MCH residents live by the “A Life Engaged” philosophy of service; this means that an engaged life is a full life, and the more aspects of your life that you engage, the happier and healthier you age. But every resident at MCH lived this way even before they first moved in; each resident has lived a unique and exciting life, a life that is fascinating. A life that is not only fascinating, but a life that has been full of love, surprises and accomplishments.
This is the inspiration behind the series ”These Hands” at Milwaukee Catholic Home. “These Hands” is a combination of snippets of stories that residents have shared about how they have used their hands throughout their lives, as well as a photograph of their hands taken during the interview process.
“I initially started this project 10 years ago during a small group art therapy session here at MCH,” says Becky Prusko, who manages the project. “I wanted to incorporate photography into the session with the focus being our hands. The residents had wonderful stories to share during this process, and this was evident as their peers, family, and staff admired the final pieces of artwork. ‘These Hands’ is just one way to share their stories with others and celebrate their lives!”
Here, we highlight just a few of the many exceptional stories that MCH residents have to tell about their lives:
Resident A:
These hands grew up on a dairy farm in Illinois 
These hands milked cows with my 6 siblings every evening.
These hands carried school books, as I attended German school for 2 hours every morning, before attending school at the one room schoolhouse for the rest of the day.
These hands worked in a factory for a while before working at a discount store.
Then, these hands bought a hardware store.
This was my greatest achievement.
These hands married, and raised 2 children.
These Lutheran hands turn the pages of the daily newspaper and of the many novels that I read.
Resident B:
As a child, these German hands enjoyed playing with dolls. 
These hands attended private school for only 7 years because of WWII.
These hands took care of the home, and raised 3 kids;
These hands moved to America in 1961.
These hands have enjoyed playing games with family and traveling together to Las Vegas and San Francisco.
These hands traveled back to Paris, France twice.
For a hobby, these hands enjoy knitting while watching movies.
Resident C
These hands played with my friends in Deerfield, Illinois and walked ½ mile to the ice rink.
These hands loved my cute little dog, Peggy.
These hands did office work at the Co-op.
These hands did a little gambling at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
These hands swam and enjoyed cookouts at the Cottage in Big Bay Michigan.
These hands raised twin girls.
These hands call my friends and family, and talk almost every day on the phone.
These hands carefully put on my jewelry and makeup every morning.
These hands hold my vodka on the rocks as I relax at the end of the day.