{"id":2433,"date":"2025-12-30T09:42:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T14:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/concordia3.wpenginepowered.com\/weatherwood\/blog\/concordias-top-10-moments-of-2025-in-photos\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T09:42:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T14:42:50","slug":"concordias-top-10-moments-of-2025-in-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/blog\/concordias-top-10-moments-of-2025-in-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Concordia\u2019s Top 10 Moments of 2025 in Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Concordia\u2019s 2025 was full of meaningful moments. These moments of compassion, celebration, growth and faith reminded us why our mission matters. This year, thousands of residents, patients, team members, volunteers, supporters and community friends helped shape another remarkable chapter in Concordia\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re looking back at 10 of our favorite moments from the past 12 months, captured in photos that reflect the fellowship and purpose we experienced together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Highlighting the Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Concordia, some of the year\u2019s brightest moments came from seeing our residents and patients simply enjoying life. Whether they’re laughing with neighbors at an activity, creating art, sharing a meal or worshiping together, they’re having fun. These everyday experiences are at the heart of what makes our communities feel like home. Our teams work hard to create special moments for residents and patients. As a result, the smiles we see at these events and activities tell the story better than any words can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Concordia provided care and support to more than 50,000 people across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Our home and community teams completed more than 525,000 visits to over 21,000 individuals, offering comfort and companionship wherever needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concordia of Monroeville<\/em><\/a> resident Kitty S. enjoys a luau event with Concordia Chaplain Rev. Adam Salinas.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Honoring Our Dedicated Employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our team members continued to be the heart and hands of our mission. Whether gaining new certifications, taking on leadership roles or celebrating career<\/a> milestones, Concordia employees demonstrated excellence at every turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, our workforce grew to 3,400 employees serving across 17 locations<\/a> and eight home and community service companies<\/a>. To highlight the people behind our mission, we continued our The Journey Here blog series<\/a>, sharing the unique stories of Concordia team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concordia Visiting Nurses<\/em><\/a> team member Mya Varner reads a note of encouragement from her daughter.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Related: The Journey Here: Mya (Dec. 2025)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Celebrating the 2025 Stephen W. Johnson Mission Award<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A highlight of each year is honoring employees who go above and beyond in service to others. In June, Concordia awarded the 2025 Stephen W. Johnson Mission Award<\/a> to one team member who exemplifies dedication and Christ-like service: Megan Shilling, an orthopedic navigator for Concordia Visiting Nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, 21 distinguished finalists, 10 honorable mentions and two spotlight honorees were also recognized for their meaningful impact. As part of their recognition, all finalists selected a charity to receive a donation, amounting to a total of $45,500 this year. The award ceremony served as a reminder of the extraordinary hearts serving throughout Concordia every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Megan Shilling accepts the 2025 Stephen W. Johnson Mission Award with Concordia Parent Board Member Rande Casaday, Stephen W. Johnson\u2019s widow Tracey and Concordia President and CEO Keith Frndak.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Keeping Traditions of Fellowship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two of Concordia\u2019s most beloved traditions \u2013 the Summer Festival<\/a> and Oktoberfest<\/a> \u2013 returned in 2025 with fun, food and friendly volunteers in our signature neon shirts. Families enjoyed kids\u2019 activities, music, homemade treats and the atmosphere that has made these celebrations community staples for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the events welcomed over 1,800 guests and continued Concordia\u2019s long history of offering free, family-friendly events to our local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concordia employees volunteer at the beer tent at Concordia\u2019s 2025 Oktoberfest. Prost!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5. Remembering Loved Ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each summer, Concordia\u2019s hospice<\/a> agencies host butterfly releases<\/a> to honor the memory of loved ones who have passed. In 2025, over 700 attendees gathered at three separate events across our service areas to participate in these comforting ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, more than 1,300 butterflies were released, surrounded by prayers, music and moments of reflection. Concordia also provided additional bereavement services throughout the year. These included grief workshops, support groups and one-on-one counseling, to help individuals and families navigate loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of our youngest attendees at Good Samaritan Hospice\u2019s Butterfly Release watches her family\u2019s butterfly prepare for flight.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Related: Concordia Butterfly Releases Provide Comfort and Remembrance <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Supporting Charitable Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two signature events \u2013 Concordia\u2019s annual Golf Classic<\/a> and the biannual Spring Fling Luncheon<\/a> \u2013 once again raised valuable support for the Good Samaritan Endowment Fund<\/a>, which provides charitable care for those in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to our golfers, luncheon attendees, sponsors and donors, the events raised more than $150,000. Contributions like these help sustain Concordia\u2019s charitable care efforts, which provided $12.4 million in support to approximately 500 residents and patients this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the nearly 200 golfers at the annual Concordia Golf Classic attempts a birdie putt.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

