Inside this issue...
Valley View
is planning
for the
future!
From the CEO ...................2
Resident Profile: Dave and Dolores
Metzler ........................2
Resident Profile:
Lois Notestine ..................3
From the CFO ...................4
Board of Directors
& Oicers ......................4
Resident Profile:
Paul and Betty Kalmbach .......5
From the Director of Marketing
and Communications ...........6
Celebrating 55 years ............6
FAQ ............................7
Awards ........................8
4702 E Main St, Belleville, PA 17004
717-935-2105 | vvrconline.org
Valley View Retirement Community
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
The Haven
Skilled Nursing
The Terrace
Personal Care
The Village
Residential Living
Rehab
Inpatient & Outpatient Therapy
Memory Lane
Dementia Care
Fall/Winter 2023
2
View from the Valley
He joined the board of directors and
quickly found that he had a keen interest
in how Valley View cared for older adults
in Big Valley, and he had ideas for how it
could grow and change into the future.
“I remember the night Trennis King
(president of the board) told me that
he thought I should take on the role of
assistant administrator, and I laughed
thinking he was joking. I’d thought about
working at Valley View, but maybe in
maintenance since I had a background in
construction. I wasn’t credentialed.
I didn’t think I was qualified.”
With King’s encouragement, he
agreed to the job. Dave jumped
into learning quickly — taking
night classes in finance and then
a class to become a licensed nursing
home administrator.
Dave served as the assistant administrator
from 1979-1985. In 1985, he became
administrator of Valley View Haven —
The first time Dave Metzler got involved at Valley View, he was a young husband
and parent, working construction at Allensville Planing Mill.
“It was full circle coming
back here”
only the second to hold the
position since the original
administration.
“One of the first things I did was take
several board members to the Mennonite
Health Association’s annual meeting in
Denver, CO. I wanted all of us to look at
2
Dave and Dolores Metzler
Resident
Profile
Continued on page 5
Being newer to Big Valley and eager to learn
and embrace all it had to oer, I quickly
asked him what he was referring to with his
comments. He shared that as a visitor the
warmth was palpable —from the minute
someone comes in the front entrance, they
feel welcome. Anyone can teach a skill, he
told me, but it was innate at Valley View.
The residents and team members made it
feel warm and familiar. Ultimately, those
were the exact same reasons that I chose
Valley View.
This past year was celebratory as we found
ways to acknowledge the hard work and
dedication of those who served and lived
on our campus over the course of 55 years,
making Valley View what it is today. One
such person is Dave Metzler, one of our first
administrators and continual supporter of
Valley View. We were so honored to welcome
him and his wife to the Village this summer.
You can find more of his story below.
Our path in 2024 includes the redesign of
existing spaces to create a Personal Care
Memory Care neighborhood, and the
privatization of nursing care rooms. Our
residents have a direct hand in these plans,
and it will be wonderful for them to see and
benefit from their expressed preferences
coming to life in the upcoming renovations.
Over the past year, we have been intentional
to really lean in to learn the preferences
and desires of our current residents, while
also seeking input from and being mindful
of those whom we will serve in the future.
Because of those eorts, I feel that we
have a solid path — one that meets today’s
expectations and positions us well into the
future. This path will allow residents to truly
define his or her own space, create it, and
call it home.
Aer the hardships of the last few years, it
is exhilarating to be forward-thinking about
how we can care for needs in the greater
community, especially in related to dementia
care. Over the past year, we have received
so many calls from people inquiring about
an imminent future need or a current reality
that they face, and it will be so good to be
able to say that we have space for their loved
ones and that we can help.
As we begin this next phase in Valley View’s
legacy, I am truly honored to be here every
day, working beside other team members,
serving together. There is tremendous heart,
commitment, and passion and I consider
myself tremendously blessed to share in the
lives of older adults who have chosen Valley
View and those who will share in its story in
the future.
CEO
MESSAGE FROM
When I assumed the role of CEO for Valley View in early 2019, I distinctly recall a
conversation with a leader from another retirement community who shared he was
envious and wished he could bottle up what I had at Valley View and to bring it to
his community.
