COVID-19: How you can lend a hand to help Saint Therese

Saint Therese • March 25, 2020

As many of you have seen via social media, Saint Therese is focused on guest and resident well-being — ensuring they thrive in a holistically healthy environment. That means each person’s physical, spiritual and emotional wellness is a priority.


Since restricting visitors and adhering to social distancing guidelines in an effort to protect our communities against COVID-19, we have been simply overwhelmed by your heartfelt requests to help our residents, guests and employees. Here are a few things you can do to lend a hand:


Send a love note to Saint Therese residents.

If you’d like to share a little love with the residents, send a love note! We welcome your words of encouragement, letters, trivia, word games, riddles, jokes or anything else you’d like to pass along.


You can send a note directly to marketing@sainttherese.org with an attached JPEG, Word doc or PDF. Or, you may also send a letter via USPS to any of our communities, C/O: Activities.


Send us your unused face masks.


Just like other health care providers, Saint Therese is impacted by the nation’s shortage in medical supplies. Whereas we’re practicing strict conservation methods, our caregivers welcome and appreciate any unused supplies you may be interested in sharing with us.

 • N95 masks (3M 1860; 1860S; 1870PLUS preferred)
• Procedural Masks


PLEASE NOTE: factory-made masks can only be used by our employees if donated in original packaging.


Please kindly contact any of our communities to secure a drop-off time with our Executive Director. You may also mail items to any address listed here.


Get crafty: make homemade masks for our caregivers.


Cloth health care masks can be effective in protecting caregivers from COVID-19 if made with a non-woven filter. Thank you, North Memorial Health, for this great video tutorial:

Jennifer Tessmer-Tuck, MD of North Memorial Health Hospital shows us how to make a cloth health care mask with filter pocket to protect employees & residents from COVID-19.

Please kindly contact any of our communities to secure a drop-off time with our Executive Director. You may also mail items to any address listed here.


Drop-off unused thermometers.


To protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19, we have implemented daily temperature checks for our employees. So we may continue to adhere to this policy, all Saint Therese locations are in-need of non-invasive thermometers:


 • Temporal thermometers
• Infrared thermometers


Share our job postings with anyone seeking employment.


Our hearts are with those families who have been impacted by a lay-off or displacement due to COVID-19. Saint Therese has both clinical and non-clinical job opportunities where our welcoming teams are ready to support a candidate’s immediate start.


 • Housekeepers
• Home Health Aides (HHA)
• Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA/NAR)
• RNs & LPNs
• Dining services: Servers, Aides & Cooks
• Business Office personnel
• Recreation Assistants


Contact our human resources team if you need any assistance or accomodations. (And, by the way, we’re Equal Opportunity Employer.)


Fulfill our Activities teams’ wish lists.


Saint Therese’s activities teams are creatively working to keep residents engaged, entertained and in good spirits! A few items have been requested on behalf of our residents:

  • Beanie Babies
  • BINGO prizes
  • Individually wrapped candy
  • Large-print crosswords
  • Large-print word finds
  • Large-print Sudoku
  • Magazines
  • Adult coloring books (Skill: easy)
  • Easter baskets & filling
  • Single-person craft kits
  • Pens
  • Markers, crayons & colored pencils
  • Stationary & postage stamps
  • Bright, fun stickers
  • Quilting squares, fabric & fabric glue (Oxbow Lake)
  • Sewing kits, needles & thread (Oxbow Lake)

Activities’ items may be brought to any Saint Therese community and dropped off at our front entrance. Please label your donation as being for Saint Therese Activities. We would appreciate if you also included your name and address so we may properly thank you for your support.


Take a moment to pray.


As we all adjust to a new lifestyle for the time being, consider saying a prayer for those who have suffered loss, those going above and beyond to safeguard others’ health and for those whose spirits need a little extra strength.


Remember, we’re in this together.


You provide the encouragement and inspiration to continue making every day extraordinary at Saint Therese. We cannot thank you enough for taking time out of your day to spread a little love to our residents, guests and employees. Your efforts help Saint Therese stay focused on resident well-being. We consider ourselves lucky to have such amazing people making up the Saint Therese family. God bless you all and be well!

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About

At Saint Therese, our heartfelt purpose since 1968 has been a people first approach to living well by providing senior care and services where every life we touch feels welcomed, respected, and heard. We achieve this by doing ordinary things with extraordinary love every single day. Contact us to learn more. 