7. Living Our Mission Through Service and Outreach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Concordia Missions Committee, comprised of team members and residents, once again showed what happens when hearts come together to serve. In 2025, they completed 26 mission projects \u2013 from assembling Blessing Blankets, to supporting local families in crisis, to assisting community partners with service initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their work reflected the core of our mission<\/a>: serving others with compassion, generosity and faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Team members from the Concordia Visiting Nurses South Office display the food they collected for a drive benefiting the <\/em>Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

8. Honoring Volunteers Across Concordia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Individual volunteers also play a vital role in uplifting our residents and patients through companionship, activities, worship support and countless acts of kindness behind the scenes. This year, three exceptional volunteers received the Horst & Eleanor Schwalm Faith in Caring Volunteer Award: Haven<\/a> residents Diane Collins and Marilyn Gilkey, and Chris Marino from Concordia of Monroeville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the organization, over 740 volunteers donated thousands of hours of service in 2025 \u2013 a testament to the caring spirit that strengthens Concordia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two of the three Horst & Eleanor Schwalm Award winners, <\/em>Haven<\/em><\/a> residents Diane Collins and Marilyn Gilkey, pose with Concordia President and CEO Keith Frndak.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

9. Championing Community Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This fall, Concordia partnered once again with Remote Area Medical\u00ae<\/a> (RAM) and more than 400 volunteers to provide free medical, dental and vision care to individuals in need. The two-day clinic delivered nearly $283,000 in healthcare services to 368 patients \u2013 all at no cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recognition of this effort, Concordia received the 2025 Community Champion Award from the Butler County Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, honoring our commitment to meeting community needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concordia team members Lynn McKinnis and SaraBeth Swain spearheaded the effort to hold the second RAM clinic in Butler County.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

10. Celebrating Our 12th Annual Live Nativity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the year drew to a close, Concordia celebrated the season with our 12th annual Live Nativity<\/a>. Residents, staff and families joined together to portray the story of Jesus\u2019 birth with live music, animals and plenty of Christmas cookies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of guests attended in person and online via livestream. The great turnout reminded us once again why our faith-based mission guides everything we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concordia\u2019s heavenly host prepares to spread good news of great joy.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Related: Concordia at Cabot\u2019s 12th Annual Live Nativity Celebrates the Birth of Jesus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorable Mention 1: A Mansion Full of Purses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our first honorable mention comes with a lot of style. The Room of 100 Purses was a standout moment from our Power of the Purse event in September, which raised more than $46,000 to benefit Hope\u2019s Road, Good Samaritan Hospice\u2019s<\/a> youth bereavement care program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Attendees got a close look at the handbags waiting to be won in the Room of 100 Purses at Power of the Purse.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Honorable Mention 2: A Reel-y Fun Fishing Derby<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We couldn\u2019t resist including one more photo from our annual Fishing Derby<\/a>. Families reeled in big smiles (and some even bigger catches) during this cherished and free spring tradition for kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A young angler shows off a largemouth bass!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Closing Out a Great Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These photos represent just a small glimpse of the countless meaningful moments we shared in 2025. We\u2019re grateful for every resident, patient, employee, volunteer, donor and community friend who helped make this year so impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From all of us at Concordia, thank you \u2013 and Happy New Year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stay connected with everything happening at Concordia in 2026, visit our upcoming events page and follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Concordia\u2019s 2025 was full of meaningful moments. These moments of compassion, celebration, growth and faith reminded us why our mission matters. This year, thousands of residents, patients, team members, volunteers, supporters and community friends helped shape another remarkable chapter in Concordia\u2019s story. We\u2019re looking back at 10 of our favorite moments from the past 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,21,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-concordia-blog","category-location-services","category-seasonal"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/concordialm.org\/weatherwood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}