Tinley Park Memory Care Residents Help Community Nourish Earth

TINLEY PARK, IL — Residents of a Tinley Park memory care community helped the public celebrate Earth Day Thursday afternoon.

Operated by Anthem Memory Care, residents at Porter Place located at, 17833 Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park, celebrated Earth Day by giving out free flower seedlings they transplanted into biodegradable coconut pots. The project is the first initiative the facility has taken for Earth Day.

"Volunteering to help the greater community has always been important for our residents," said Meredith Morris, Porter Place community relations director. "Gardens can make a difference for all of us by promoting a healthy, sustainable planet."

Morris told Patch that residents planted around 64 flowers and that by 12 p.m., nearly half of the flowers were already given away.

"We wanted the event to represent nourishing the earth, in the same way that we really try and take care of our own residents in this community," Morris said. "We're a memory care community 100 percent focused on memory care. It was critical that the residents be involved in this project."

Morris said the facility is currently working on making Tinley Park a dementia friendly place for people to live. She said the facility, along with Tinley Park elected officials — such as Trustee William Brennan — are actively working to take this initiative.

Morris said having the community come out and support the event helps tie everyone together.

"It helps fulfill our mission, which is to engage our residents in ways that are meaningful to them, that help them experience a sense of joy, a sense of accomplishment [and] satisfaction every day," Morris said. "I mean, that's really our role. We talk about our mission being to protect, engage and love."

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