daughter Lois, the family is especially grateful to the staff who took care of her and always helped her to look nice and helped her dress up for special holidays. Her son-in-law Don teasingly called her the “Cumberland County Flash” because she was always dressed up and had such a wonderful sense of humor. She often wore a small American flag in her hair. The family is especially grateful for allowing the large family to have private get-togethers on Carriage Courts. “So many good memories,” said Lois. “Green Ridge was a blessing in my mother’s life and also in the life of my father.” She went on to say, “When her money ran out a few years ago, nothing changed…she continued to receive the best medical care!”
In appreciation, the family has donated the “Cumberland County Flash’s” clothing and shoes to the Green Ridge Auxiliary Thrift Shop which uses the proceeds from its sales to provide some of the comforts and extras that Margaret and her fellow Health Center residents benefited from through the years.