By Barb Hemberger August 29, 2025
“There is no timetable for grief; it unfolds in its own way, in its own time.” – Unknown On August 30, we pause to honor Grief Awareness Day—a reminder that grief is both universal and deeply personal. At Saint Therese senior living communities, grief is not an abstract idea. It is woven into the daily lives of residents, families, and caregivers alike. To better understand this journey, we spoke with five of our pastoral care directors, who accompany people through life’s most difficult transitions. At Saint Therese, we are proud to have full-time pastoral care directors in our communities, ensuring that compassionate spiritual support is always present. Their reflections remind us that grief is not something to “get over,” but something to live with, honor, and grow through. Grief in Daily Life at Saint Therese Each director shared that grief extends beyond the moment of death. It includes the loss of independence, the decline of health, the move into senior living, or even the passing of a fellow resident or staff member. Duane Bauer of Saint Therese of Woodbury emphasized the importance of normalizing grief. “What would it be like if you didn’t grieve your spouse? We grieve because we were in relationship. A new normal has to come out of it.” His role, he says, is to listen more than talk, to walk alongside without judgment, and to create sacred moments of farewell such as “sacred sending” rituals for families and staff. John Ilkka at Saint Therese of Oxbow Lake speaks about grief as a deeply personal and non-linear process. He emphasizes that there are no “magic words” to take away someone’s pain. Instead, his role is to listen, provide space, and reassure people that whatever they are feeling is valid. “The simplest thing is, whatever you’re feeling is ok. Grieving takes time, and it’s hard work,” he shared. For John, honoring grief means letting people lead the way—sometimes needing presence, sometimes needing space—and always being authentic. Beth O’Hare-Fisher at Saint Therese – IHM Senior Living often encounters grief during visits, when new residents open up about the loss of a spouse or sibling. She organizes Circles of Sharing, where residents gather to name and remember those who have died. For her, the key is acknowledging loss and affirming feelings without rushing the process. Mollie Dvorak of Saint Therese of Corcoran speaks passionately about anticipatory grief—the mourning that begins even before a loved one passes. She uses books like Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss, and The Invisible String to help residents and staff process emotions. For her, grief is not something to fix, but something to witness with compassion. Mary Lou Swinerton of Saint Therese St. Mary of the Woods adds that grief is a life event that encompasses the whole community. “It requires that we recognize that our Saint Therese community is bigger than our specific place. The entire community—residents, families, and staff—grieve. We must recognize this collective grief, name it, and honor it. It may be a sudden death of a resident’s son across the country, a memorial service for a resident’s loss, or even the bittersweet moment when someone leaves the community to be closer to family. Journeying with residents and staff in grieving means understanding that grief is not a one-size-fits-all event.” Together, these directors show us that grief is not just about endings—it is also about presence, memory, and care. Gentle Practices for Navigating Grief From these conversations, five guiding practices emerge: 1. Give Yourself Permission Grief doesn’t follow a timetable. It can show up as sadness, anger, relief, or even laughter. Whatever you’re feeling is valid. 2. Tell Your Story Sharing memories of a loved one keeps their presence alive. Whether in a support group, a circle of remembrance, or over coffee with a friend, storytelling helps heal. 3. Lean into Community As Duane noted, grief is less overwhelming when shared. Find a faith group, a grief support circle, or simply a trusted listener. 4. Practice Self-Care Grief can exhaust body, mind, and spirit. Be gentle with yourself. Rest, eat well, pray or meditate, and allow space for your own healing. 5. Embrace the “New Normal” Life after loss will not be the same—but in time, it can hold meaning again. The journey is not about “moving on,” but about moving forward. A Shared Journey At Saint Therese, grief is not something to be avoided. It is something to be honored—with listening ears, compassionate presence, and rituals of remembrance. As our pastoral care directors remind us, grief is a sign of love, and love always has the final word.
By Barb Hemberger July 29, 2025
At Saint Therese of Woodbury , a unique group of residents gathers twice a year not just to sing—but to connect, inspire, and celebrate the joy of music. The Saint Therese of Woodbury Choir, the only choir across all Saint Therese communities, offers two one-hour concerts each year—one in December with a Christmas theme, and a second during the summer. This year's summer performance, held in June, was called “ Music from the Movies ” and featured beloved classics including Que Sera Sera, The Bare Necessities, Tuxedo Junction and Singin’ in the Rain. Residents and guests filled the chapel for a heartwarming program filled with nostalgia, harmony, and connection. Founded in 2018 by Therese Stecher , a lifelong pianist and retired critical care nurse, the Woodbury choir started with just 10 members and has now grown to 24 dedicated singers. “The biggest fear people have is they haven’t sung in so long, they think they can’t do it,” Stecher says. “But the muscles that control the vocal cords—you just need to work them.” Stecher arranges each songbook specifically for aging voices and emphasizes that this is not simply a singalong group. “We’re here to learn a show,” she says. “The expectations are high, but the reward is even greater.” The choir practices for months before each performance.
By Barb Hemberger July 21, 2025
Discover how the Saint Therese Auxiliary’s six-decade legacy of volunteerism and community support will live on through two lasting endowment funds.