Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Oh My!

 By BENNY FAIRCHILD

Going back to October of 2009 social media has been a valuable tool in the marketing toolbox at United Helpers. 

United Helpers first Facebook profile photo

It all started with a photo of the management company building at 732 Ford Street in Ogdensburg. Over the years, the United Helpers Facebook page has been filled with pictures of employee recognition events, fun outings for our residents or program members, exciting news, and during the COVID-19 pandemic the page experienced tremendous growth thanks in large part to what we called "The United Helpers Smile of the Day," which went on for way longer than any of ever imagined when we first started sharing a nugget of positivity each day.

Today the United Helpers Facebook page has more than 4,200 followers and continues to be a great source for organizational news and happenings, fun photos, and during the month of December updates on the whereabouts of Sparky the Elf.

United Helpers sent out its first tweet in April of 2014, and while Twitter isn't used as often of Facebook or Instagram, since that time nearly 300 tweets have gone out, including "101 Days of Stressbusters," which were posted on consecutive days during the spring of 2022.

Our first-ever tweet featured a shout-out to current United Helpers Management Company Board of Directors member "Wolfman Ray Knight," better known today to members of the organization as Ray Babowicz. 

Our first tweet

Instagram is also a new member of the United Helpers Social Media family, with a following that has grown to well over 500 people in just over a year. Scrolling back through Instagram postings, the first posting available on the page fittingly congratulates Alysha Troiano following her promotion to Director of Nursing. Ms. Troiano remains in that same position today.

Our oldest Instagram posting

If you're not already following United Helpers on social media, please do. We promise not to flood your feed, but who knows maybe someday you or someone you know will appear.

Follow us on social media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/unitedhelpers

Instagram: @united_helpers

Twitter: @united_helpers

100 Days of Smiles

Legacy of Margaret R. Spies Remembered Each Year With Direct Care Awards

By Benny Fairchild

 Each year since 2001 an elite group of United Helpers direct care employees have been recognized with the Margaret R. Spies Award.

Mrs. Spies, a former resident of United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Ogdensburg, and a retired teacher from the Hammond Central School District passed in 2000 at the age of 90.

Ann Spies, a former Management Company Board of Directors member, then created the award to honor her mother and those who provide such excellent care to people in need, whether it be the elderly or developmentally disabled. 

Each year Mrs. Spies presents the awards to staff from Rehabilitation and Senior Care, as well as Behavioral Health and Life Skills.  

“My mother was the best of the best,” she said while presenting the awards in 2018. “She was treated so well by people like you who took such great care of her. I could never express enough gratitude for what all of you, not just the three being honored here today, do each and every day with such great heart and spirit.”

A plaque listing the names of each year’s winner’s is displayed at United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Canton. The plaque was originally displayed at the former RiverLedge skilled nursing facility in Ogdensburg, where Margaret Spies resided, however following the facilities closure in 2021 the plaque was moved to Canton, where it could still be viewed by members of the direct care team. 

Helen S. Randles Scholarship Closing in on 50 Years of Awarding Area Students

By Benny Fairchild

Each year for nearly 50 years the Society of the United Helpers has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from St. Lawrence County who are planning to further their education and enter the health care field.

The Helen S. Randles Scholarship was first awarded in 1977 following its creation by Mrs. Randles, a 45-year volunteer for the United Helpers Organization.

Over the years Mrs. Randles served as Society Board President on multiple occasions. She also chaired the building committee when the United Helpers Nursing Home, later known as United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care, was first built. 

Mrs. Randles (third from left)

She greatly valued education and established the scholarship as a way to assist local students in pursuing health care careers. Past winners include students who would go on to become United Helpers employees, as well as some students who were employed by the organization at the time they were awarded.

Scholarships are awarded during a ceremony held each June where the winners and their parents are joined by scholarship committee members and dignitaries from the United Helpers organization.

After no ceremony in 2020, an in-person celebration
was again held in 2021.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual ceremony was held in
2020 and scholarship checks were mailed to the recipients.

Mrs. Randles was a true believer in the United Helpers Always Caring philosophy, even though the motto wouldn’t be officially connected with United Helpers until long after her passing.

Since the scholarship was first presented, more than 120 students have gone to college with the aid of Mrs. Randles and the legacy of caring she left behind, creating a small army of workers dedicated to spreading the mission of Always Caring, regardless of where their careers taken them.

United Helpers has a Long History of Overcoming Challenges

 By Benny Fairchild

In 1948 changes in state law necessitated the closure of the nursery at the United Helpers Home. The home continued to admit older children and senior women until laws again changed in 1959 putting an official end to the Society of the United Helper's original mission of caring for children in need.

It was in 1959 when the State Department of Social Welfare mandated that children be in placed in foster homes, rather than what they considered to be institutional settings.

While this blow could have signaled the beginning of the end, it simply marked a shift in the United Helpers mission. As the need for elder care continued to increase, United Helpers began making plans for another expansion at its State Street location, however a fire in the spring of 1968 made further renovations to the property not feasible.

It was at that time that the Society purchased the Pythian Home, which for a brief period housed United Helpers residents. The home would later be torn down to make way for the original United Helpers Nursing Home. Over the years the building would also be known as RiverLedge and United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care.

The nursing home opened in 1972, and less than 10 years later in 1979 an adult residence would also be built on the property. This home offered seniors a place to live, where they could maintain a sense of independence, but receive medication management services, and have meals prepared for them. In 1979 United Helpers also took ownership of two other nursing homes in the area, Cedars in Ogdensburg and Moongate in Canton.

The shift from caring for children to caring for the elderly was complete, although anyone familiar with the United Helpers story knows that additional changes for the organization lurk on the horizon.

On Thursday, July 16, 1970 ground was broken for construction of what would eventually become United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care in Ogdensburg. When this photo was discovered in the United Helpers Archives, it was accompanied by a newspaper clipping, allowing us to identify the individuals pictured. From left, United Helpers attorney Eric Gordon, Finance Committee Chairman John Winthrop, Project Engineer Robert Walker, Project Supervisor Scott Rutherford, Charles Sandwith, of McConville, Inc., Building Committee Co-chair Helen S. Randles, Board Vice President Christopher Acker, Society President Dr. Alta Brown, Daniel McConville, of McConville Inc., Architect Doug Lyon, Ogdensburg Mayor John F. Byrnes and Nursing Home Consultant George Needle. 

United Helpers Hosting NSC Defensive Driving Course

OGDENSBURG – United Helpers will be hosting a New York DMV approved National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course in the large staff development classroom at the former United Helpers Rehabilitation and Senior Care (RiverLedge), 8101 State Highway 68, Ogdensburg.

The class will be held on Saturday July 8 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Classes are open to employees of United Helpers, who can attend for free, as well as members of the general public. The cost for non-employees is $35. 

The class serves as a refresher course for drivers of all ages and includes safe driving tips and an overview of today’s vehicle and traffic laws.

Successful completion of the class makes attendees eligible for a mandatory insurance premium reduction of up to 10% for three years on the base rate for their automobile or motorcycle insurance premiums, provided you are listed as the principal operator. Participants may also be eligible to have up to a four points removed reduction with the NYS DMV. The class may be taken once every 18 months for point reduction.

Registration fees may be paid with cash, check or money order made out to United Helpers Care, Inc. Classes may be paid for on the day of the class.

Please bring your driver’s license with you to class.  It is a requirement that you have it with you for documentation purposes.

Advanced registration is required. To register please contact Mark Darou at (315) 393-3072 ext. 5303 or madarou@unitedhelpers.org.