With Saint Therese, Youth Shall Be Served

Barb Hemberger • June 2, 2022

Schafhauser said working with seniors inspired her to continue on the path of helping the elderly and she came to the conclusion that she wants to be a nurse. “Because of her [woman suffering from memory loss], I have an intimate appreciation for loving support and subsequently strive to make my presence one that emanates compassion,” Schafhauser said.



“As a nurse, I want to be a guiding light on the part of others as they find who they were meant to be and learn to love life again.”


To be eligible for the Youth Volunteer Scholarship, volunteers had to be in grades 9-12 during the 2021-22 school year, and have completed a minimum of 20 volunteer hours with one or more seniors by the date of their submission. They had to reside in the seven county Twin Cities metro area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington), or the western Wisconsin counties of Pierce and St. Croix. The scholarship will run again during the 2022-2023 school year; information can be found at https://www.sainttherese.org/get-involved/volunteer/youth-volunteer-scholarship.

Earlier this year Saint Therese announced the winners of its Youth Volunteer Scholarships.


Champlin resident Hallie Sweeter and Woodbury native Grace Schafhauser. As the school year ends this month, we are showcasing their essays and photos of them receiving their scholarships.



Hallie Sweeter, a sophomore at Champlin Park High School, volunteered in the beauty salon at Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake in Brooklyn Park. In her essay, Sweeter described how much she looked forward to working with seniors and recognized how important socializing is, not only for seniors, but also for herself. Over time she became more comfortable talking on the phone (something she said her tech-savvy generation isn’t used to) and conversing with seniors.

“A large sentiment amongst my generation is our fear of talking to authority and adults, and I definitely feel that volunteering with seniors can help with that,” wrote Sweeter in her essay. “The ability to be comfortable talking with a wide variety of people is an extremely impactful skill, as it helps connect you to others around you. Volunteering with seniors has shown me that, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities, life skills and lessons that have been offered to me through this program.”


Sweeter plans to use her $2,000 scholarship award for college tuition.



Grace Schafhauser, a senior at Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, volunteered at a memory care facility in Maplewood. She described how she formed a deep connection with a woman suffering from memory loss, which inspired her to continue to volunteer with the elderly because it has allowed her to make multiple meaningful connections. And, it inspired her career choice as she has since decided to attend the nursing program at Texas Christian University (TCU), where she will use her $2,000 scholarship award for tuition.

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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. 

How to Know When Your Aging Parent Needs More Care: Lessons from Local Experts

By Barb Hemberger • December 15, 2025
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By Kathryn Wamstad, M.S., CCC-SLP Did you know that speech therapists treat more than just your speech? They do indeed! In fact, one of the primary focuses of a Speech Language Pathologist in the geriatric setting is swallow therapy. Speech therapists treat swallowing difficulty because the same muscles and nerves used for talking are used for chewing and swallowing. Swallowing difficulty is called dysphagia. It can occur because of a stroke, brain injury, cancer, neurological disease like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, surgery involving the neck, and other aging related complications. Dysphagia can lead to reduced quality of life with eating/drinking, malnutrition, dehydration, and pneumonia as a result of aspiration. Aspiration is when food or drink is accidently inhaled down into the airway/ lungs. What Are Symptoms of Dysphagia? Facial droop, drooling, losing food and liquid out of the mouth and lips Difficulty chewing and controlling the food and liquids from the front to the back of the mouth, and food left in the mouth after you swallow Throat clearing, coughing or choking right after a bite or drink Feeling food or drink “go down the wrong tube” or get stuck in your throat Wet/gurgly voice quality, watery eyes, and runny nose while eating Feeling like food is stuck in your chest, sensation that food takes a while to go down, heart burn, or food coming back up (regurgitation) Weight loss, malnutrition or dehydration because of difficulty eating, extra time and effort required to eat, and frequent occurrences of aspiration pneumonia Assessment of Dysphagia Speech therapists assess swallowing difficulty by asking questions and observing you eat and drink to see if the above symptoms are noted. If symptoms of swallowing difficulty are reported or observed, it is recommended that you participate in a Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study. This is an x-ray video of the swallow that allows us to see how the internal structures of your throat are working to determine the cause of your swallowing difficulty, for creation of a treatment plan.

A Quiet Hero at Woodbury: Honoring Navy Veteran John Thuente This Veterans Day

By Barb Hemberger • November 11, 2025
At Saint Therese of Woodbury , stories of courage and compassion often live quietly among us — tucked behind gentle smiles, modest gestures and humble words. This Veterans Day, we honor one such story: that of John Thuente , a Navy veteran whose service in Vietnam revealed not only bravery in the skies but deep humanity that continues to inspire. A Minnesotan’s Call to Serve John grew up in St. Paul, fascinated by airplanes and determined to fly. Following his father’s example of service, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and graduated in 1964. After flight school in California, he was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (image below) as a navigator and weapons officer, flying F-4 Phantom jets over North Vietnam.