Recently, Perry Lutheran Homes held its StepUp Celebrate event to recognize individuals while also discussing dementia. 

The third annual StepUp Celebrate event highlighted various aspects of dementia while also featuring personal stories and demonstrations on what it is like to be afflicted by the disease at Country Lane Lodge in Adel earlier this month. 

Also, two awards were given out, one being the 2021 Exemplar Award, which is given to someone over the age of 70 that has shown others life well lived through community impact and being a positive example. This year’s winner was Juda Saemisch of Perry. 

The other award was the 2021 StepUp Service Award, which is given to someone who shows a commitment to serving and improving the lives of elder citizens. This year’s winner was Irwin Levorson of Adel. 

Those who attended the event along with those who weren’t, were able to pledge $10,000 toward a $50,000 goal to help provide care for elders at Perry Lutheran Homes without the necessary resources to cover the cost of their care.