DUANE VIA
Activities Coordinator

We are working on our in-house vacation for our residents in August. They have asked to go to Hawaii.

We are getting ideas together to make it a fun filled week for them and our staff members. We will be learning about the Hawaiian culture, people and their foods. Of course we will be having different kinds of parties to go along with the theme of the week. As we all know, the volcano has been erupting in Hawaii, so we will be having a Volcano party, with decorations and some spicy foods to go along with the theme. We will also be celebrating Elvis one day during the week with, “Blue Hawaii.” We’ll learn about the plantations, rain forest, snorkeling, and we will have a Luau on the last day of our vacation. We have a lot planned for the residents to enjoy and have fun.

The residents got to go to Wal-Mart shopping this week. The activities department went shopping for those that didn’t want to go. Staff member Will Taylor does the shopping for the residents; he had a load of snacks, drinks, and personal items for them. When we take the residents to Wal-Mart, most of them already have a list of items they want to pick up for themselves. Sometimes they enjoy getting new outfits, jewelry, or gifts for their loved ones. The residents really enjoy shopping for themselves, as they did before they came to the Center.

Our residents love playing games. Each month we try to have new and different games for them to play. The cow-themed games this month had residents milking a cow (a glove filled with water), a cow patty game in which residents throw pancakes into a bucket, and a cow trivia contest. They enjoyed playing the different games. They also love word games. We try to find different ways to play word games and sometimes they win a prize.

During the summer months, the residents love having Red Delight Afternoon, Watermelon Feast and Lemonade in the Shade activities. During those events, we have tomato sandwiches and residents reminisce about eating tomato sandwiches when many of them were working in tobacco fields. Then, RC Colas and peanuts rounded out their field lunch. They really enjoy their tomato sandwiches. With the Watermelon Feast, sometimes it’s amazing how many pieces of watermelon some of our residents can eat. We like to have Lemonade in the Shade on the weekend, late in the afternoon, on the patio while visiting with one another or playing a game of trivia. This is just a laid back activity to listen to our residents and learn more about them.

If you would like to volunteer, please call Dee Dee Via at 276-694-7161 ext. 1804.