Yesterday’s resignation by long-time Park Ridge Senior Center Manager, Teresa Grodsky marks the beginning of the end for Park Ridge’s Senior Center. Ms. Grodgky was both the glue that held the membership together and the engine that made the center run.
I first met Teresa Grodsky the day I tendered my membership dues. She welcomed me to the center, thanked me for the cash and gave me a cooks-tour of the facility. Whenever I walked in to the building, I always received a smile and a wave. Over time, I learned from long-time members that Teresa was the reason the Center functioned so well. I also learned that she was their shepherd (with all that that implies) leading her flock from activity to activity.
Over the last few months, I found myself wondering how long she would last. It was clear to me over a year ago that Teresa Grodsky would have to go, and that the Board would have to push her out if they were to achieve what I believed to be their end; the complete elimination and replacement of the old Senior Center regime.
Well, now they’ve gone and done it!
Of course, the Board can deny their roll in the matter as I’m sure they will, and say that Teresa left the job and friends she loved for over 30 years, because she wanted to.
Unfortunately for this Board, those of us on the ground, those of us who spoke and worked with Teresa Grodsky, those of us who only the other day were discussing next years schedule, know differently!
So, what’s next for this Senior Center?
Who knows?
All I know is that the glue and motor and the heart are gone.
And I for one, will never renew my membership!
The real tragedy, of course, rests on the shoulders of the other Senior Center Members. Many of them have truly lost their leader and friend. As individuals, each will have to determine their future relationship with the Park District.
To The Park Ridge Park District Board!
It’s one thing to have “Park Ridge Senior Center” plastered on the front of the building.
It’s something else all together to have a Senior Center.
Of course, it’s only my opinion.
16 comments:
Mr. Butterly,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Teresa ran the Center. Who will run the Center now? Winn Ryan? Biagi? Turncoat Brandt? Mountcastle?
My last hour of volunteer and fundraising time ended today and I’m going to encourage my friends to do likewise. All these people want is our money. Well they’ve got my taxes and that’s all they’re going to get.
There was talk today about starting a new center. Maybe it’ll cost a few more bucks per year than we paid before this mess. But the way we’ve been treated? The way Teresa’s been treated? The more I think about the idea the better I like it.
Part 1 of 2
Kudos Mr Butterly. You have hit the nail directly on the head. After a one year struggle with the Park District Board the Board has finally gotten what THEY wanted. Total complete control over the Senior Center. This latest move of the board struck at the heart of the Senior Center…Teresa, a Park District employee of 35 years, director of the Senior Center for all of it’s 30 years was being removed. The board just does not get it. They can have control of the building and that is all 100 S Western is, brick and mortar. The Senior Center is the members, the volunteers (150 in all) that keeps it going and Teresa is the heart and soul of the Center.
Several weeks ago the members of the Senior Center sat through a question and answer session with Gayle Montcastle the new Executive Director ….going into the meeting hoping to receive answers to all the questions we had regarding the future of the Senior Center. Well we got answers alright! Dry, placating answers, straight from a written response book. We did not leave with a feeling of comfort.
Starting December 2010 , with no contract in sight between the Park Board and Senior Services Inc (SSI) , such as has been in place for 30 years, since the beginning agreement between Mayor Marty Butler and Ray Hollis ( Executive Director), there has been unrest in the Senior Center. The new Pres of the Board Mary Wynn Ryan told the crowd at the January 2011 meeting that she had some questions as to the new contract that had been worked out by the attorneys for the Board and the SSI.. Plus there was no Director on board and they would wait until a new one was hired. Ok we could accept that…Ha! In February out comes a Resolution in lieu of a contract which was supposed to put the Senior Center members at ease. Still, no Executive Director. Then the new Director is hired…relief we can look forward to a new contract and hopefully a better working relationship than was ongoing with Mr. O. The new Director had been an employee of the Park District 10 years ago and Teresa Grodsky’s immediate boss. She would know the workings of the Senior Center.
What a disappointment .and she in my eyes became a puppet of this board , who for what ever reason beyond their rhetoric of a financial loss with the Center, wanted it under their direct thumb. The tension the past month has been horrible. And Teresa has been caught in the middle through no fault of her own. She went about her business but the strain was obvious.
Part 2 of 2
The board wanted complete control not only of the Center but the monies held by SSI from legacies of deceased members. These monies through the years decorated the Center (chairs , tables, window treatments, baby grand piano , stage , sound system, 2 pool tables etc.) Thirty five years ago I went to meetings at 100 S Western and it was a field house just like South Park.. no amenities what so ever, cold and not always clean. But look at it now .All done with monies that was left to SSI ( a 501C3) who in turn used the funds to improve the Center. The latest money left was from a Betty Kenmetz who loved the Center and spent much of her days there. She left ½ of the proceeds of her house sale, with Teresa as the executor, to the Senior Center. BUT the Park Board attorney, Tom Hoffman, has requested that the estate attorney turn the funds over to the Park Dist. In a fund they have set up “to be used for the Center”. All these past years SSI has handled this with no problems. The funds are now being held by the estate attorney and perhaps the courts will decide who is to receive it., Many Seniors are now going through the expense of changing their wills. No monies to the Center. Can you blame them ? So if the Park Board is counting on more monies coming in from legacies, they are going to be disappointed.
