Newburgh – April 29, 2010 - Elant at Newburgh’s picturesque Kohl Corner Courtyard went through an extensive clean-up recently, thanks to the efforts of caring community members and dedicated Elant staffers.

The courtyard, created in 2007 in memory of longtime Elant, Inc. board member George W. (Bob) Kohl, suffered through a bruising winter and was in need of some dedicated attention. That’s just what it got when a team of volunteer landscapers descended, armed with rakes, shovels, and a whole lot of elbow grease.

“The residents here will get so much joy out of the fountains and the plants in Kohl Corner so all the effort is definitely worth it,” said Elant at Newburgh Executive Director Christine O’Toole.

Volunteers, including a few Girl Scouts from Troop 40 in Walden, spent several hours raking and weeding the beds, while others trimmed back the larger plants and helped haul away brush. Still to come will be the return of the courtyard’s three fountains and the addition of several new plants and flowers.

“It’s a real pleasure to a part of the courtyard’s transformation,” said Barbara Riemer, chair of the Elant at Newburgh Renewal Committee. “I think of it as a rebirth marked by the beginning of spring.”

The Elant at Newburgh Renewing Committee, an ongoing community effort to improve the not-for-profit nursing home through a series of renovations and capital improvements, spearheaded the efforts three years ago to raise money for the creation of the Kohl Corner Courtyard.