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Laurel Lake joins hands with clergy to aid residents

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by Dorothy Markulis

Reporter

Hudson -- Job loss, unexpected illness, aging, foreclosure.

Laurel Lake Retirement Community and the Hudson Ministerial Association, aware that local residents are not immune from those unfortunate situations, are working together to assist people in their time of need.

To address these needs, Laurel Lake created and is sponsoring the position of community resource coordinator. Licensed social worker Kristin Keller, 43, has been hired for the job.

Sister Anne Marie Diederich, director of mission integration at Laurel Lake, said meetings with the Hudson Ministerial Association pointed out the need for ways to deal with emergency needs of community members.

"It became obvious that there was a need in the broader community for a way to identify the resources that were available, as well as to help individuals connect with the assistance they so desperately needed," Diederich said.

She said the financial support of this effort is "a natural expression of Laurel Lake's mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our community."

Keller is a graduate of Kent State University and attended graduate classes at Kent State and the University of Akron. She is a native Ohioan and a resident of Hudson. She has been a social worker since 1992.

She said becoming a social worker "just seem to be a natural thing. I've always been someone who likes helping people.

"People always seemed to come to me for help," she said. "We're all given gifts and talents, and I'm happy to share them."

Keller came to the newly created position in January after working at Laurel Lake for three years as the assisted living social worker. As resource coordinator she works out of an office in the First Congregational Church, more centrally located than Laurel Lake.

"I've been surprisingly busy," Keller said. "Every week that goes by I hear from more and more people needing help."

The current state of the economy is creating problems for many residents, according to Keller.

"There are many individuals who are facing tough situations right now who have, until now, never found themselves in need of assistance or a social work consultation," Keller said. "I have already spoken with a number of Hudsonites who are facing the challenges of unemployment.

"In addition to concerns about health care and insurance, these individuals are apprehensive about meeting their family's basic needs and avoiding damaged credit, bankruptcy and the loss of their homes."

When this occurs, Keller said time is of the essence.

"There are a number of very reputable non-profit organizations which offer a variety of valuable assistance services at no cost to the individual. Unfortunately, many of the families with whom I have spoken were unaware of many of these resources and were uncertain as to how to go about locating them," she said.

Keller said her goal is to make information readily accessible so that everyone in the community can find solutions to their particular concerns.

To that end, she developed a website and blog called Community Resource Connections. http://hudsoncrc.blogspot.com. It has a wide variety of links to local and national resources and information on upcoming events which might be of interest to residents facing challenges.

Another of Keller's duties is to screen and work with potential residents of Laurel Lake's proposed home for temporarily displaced senior citizens, Laurel House.

Laurel House, slated to open next to Laurel Lake on Boston Mills Road in the near future, is for those 55 and older needing short-term housing for up to 90 days.

For more information, call Keller at 330-650-4048 ext. 463.

E-mail: dmarkulis@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3943