Last Monday (11/28) Teresa stunned the Senior Senate with the announcement that she was “retiring”, affective 12/30/2011. No way is she doing this on her own. She was very happy doing what she was doing, she and I had some ideas for next year and at no time had she even mentioned considering retiring I firmly believe she was the “stumbling block “ for the board to achieve complete control over the Senior Center. and that she was given an ultimatum…retire or be fired. If you go back to the minutes of the board they met in closed session to discuss the dismissal of an employee.
I hope each of the Park Board members is proud of themselves for this latest action. Dick Brandt who is a member of the Center, never spoke one word in our favor at the meetings. Mary Wynn Ryan along with Rick Biagi kept hammering away at the supposed refusal of the use of the washrooms to the public ( a big lie)
I find what you have done despicable and just remember you too will get older and what goes around comes around.
Barbara Ingolia
15 year Member of the Senior Center
I truly believe that the Park Board told Teresa to retire or they would fire her but she's not saying a word. The Park Board must not have a conscious to fire such a wonderful person after 35 years of service. Hang your heads Park Board.
I just found out that the Park Board fired Teresa after all these years. I can't believe that the Park Board could stoop that low. Wait till the next election. You'll find out what senior power is.
Anon: November 29, 2011 10:19 PM,
I am overjoyed at the prospect of being agreed with!
So, it’s Seasons Greetings to you too!
That said; it will be interesting to see how the Senior Center operates under its NEW MANAGEMENT scheme. The majority of PRPD Senior Center activities require the willing gifts of time and action by Senior Volunteers. Those thousands of volunteer hours every year will surly shrink and probably end once the full impact of Ms. Grodsky’s departure takes effect.
As to starting a new “Senior Center” - I for one think it’s a great idea: more on that later.
Barbara Ingolia: November 30, 2011 10:13 AM
What can I say?
Barbara, you’ve been around the Senior Center for years. You served as President of the Senior Senate, the official elected body that represents the Center membership. You’ve volunteered thousands of hours over the years on behalf of the Senior Center community. You know and I know, Teresa’s pending departure was not part of Teresa’s normally well thought out plans. The Board continues to show poor judgment and no change in that will likely occur before the next election. By then, I predict, there will only be a building left!
I can't beliee that the Park Board is dumb enough to think that over 100 volunteers, all of whom are extremely loyal to Teresa, are going to break their backs running fund raisers and let the money flow right into the coffers of the Park Board. Or maybe they are that stupid. After all, they fired Teresa didn't they?
As we plan for Teresa’s retirement party with heavy hearts, our anger towards the Park District Board grows. To take control of the Senior Center and grab all the money they can get their hands on is one thing but to fire Teresa Grodsky is unconscionable. And if anyone doesn’t think that Teresa was fired, think again.
Not that long ago I spoke to Teresa and mentioned that I couldn’t imagine how she must feel going through all the tension and glum and doom surrounding the Senior Center. She thanked me and looked so sad. I said, “Teresa, I certainly hope we aren’t going to lose you over this.” She looked at me and said, “I couldn’t possibly leave. Aside from my family, this Senior Center is my whole life. I love each of the members of the center, as if they were my own family.” These are not the words of a person who plans to retire. She also had many plans in the works for next year.
In my opinion: Teresa Grodsky was forced out by the Park Ridge Park District Board and the charge was lead by Mary Wynn Ryan and Rick Biagi.
Let me tell you a little bit about Teresa Grodsky.
Teresa is one of the most giving, charitable and thoughtful human beings I have ever met. She knows the name of almost every single member of the center and that’s quite an accomplishment. She knows their name because she cares and everyone knows it. Teresa has dedicated the majority of her working years to the Senior Center and has been a loyal, capable manager for the Park District.
Throughout the years, Teresa kepted the center running like a Swiss watch and has built it into what it is today - a wonderful, welcoming home for many seniors who need to see a friendly face and have someone with whom to talk and pass the time of day.
The many programs Teresa instituted challenged our members physically and mentally and many have been just plain fun. All the trips she's led allowed seniors to enjoy theater, music, museums and many things they’d never have been able to see on their own.
The 150 volunteers she supported happily worked to keep things functioning and to raise money for the Senior Center because they all just loved Teresa.
