Community Connection Newsletter | October 2020 | News & Announcements
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A New Take on Hope Fest
Our biggest annual event couldn't be stopped by the pandemic
By: Jacqueline Dillinger
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As most of you know, we had to celebrate Hope Fest a little differently this year. Hope Fest is our big annual celebration around the time of our anniversary, and usually lands on Grandparent’s Day.
Due to COVID-19 this year, we scaled back. However, it was a wonderful time for the residents and staff.
The weather was not the best; it was cool and drizzling outside. Even so, that did not deter most of our residents from attending. We had a great turnout.
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The food was picnic-style. Our dining services put together a white lunch bag with an abundance of lunch goodies, along with, pop, water, and coffee. We topped it off with Little Debbie snacks – Yum!
The entertainment; Cherry Blossom Ramblers came back (both Doc and Donna this year). They played music that the residents have come to love, along with some requests. A few residents were enjoying dancing!
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In addition, there was the TNT Golfapalooza, which is a rented inflatable pink dinosaur that towered over 30 feet we put in front of our building. The residents were encouraged to shoot tennis balls into the mouth of the dinosaur with an air-powered gun. It was very popular with the residents; some of them came up for a second and third try. |
The residents had a wonderful time. The sun came out at exactly 2 p.m., but that seemed of no consequence. I wonder what Hope Fest will look like next year! |
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We asked a few of our seniors about their scariest memories. Take a look at the information below to see what they had to say. |
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Ruth Flory
When asked if Ruth believed in ghosts, she answered” No, I don’t”. She does not have any superstitions either.
Ruth does not like scary movies and couldn’t think of any iconic Halloween movie themes or scenes.
Ruth said that Halloween was real fun for her as a kid. She loved to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating in Detroit where she lived.
Ruth was not exactly sure of my favorite costume. Halloween when she was a kid was during the depression so there was costume selecting of mostly what you could come up with. She would dress up in a shirt and overalls and thought it was so fun. One time she dressed up in her brother’s clothes.
The most popular candy that was given out then during trick-or-treating was candy corn.
Ruth’s baby Karen was born on Halloween in 1952. She is almost 68 years old now and is married, living in Florida with her husband who is retired.
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Doug Schroeder
When asked if he believed in ghost, his answer was no. He couldn’t think of any superstitions he had either.
Doug does like scary movies, but couldn’t think of the name of his favorite.
The most iconic scary movie scene that everyone knows about is Freddy Krueger from the, Nightmare on Elm street movies. When asked what if he dressed up on Halloween and who his favorite character was, he said “yes”, and his favorite costume was
Freddy Krueger!
When he was a child, he would trick-or-treat. When he lived in Alma, his parents passed out the candy while he went trick-or-treating with his friends. He remembers it being fun.
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Joyce Simmons
When asked if Joyce believed in Ghosts, she responded emphatically “NO”.
However, from her own experience, she does believe in spiritual beings. One night woke up to a seemingly verbal voice. Also, she’s had close calls on the highway while driving, and felt she had spiritual help, maybe angels, to protect her. She does not have any superstitions.
About scary movies, she has not ever really seen or wants to see scary movies. The scariest thing she ever saw was the witches in Disney movies.
Joyce grew up in a middle class neighborhood in Detroit. They used to dress up in costume that the mothers made from stuff around the house. In those days, there was no fear of going from house to house without adults. There were not incidents to cause fear.
Another way that Halloween was different from today was that the kids did not dress up to go to school. The parents would bring treats in for a party.
Around middle school, some of the boys would go out the night before Halloween, Devil’s night, and toilet paper people’s houses, or ring the doorbell and run.
When asked if she ever dressed up as an adult, she said “no”. But what she does enjoy is going to her daughter’s home, who lives in a nice neighborhood in TC, and sit on the porch to pass out the candy.
She enjoys seeing the kids and their costumes. One thing she noticed was that the adults with the children are often dressed up.
The last thing Joyce said to me was that she feels that for children, Halloween seems to be their second most favorite holiday (second to Christmas).
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Bill Johnson
When asked if he believed in ghosts, Bill said “Yes”, not from personal experience he went on to explain, just from hearing other’s stories. About superstitions, he did not have any, but his mother always used to say “if she drank a beer, someone was going to die”.
Bill enjoys scary movies, but couldn’t think of any titles. The scene of the woman in the shower about to be stabbed is the image that stands out to him as an iconic horror movie scene.
About trick-or-treating, yes he did, and it was always bad weather. He remembers one Halloween when he came to the door to trick-or-treat from his neighbor, and his neighbor was on the roof and dumped a bucket of water on him (he thought that would teach those trick-or-treaters a lesson).
Another story Bill remembered was when he and his buddies emptied gas from the gas station, and took it to the cemetery. There was a lake there, they dumped the gasoline onto the lake, and lit it on fire. It was beautiful he says.
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Five New Monthly 'Ripple Effects' Donors Needed
Are YOU our next member?
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Earlier this year, Samaritas launched its new monthly giving club, Ripple Effects. For as little as $5 a month, you can help provide safety, peace, love, and enrichment to many in need.
The Ripple Effects Monthly Giving Club may provide a convenient opportunity for you to become a donor or increase your annual giving.
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Through your gift, you support critical programs that help strengthen and preserve families. You assist us in finding loving foster homes for vulnerable children. You help provide affordable choices and a sense of independence for fellow seniors and persons with disabilities. You also help build a pathway for refugee families in our New Americans program to become self-sufficient. As a member of Ripples Effects, you can make a difference in your community and beyond.
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Ways Your Monthly Gift Makes A Ripple Effect
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$5 MONTHLY
$50 annually - could pay for craft and project therapy supplies for our Samaritas House Heartline women transitioning from incarceration, homelessness and/or human trafficking.
$8.33 MONTHLY
$100 annually - could pay for an individualized life skills class for a young adult aging out of foster care.
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$10 MONTHLY
$120 annually - could provide a six-week exercise or enrichment class for resident in one of our senior living or affordable housing communities.
$12.50 MONTHLY
$150 annually - could purchase a car seat for foster families/birth families, or pay for a foster child’s extracurricular activity.
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See what else is going on at Samaritas this month!
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Samaritas offers retirement living for seniors with five communities throughout Michigan. Whether you want independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory support or rehabilitation therapy, you’ll find a home that feels right.
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