Skylark Senior Care is celebrating a very special milestone this year—20 years of serving seniors and families.
Twenty years is a remarkable achievement. It represents thousands of days of caring, countless conversations, friendships formed, challenges overcome, and memories made.
But this year, there is another 20-year milestone we simply cannot ignore.
Joseph Ben-Dor is celebrating 20 years with Skylark!
And if you know Joseph, you know that 20 years of Joseph is something worth celebrating all by itself.
As Executive Director of Skylark Senior Day Center and Home Care, Joseph has poured his heart and soul into the people who make Skylark what it is. He doesn’t simply run a senior day center—he builds relationships. He doesn’t just know the Members—he loves them.
A Heart for Every Member
Spend a little time around Joseph and you’ll quickly discover something: he genuinely loves our Skylark families.
He has a special way of making people feel seen, valued and loved. He’ll greet the ladies with a hug, tell them how beautiful they look, and make them feel like they’re visiting family rather than coming to a senior day center.
And perhaps one of Joseph’s greatest gifts is his ability to turn a difficult moment around.
A Member can be frustrated, upset or having a particularly challenging day. Somehow, Joseph can walk over, start talking, crack a joke, offer a smile—and before long, that same person is laughing.
It’s almost a Skylark superpower.
Joseph doesn’t just manage people. He connects with them.
The Negotiator Extraordinaire
Of course, there is another side to Joseph that anyone who has worked with him knows very well.
Joseph is passionate about running Skylark efficiently and—perhaps most importantly—saving Ned money!
He is a master negotiator.
In fact, Joseph may be the only person we know who can somehow trade milk for an endless free Indian buffet.
Don’t ask us exactly how he does it.
Just know that if Joseph is involved in the negotiation, you might want to see how the deal turns out before you pay full price.
Keep Up If You Can!
Then there is grocery shopping with Joseph.
Calling it “grocery shopping” doesn’t quite capture the experience.
It’s more like participating in a competitive walking event.
Joseph speed-walks through the store like a man on a mission. If you’re shopping with him, you had better keep up!
And there’s a reason he knows exactly where he’s going.
Joseph knows his Kroger people.
He knows employees by name, and they know him. In fact, they like Joseph so much that they’ll sometimes call him when they’re marking items down so he can come in and save Skylark even more money.
That’s Joseph.
He’s always looking for a better deal, always thinking about the bottom line, and always finding another way to stretch a dollar so that Skylark can continue doing what matters most—taking care of our Members.
And his commitment to saving money doesn’t stop at the checkout.
When Skylark has accumulated extra fuel points after filling the vans, Joseph doesn’t let those points go to waste. If there are points about to expire, he’ll invite Skylark employees to line up at the pumps and share the discounted gas.
Because if Joseph can find a way to save money—and help someone else at the same time—he’s going to do it.
And Then There’s the Food…
If you’ve ever had a meal with Joseph, you already know this next part.
Joseph loves food.
But more importantly, Joseph loves sharing food.
He is incredibly generous. If Joseph has something good to eat, chances are he wants you to try some too.
Food, like everything else with Joseph, is meant to be shared.
And that generosity says a lot about the man behind the stories. Joseph gives his time, his energy, his humor, his resources and, most of all, his heart.
Twenty Years of Making a Difference
Twenty years is a long time.
Over those two decades, Joseph has witnessed families grow, Members come and go, and Skylark evolve and expand. He has faced challenges, celebrated successes, solved problems, negotiated deals, chased down bargains, filled vans, shared meals—and probably walked a few hundred miles through Kroger!
But through it all, one thing has remained constant:
Joseph cares.
He cares about the Members.
He cares about their families.
He cares about the Skylark team.
And he cares deeply about making Skylark the very best place it can be.
That is what makes 20 years so special.
We aren’t simply celebrating someone’s years of employment. We’re celebrating 20 years of relationships, laughter, generosity, dedication and love.
So, Joseph, from everyone at Skylark:
Congratulations on 20 incredible years!
Thank you for the hugs, the laughs, the negotiations, the grocery store adventures, the meals, the savings—and most of all, thank you for the enormous heart you bring to Skylark every single day.
Here’s to the next chapter!
And Joseph… please slow down in Kroger. The rest of us are trying to keep up!
Happy 20th Anniversary, Joseph!