I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anyone; it’s just not in her nature.
Teresa has a wonderful gift of making everyone feel important. She constantly has a smile on her face and makes everyone feel so welcome. Although Teresa always has a lot on her plate, she stops and makes time for everyone.
Teresa worked for the Park Ridge Park District for 35 years - thirty of those years as director of the Senior Center.
I heard, that a few years ago, another park district realized what an extraordinary employee Teresa was, something that is lost on the Park Ridge Park Board, and offered her a position at a higher salary.
She turned it down, remaining loyal to her present employer, the Park Ridge Park District.
Now we see how they have repaid her. The District squeezed out every last drop that they could from her and then threw her away like she was a piece of garbage.
What type of low life act in this way, I ask you?
“Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.”
Park Board – your time is coming. The members of the Senior Center are voters and you WILL be hearing from us!
God bless you Teresa. You are leaving a wonderful legacy that no one can take away from you. You are leaving with so much love around you, it will last you the rest of your life.
Lastly Teresa, I leave you with an Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Board meeting this Thursday.
Come out and save Teresa's job!!!!
Just one of the consequences of the Park Board taking complete control of the Senior Center and firing Teresa Grodsky is the demoralized seniors. I spent my morning with a neighbor, who is 89 years old, and a member of the Senior Center. Her husband passed away about 9 years ago, her family isn't close by and she spends much of her time at the Senior Center. She has considered moving into a retirement community, but won't, because there are none close enough for her to get to the center. She is so depressed about the Park Board taking control over the center and firing Teresa, she barely leaves the house and told me she wants to die. She said, her doctor asked her if she was considering killing herself and put her on anti-depressant drugs. She looks horrible and hasn't even combed her hair. She said Teresa was her security blanket. Someone she could depend on to be there everyday. Someone who would listen to her and help her with her problems.
The center enabled her to get out of the house to meet her friends and have someone to talk to, because there is nobody at home but her. I told her that I'm right next door, but truthfully, I'm never home. She said that all the Park District is interested in is "money", so they will cancel everything that doesn't make a profit for them. Her ceramics class, exercise class, current event discussions, etc. They'll either cancel them or start charging fees that she can't afford to pay. My neighbor is only one of many demoralized people who are alone and frightened, who found a home, support and friends at the Senior Center and now that is all gone. She said, and it's so true, no one will every be able to replace Teresa Grodsky. She said, "the Park Board doesn't even know what they have done and don't care". I was unable to console her.
I also talked to a member of the Senior Center who told me that she is very upset about what has happened. She is worried that every program that doesn't make money will be cancelled. She mentioned how the Director of the Senior Center had changed her life. She was very shy and had little self-confidence. The Director told her she could do things she never felt capable of and gave her the confidence to do it. She changed her whole life. A person with the ability to instill confidence and make seniors feel safe is a unique human being. That kind of individual is going to be very hard to replace.
There seems to be a lot of talk about the low $45.00 membership fee of the Park Ridge Senior Center. This $45.00 fee is the second highest in the whole Chicagoland area. Surprised?? It's true - the Park Ridge membership fee is the second highest. The Des Plaines Senior Center charges $60.00 (Frisbee Center which is privately owned) and the North Shore Senior Center at $60.00 and it's a palace compared to the Park Ridge Senior Center. You wouldn't believe how beautiful it is. And their programs are wonderful. How are all these other communities supporting the deficit that their senior centers are creating?
Funny, but I thought it was those fast friendships with loving, positive, unselfish women like Barbara Ingolia and Helen Roppel that made the senior center so special. Women who would never, ever, stoop to dramatizing falsehoods and whipping up hysteria at the health expense of the elderly to assuage their own boredom and bitterness.
Barbara Ingolia and Helen Roppel are neither bored nor bitter. What they are is strong, and brave, because they are standing up for what they believe in and speaking the truth as they see it, and attaching their names to their comments. The senior center is enjoyed by many different types of people, many of whom want simply to go on enjoying it and don't have much energy to protest the things that are happening there, or which they fear might soon be happening there. Barbara and Helen are making those protests for the much larger group. Demean and belittle them and you disrespect the much bigger group of seniors as well.
That has to hurt when you build something up like the big bad PRPD board being satan and then have Teresa come out and say it was her own decision to retire with her husband.. Unless you're saying that the PRPD board also forced her husband to retire as well? It's too bad people blow things out of proportion. The senior center will continue to exist. It may also have other activities hosted there but it's no longer the senior clubhouse. I'm a taxpayer in Park Ridge and I'm not willing to prop up the senior center just so dues can remain artificially low. If the seniors think that $45 is too much, then some of the MANY wealthy seniors in Park Ridge can help their fellow seniors pay(Out of the goodness of their hearts instead of forcing tax payers to do so.)
Post a Comment