NICOLE SARVER,
There is tremendous
heart, commitment, and
passion and I consider
myself tremendously
blessed to share in the
lives of older adults
who have chosen Valley
View and those who
will share in its story in
the future.
3
vvrconline.org
Bob, who had just returned from a stint as a
gunner in WWII, was there at Noerr Garage in
Lewistown to change some lightbulbs. Lois
Espigh was working as a bookkeeper for the
garage and had just got back from a coee
break at Red’s Diner. “Who’s that?” Bob said
to one of the other women who worked in
the oice. He asked her out right away, not
minding that he’d temporarily lost
his license and needed his sister
to chaueur him to their first
few dates. He was smitten.
So was she. And the rest is
history.
“I don’t know how you are
going to make a story out
of this,” Lois said to me as
we sat in her Terrace apartment
overlooking the fall leaves on Back
Mountain Road. The room is filled with
photos from those years and the years that
followed — Bob in uniform, wedding photos,
sisters, brothers, and cousins. “I don’t think
my life is all that interesting.”
Aer telling me how ‘uninteresting’
her life must sound, she
launches into their next
chapter. Bob re-enlisted in
the Air Force, working
in operations.
She packed up
their Lewistown
apartment and
followed him
around the
world, first in
California and
then Japan.
“He had to go to Yokohama before me, so I
flew to Washington State and took a ship by
myself. It took 11 days,” she remembers.
The couple continued their global marriage
with stints in California and the Pentagon.
Through all the years, Milin County
remained their home. And the reason was
simple: family lived here.
Both sets of parents and siblings lived
nearby, and holidays were filled
with nieces and nephews and
cousins. “Everyone settled back
here,” she explained.
When Bob finished his 20 years
as Chief Master Sergeant, there
was no question where they wanted
to put down roots. They wanted to
come home, surrounded by their beloved
family and the community they loved the
mountains and rivers. So, when it came time
to find a retirement community, Valley View
Retirement Community became a natural
extension of home.
The couple moved to Valley View Village in
2001. “We got so much closer to each other
when we moved to the Village.
We would take walks in the
evenings and hold hands.
People would comment
on it, but I think we
were just holding
each other up,” she
said with a laugh.
The couple
spent 13 years
together in the
Village. “It was a
wonderful time,”
she remembers. “It
became home for us.”
It was a hot August day in 1946 when Bob Notestine caught his first glimpse
of the girl who would become his bride, best friend, and fellow adventurer for
the next 67 years.
After a military life around
the world, Lois Notestine
found home at Valley View
Bob and Lois Notestine during
their time at Valley View Village.
Bob and Lois in their
newlywed days.
In 2012, Bob’s health was declining, and the
couple decided to move into the Terrace,
Valley View’s personal care apartments.
Just three months later, Bob passed away.
Lois credits the community around her for
sustaining her aer losing her spouse aer
nearly seven decades.
“I have so many friends here, and there is
so much to get involved with,” she said. “I
became active in all the things — Bible study,
Bingo, dominoes. The people are so good to
me here, and I really enjoy the food … as you
can tell.”
Today, Lois is 97 and has lived in the Terrace
for 11 years — for a total of 24 years of calling
Valley View her home.
“Is it true that Valley View is the place where
you’ve lived the longest?” I asked.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
“You’ve lived all over the world, and you’ve
lived at Valley View the longest of anywhere,”
I said. “What does the word ‘home’ mean to
you?”
“A place where you can live and be able to go
to church,” she said. “A place to lay your head
down and go to sleep. That’s nice.”
Resident
Profile
4
View from the Valley
Chief Financial Oicer Dennis Peachey is
optimistic about the future of Valley View
Retirement Community. Aer weathering the
significant challenges that COVID brought to
retirement care, he says that Valley View has
gained more sure footing and is poised to step
into the future to continue what it has always
done: enriching the lives of older adults in a
manner that demonstrates God’s love.
How do Valley View’s 2023 financials
compare to the last few years?
We were fortunate to receive Provider
Relief Funding from the government during
a time when it was needed the most. In
addition, our team has been unflinching in
finding ways to reduce expenses without
compromising resident care. We also
continue to experience great interest in the
services we provide, with individuals making
applications to move here. These combined
eorts have resulted in marked improvement
in Valley View’s financial position during
2023, promoting long-term financial stability.
