Making a Difference at Park Nursing Home Wally and Martha Helton are leaders of the Park Nursing Home Partner Team at Chase Oaks. They are dedicated to making a difference in our community by caring for seniors. The team calls bingo and provides companionship to some of the residents who don’t have family or visitors. They got involved when they served with Faith, Family, and Friends, Chase Oaks’ LifeGroup for adults with special needs. When the group decided to focus on a food bank as their ministry, Martha and Wally’s LifeGroup took over. “We got the idea to expand this ministry because Tracy asked us to lead...and then God showed up and the rest is history,” said Martha and Wally. God’s Provision The Park Team needed more people to serve, so Martha and Wally opened it up to any Chase Oaker wanting to serve. God kept showing up. A LifeGroup with young children asked if they could bring their kids. Now, the residents look forward to children calling bingo, handing out prizes, and passing out snacks. Cards for Residents Recently, God sent a student, Olivia Nutter, from Oklahoma City University. She asked if she could make Easter cards for the residents to complete 10 hours of service for her world religions course. Martha and Wally said, “We talked on the phone and she is a wonderful young woman with a servant’s heart and we couldn’t believe she contacted us. The residents will be so blessed by her gift. So many are lonely and forgotten.”Resident Companion Program One day, a bingo resident shared with the team that she has no visitors and no family. "That prompted us to ask the nursing home for a list of those residents that don’t have visitors. We call this the Park Nursing Home Resident Companion Program," said Wally and Martha. Team members pair up with a lonely resident and come around the resident to take care of needs a family would normally meet. Whataburger for the Residents When you ask the residents what they want or need, most say they would love a Whataburger. For some, it has been years since they had one. So, on April 2, the team delivered 50 cheeseburgers, french fries, and cookies from Whataburger as well as some cheer to the residents since they can’t have visitors right now. Everyone had a part, including the children on the team. Posters and signs covered the windows. Martha and Wally said, “The enthusiasm and participation was overwhelming. We almost had too many signs. The resident’s faces as they passed the signs was all we needed to see to be reassured we had hit a home run.” Those are just a few examples of how God has shown His favor to this beautiful ministry. “The Park Team is an amazing group of people with huge servant’s hearts,” said Martha and Wally. They are so thankful to Outreach Director Tracy Parlin and Chase Oaks for providing the platform to bring joy to this community. How to Get Involved Want to make a difference in the lives of seniors? There is an opening for two more teams to call bingo on Saturdays. You can also be a Resident Companion, or you can help plan and fund special parties for the residents or staff. Join the Park Nursing Home Partner Team by contacting Wally and Martha Helton at wally.helton@yahoo.com or visiting our Partner Teams Page.