Rose Marie Caruso Gilmore

Intermountain Catholic

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St. Joseph Villa residents Merle Kohles (front left) and her husband, Jim, are catered to by Villa employees Robert Fox (back left), Nina Baykova and Maria Baykova during the summer party.

SALT LAKE CITY –A pirate ship landed on the property of CHRISTUS Saint Joseph Villa for "The Pirates Returned" theme of the 10th annual resident summer party Aug. 21.

Residents wore pirate hats and ate dinner outside as the 10-piece pirate band "The Rust Monster" entertained them and took them on carriage rides. "It was fun to do something different and get outside," said aMerle Kohles, who has been a resident for 14 months. She was recently joined by her husband, Jim, who became a resident in July. "We are glad to be together again. This is our home now," she said.

"The pirate theme was so popular the residents wanted to do it again," said Hailey Hadean, director of recreation therapy. "The residents love showing their home to their families and making more memories with them. The party is put on by the recreation therapy staff and the villa volunteers."

"Even with the sale, it’s business as usual at the Villa," said Bill Rohloff, chief executive officer of CHRISTUS St. Joseph Villa. "The associates and volunteers continue to help every day. The volunteers are so vital to our organization."

Rohloff said several companies have expressed interest in the Villa, but there are no offers because the sale packet has not yet gone out. It will in the next few days. The companies interested are senior-care focused and want to keep the mission going, he said. CHRISTUS is looking for someone who wants to maintain the spiritual aspect of the Villa, which they consider a critical factor. "There is a possibility the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word may go back to their mother house in Houston, Texas, but we want to maintain the spiritual factor of the Villa," said Rohloff.

"We are looking forward to the future," said Robert Fox who is the IT telephone and computer technician. "We know this operation will continue and may even be a better."