How does this new expansion plan
position Valley View for the future?
The expansion was a direct result of a market
study performed in 2022. The need for
dementia care is increasing in older adults
and we have experienced considerable
interest over the past year. Meeting this
specific need in our community will provide
a solid foundation of service and finance.
How does this new plan fit in with
Valley View’s history of stewardship
and meeting needs in the community?
Valley View has been closely tied to our local
community from its inception. It started
organically when lay leaders in Big Valley
saw a need to care for older residents in the
area. Expanding our model of care to oer
even more needed services naturally fits into
our philosophy of caring for God’s people in a
way that respects the economic and spiritual
realities of the Milin County area.
Can you talk a little bit about Valley
View’s legacy of providing care at a
value?
With 50% of nursing residents receiving
benevolent care as well as a certain
percentage of benevolence within the
Terrace, we remain committed to the
guarantee of future care. We also hold to a
long-standing expectation and practice that
those who desire to move to Valley View have
the ability to pay for a portion of the services
they receive on our campus. This is not a
new expectation and one that is vital for our
continued long-term viability.
We are fortunate to have others believe
in and support our mission through
donations made to our endowment fund. We
understand the need to be good stewards of
the resources that we are given, as it helps
to not only fulfill current needs but to ensure
care in the years to come.
Expanding model of care to
meet needs in our community
Sheldon Peachey, Board Chair
Preston Sharp, Board Vice Chair
Clyde Espigh, Treasurer
Janet Graybill, Secretary
Sherryl Yoder, Assistant Secretary
Marlene Heintzelman, Resident Representative
Kurt Stauer
David Filson
Lois Grose
Steven Kramm
Miriam Zook
Board of Directors
& Officers
CFO
MESSAGE FROM
DENNIS PEACHEY,
We understand the
need to be good
stewards of the
resources that we
are given, as it helps
to not only fulfill
current needs but to
ensure care in the
years to come.
5
vvrconline.org
Since Betty lives in the Terrace and Paul
resides in Memory Lane, the Clouses toured
much of Valley View’s campus. They graciously
shared their experiences with us.
“As soon as we walked in the door, we knew
it was dierent,” Renee shared. “Everything
was so clean and there were special little
touches, like cold water dispensers with fruit
in it.”
She said that one of the things that impacted
This fall, Dirk and Renee Clouse came to Valley View to visit their longtime
friends Betty and Paul Kalmbach. The two couples went to First Baptist Church
in Bellefonte together and have known each other for years.
“God was so good to bring
us here”
Betty and Paul Kalmbach
Resident
Profile
the way things were changing for retirement
communities across the country.
Dierently became the hallmark of Dave’s
leadership. Hiring a consulting firm to do
long-range planning, which eventually
meant hiring a nursing home administrator
and changing his role to Executive Director.
His tenure also oversaw the building of the
chapel, completed 400 and 500 wings, and
started plans for the Terrace personal care
apartments, while continuing to add more
residential cottages. The organization also
became credentialed as a Continuing Care
Retirement Community (CCRC).
“During the time I was administrator, Valley
View became much bigger than it had
been before,” he said. “But it was still small
enough to be personal — like family.”
His wife Dolores served as a nurse, and their
two daughters worked at Valley View as well
— one in dietary and one in nursing. “We had
connections here,” she said. “Valley View
became our second home.”
In 1990, Dave stepped down as CEO. A
few years later, he and Dolores moved
to Cumberland County, where they both
served at Messiah Village (now Messiah
Lifeways). In 2004, the couple moved back to
Milin County. Even then, Dave and Dolores
had begun processing the future of their
retirement years.
“I knew that if I was going to choose
anywhere, Valley View was going to be my
Dave and Dolores Metzler… continued from page 2
first choice,” he said. “I knew the place, how
it was run, and that cost-wise, it would be
more aordable than other places. It was full
circle coming back here.”
“It is a beautiful place,” Dolores added. “People
are very warm and bring a wealth of culture
from other areas. Our cottage is a perfect place
to come and go. The ministry in which we are
currently involved, Pure Freedom of State
College, takes us all over the United States and
we know we can leave and come back weeks
later with perfect peace of mind. It already
feels like home.”
“It seems right to come back to a place that
poured into our lives, and to reap and benefit
from that,” she added. “To know that we
made a dierence back then, and now Valley
View is making a dierence in our lives.”
them the most was mealtime. “My husband
and I were so impressed that they said a
prayer before eating. It touched our hearts.
That’s the way it should be.”
“Sta treats you very kindly and goes out of
their way to make sure you know where you
are going,” her husband, Dirk, added. “You
folks are doing an outstanding job.”
Betty Kalmbach agreed. “I’ve never seen sta
at a facility interact with residents like they
do here at Valley View,” she said.
She said that a recent event made her
realize it even more. “During the fall
festival, I watched team members
pick up garbage, hug residents, and
serve so cheerfully. I’ve never seen
anything like it before.”
She recorded her thoughts on a
“Seasons of Reflections” tree in the Terrace
Activities Room. “I watched during the Fall
Festival and was so amazed with the sta
interaction with the residents,” she wrote.
She and her husband, Paul, lived in a cottage
in Valley View Village for four years before
moving to an apartment in the Terrace.
This January, Paul began to need memory
care and transitioned to Memory Lane.
Throughout the week, Betty makes the trip
to Memory Lane to share lunch with her
husband. “We are well satisfied with Valley
View. God was so good to bring us here.”
5
6
View from the Valley
I was 15 the first time I worked at Valley View.
“Worked” is a generous term. I was a volunteer,
and my tasks were to a) decorate bulletin
boards for each new season and b) bring
residents to the Activity Room for pizza parties.
The bulletin boards were lavish, messy pro-
ductions that le mountains of construction
paper and masking tape behind. That job
didn’t last long. My second — pizza party taxi
driver — was a better fit. And it was how I met
one of my very best friends. Sara Raymer lived
in the 200 neighborhood. She had been a WWII
nurse, and told the wildest, most eye-opening
stories that my 15-year-old homeschooled self
had EVER heard. I adored her.
Before long, she and her sister, Marguerite,
came to my house for the holidays. Sara’s
outlandish stories fit just right in our rowdy
house filled with kids and dogs. I’d been
blessed with grandparents and older adults
all my life, but when I met Sara, I found a
wonderful friend.
When I walked into Valley View for my
interview this summer, I was unprepared for
the feeling that washed over me. In the 30
years since I listened to Sara’s war stories,
Valley View has grown and changed. But that
feeling of HOME was exactly the same.
It’s only been a handful of weeks since I got
a key to an oice here at Valley View, but I’ve
already lost count of how many people have
walked into the main entrance and stopped
in their tracks. “It’s just so … so… dierent
than any retirement community I’ve been in,”
they say.
“Believe me, I know,” I tell them. I think Sara
would agree.
On October 22, Valley View Retirement Community celebrated its 55th anni-
versary with a homecoming celebration and a special announcement: upcoming
plans to make significant enhancements to its nursing areas and to expand its
award-winning services in memory care.
In a video announcement, CEO Nicole Sarver shared that Valley View intends to privatize
nursing care rooms, continue exploring residential cottage development, and expand
its signature memory care services by developing a Personal Care Memory Support
neighborhood.
The renovation and expansion plan is a culmination of several eorts over the last year
including a market study and meeting with focus groups both within Valley View and the
greater community. (You can read more about the changes on pg 7.)
The event was held in Valley View’s café, chapel and common areas. Guests, residents and
team members were invited to gather, reminisce, and celebrate at their own pace. Along
the way, they enjoyed made-from-scratch treats from Valley View’s Nutrition Services and
local makers.
This summer, a friend sent me a job post with a note: “This looks like you.” It was for
the Director of Marketing at Valley View. “Boy, that looks like a cool job,” was my first
thought. My second thought — one that flooded over me — took me by surprise.
WWII nurses, pizza parties,
and coming home
Celebrating 55 years with a
special announcement
Cara (Botteicher) Aungst paints faces at
Valley View as a volunteer in the ’90s.
MESSAGE FROM
CARA AUNGST,
DIRECTOR OF
MARKETING AND
COMMUNICATIONS
7
vvrconline.org
As the only faith-based nonprofit
long-term care provider in the
area, Valley View fills a critical
need in our community. Every
year, the Benevolent Fund/
Endowment Fund provides $2.5-
$3 million for residents whose
resources have been exhausted
by the cost of care. That means
that no resident ever has to leave
Valley View due to lack of funds.
This gi is only possible because
of generous donations from
people like you who believe in
the mission of enriching the lives
of older adults in a manner that
demonstrates God’s love.
Can you help? Your year-end gi
will make a positive dierence
in the lives of our residents and
enable us to oer benevolent
funding for even more residents
in need. You can give online at
vvrconline.org/donate.
Since 1968, Valley View has
embodied Christ’s love by
serving older adults, without
consideration of their ability
to pay. And today, more than
ever, Valley View needs your
help to continue that mission.
FAQ
This path includes four key areas to unify our
eorts:
1. Privatization of nursing rooms
2. Enhancement of courtyard and outdoor
spaces
3. Continued exploration of residential
living cottage expansion
4. The addition of Personal Care Memory
Support Services
Q: Why focus on these four?
A: We have used the last year to gather
helpful information (through focus groups, a
market study and feasibility assumptions) to
inform our decisions on how best to contin-
ue meeting the needs of those we currently
serve and those in the future.
Q: Why are you decreasing nursing
beds and moving to privatizing nursing
rooms?
A: We hold to a high standard of care and
for that reason, we have determined that 90
beds ensure our ability to hold that standard,
meet the needs of Valley View residents, and
to continue oering services to the greater
community. It is desired for residents to have
their own room/space and we are taking steps
to make that happen.
Q: Where will you oer Personal Care
Memory Support Services?
A: We have a group of Valley View team mem-
bers working on identifying ways we can best
use our existing space without expanding our
footprint. We expect more details to come,
especially in the new year.
Q: How long will this plan take and
when will we expect to see something
happening?
A: It is anticipated we will see things well
under way in 2024 and the identified four key
areas should drive our eorts for the next
several years.
Q: Are you using any outside support
with these projects?
A: Yes, it was important for us to align with
the right partners who not only bring a level
of expertise to senior living and redesign,
but also an appreciation for our location and
those we serve. For this reason, we reen-
gaged with RLPS, an architect firm from Lan-
caster, who played a key role in the creation
of Memory Lane and Rehab as well as helped
with the most recent cottage redesign.
Q: What does this mean for team
members?
A: As current team members choose to retire
or go elsewhere, we continue to seek strong,
dedicated members for the Valley View team.
We do not anticipate major staing changes
in the future but will continue to evaluate
each position as it comes open.
As we enter 2024, the Board of Directors, along with Senior Leadership, has out-
lined a path keeping us mission-driven, holding to a high standard of quality of care
and services, meeting the needs of current and future residents and keeping us
financially sound into the future.
Valley View is expanding services –
here’s what you need to know
Did you know that most
people find Valley View
through word of mouth?
Share your thoughts for others as
they look for retirement services!
Leave a review on Google or
Facebook to tell people about
your experience. Scan the QR
code or go to facebook.com/
valleyviewretirementcommunity
to get started. Thank you!
8
View from the Valley
Newsweek has just released its 2024 rankings of top retirement
communities in the country, and we’re honored to share that
Valley View Retirement Community was listed in the top five
in Pennsylvania!
Valley View is honored to have been named
one of the best nursing homes in the nation
by U.S. News and World Report for both short-
term rehabilitation and long-term care.
Valley View has also been voted “Best Nursing Home/
Rehabilitation Center” and “Best Independent Living”
in the Lewistown Sentinel 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards for
the 15th year in a row.
Valley View’s personal care was listed as a
top pick in Pennsylvania Business Central,
saying “it represents the very best in senior
living — safe, aordable, and active.”
Newsweek
Lewistown Sentinel
Pennsylvania Business Central
U.S. News and World Report
VALLEY VIEW
NAMED A
IN PA AND THE NATION
Top Retirement
Community