The Red Hat Society is an international organization inspired by a poem by Jenny Joseph which begins “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me”. The leader of each fun-loving group is called a queen; their clothing, regalia.

According to an article in The Dominion Post, ‘Queen Kinsa’, as Mrs. Hays is known in the group, saw a need for a such a group in Upper Hutt which would allow women to be social, be fully self-expressed, and take part in a variety of interesting activities. The first outing of the group featured a lunch at the Mayfair Cafe after a ride on the Silver Steam Rail.

Future events are also being planned – the group is considering a train trip to Wairarapa to visit antique shops, travel to  Akatarawa Valley and/or Matiu-Somes Island, or other shopping, pampering or shooting excursions.

The following article was written by Agnes Ginestet in August 25th Cook Strait News in New Zealand – it’s about the project Charlotte Clark created in Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Programme to appreciate grandparents by having a Grandparents Day established in New Zealand.

Appreciating Grandparents

A 24-year old Thorndon resident is hoping to gather 50,000 signatures on a petition to create a National New Zealand Grandparents’ day.

Charlotte Clark says like Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, this would be an opportunity to celebrate who our grandparents are for us, to call them, to visit them, to let them know how amazing and how loved they are.

“That would just be amazing if we had something like that for grandparents. It is really big and exciting for me to think about something and think I can actually give it a go.”

She started this initiative as part of a self-expression and leadership programme at Landmark Education.

“We get to choose a community that we want to make a difference in, and create and lead a project in the community.”

She says grandparents play a role in communities by doing a lot of volunteer work, and they play a huge role in the families in terms of supporting their children and grandchildren.

“It is easy to forget to really acknowledge them for how amazing they are.”

Charlotte has one grandparent left, Helen, who lives in Tauranga and whom she sees twice a year.

“I just love her so much. Her and my granddad were always there. Grandparents are so warm. They are just so loving.”

Charlotte says she has contacted Grey Power Wellington and other organizations such as Girlguiding NZ and Scouts NZ to let people know about the petitions.

She would love that young people go in the community, and tell their friends and families about it.

“The more people hear about it, the easier it will be to happen.”

Sign the petition online here.

Initiative to put spring in seniors’ steps

A clean sweep to get Ajax and Pickering seniors off their feet

by Chloe Stanois

Spring cleaning is coming for Ajax and Pickering Seniors.

A new event, Operation Clean Sweep, is an outdoor spring clean-up of seniors’ homes in Ajax and Pickering. Organized by Joe Amantea, assistant technology engineer at Ontario Power Generation, a team of 60 volunteers will clean the yards of senior citizens.

Mr. Amantea started Operation Clean Sweep because, “I was taking a course of landmark education, and that motivated me.”

Volunteers will be visiting at least 12 seniors’ homes on one day and doing a general spring cleaning outdoors. They will clean windows, rake lawns, trim tree branches, clean out gardens and hopefully plan some flowers.

“It is targeted towards seniors who have no family to help them, and find it difficult to do the work themselves. We definitely want to help them out,” Mr. Amantea says.

With spring cleaning being so physically demanding, the idea is that a once-stressful situation will be turned into just light work that the home owners can maintain.

Finding volunteers has not been an issue for the event, as engineering employees have already started to sign up, but Mr. Amantea hopes to find ans many seniors as he can.

Gifts of Used Health Equipment Sought

11/13/08

The St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (St. Louis HELP) will accept donations of used equipment from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Dierberg’s in Shiloh and Brefeld Physical Therapy in Belleville.

St. Louis HELP needs donations of such items as wheelchairs, scooters, canes, crutches, walkers, showerchairs, grab bars, portable commodes, cushions, back supports, van lifts, hospital beds and ramps. The equipment is cleaned and refurbished, then loaned at no cost. “The uninsured, underinsured, disabled and elderly are at particular risk of facing barriers to accessing needed home medical equipment,” said Dennis Guilliams, president of the organization.

“These vulnerable populations continue to experience reduced access to health care services, demonstrating a continuing need for a strong, viable safety net.”

All equipment and monetary donations are tax-deductible. Brefeld is at 106 Lincoln Place Court, just off Carlyle Avenue in Belleville. For more information on donating or acquiring such equipment, call (314) 567-4700 or go to www.stlhelp.org.

Olivia Seery leads Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership programme in Ireland. Four years ago she visited the beautiful and historic Aran island of Inis Mean, located in Ireland’s Galway Bay and fell in love with the island and its people. She created a project in the programme which was an artistic weekend holiday for a group from Sligo and the environs. The trip has become an annual occurrence. The following brief story appeared in the Sligo Weekender of August 5 2008:

Arts Trip to an Aran Island

A group of Sligo people are organising the 3^rd annual weekend on the Aran island of Inis Meain, promising creativity, community and fun.

This year, a writer’s workshop will be run by the published writer and poet Mary Branley and an artist’s workshop facilitated by well-known Sligo artist Tinka Bechert. The Inis Meain Artist’s Paradise weekend takes place from August 8^th to 10^th and costs €200. This includes return ferry, two night’s dinner B & B, music sessions, workshops and a guided tour of the island.

For details call Olivia on 086-8232166 or Patricia on 087-2194718.

Usually the quietest and least visited of the Aran Islands, Inis Meain is often viewed as an escape from the modern world, a place where beauty, tradition and culture combine with a rugged landscape.

A maze of narrow winding roads, sheltered paths and trails crisscross the island, from the rock hillsides of the south to the deserted sandy beaches on the north shore. Wild flowers bloom everywhere and numerous examples of early settlements dot the limestone karst. The oval fort of Dun Chonchuir is here, and so too are the beautiful Cill Cheanainn and the church of Mary Immaculate with its stained-glass windows by the famed Harry Clarke Studios. Nearby is Teach Synge, the restored island cottage where writer John Millington Synge wrote most of his plays.

Synge’s book “The Aran Islands” tells the story of a man who, 100 years earlier, looked at Inis Meáin and thought “this is the last outpost of ancient Europe, I am privileged to see it before it disappears forever”. This sense is often shared by visitors to this day.

On August 16, he held a health camp for seniors at the Chisthu Seva Samaja ashram/old age home. There were more children in the Ashram, and they got health checkups too–More than 40 seniors and 80 children took part. Not only did the participants receive free checkups and medicine, but they also were served free fruits and dinner.

For Chetan KS, the highlight of the event was when all the seniors blessed and prayed for him, his friends and his family prior to their dinner together. The project was such a success that it received the attention of two local newspapers on August 18 – The Sanjevani and The Thina Sudar.

“As the population ages, many adult children are grappling with these and many other issues for their aging loved ones,” says Zenner. The symposium addressed issues such as how to deal with a parent or loved one who is having trouble driving, or isn’t taking their medications. It provided innovative, practical ways to care for our elders with grace and honor.

In addition to the symposium, Zenner has created an Atlanta ministry recognized by the church for the care of the elderly. She intends to make this ministry national.

Jacinta, who is Mary’s daughter, gathered everyone for an enjoyable day which commenced with a special Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Canon Macartan McQuaid. The family made donations which went to help Friar Terence McGuckian with his work in Zambia. The photo above shows five generations of McManuses, including Mary with some of her 7 children, 33 grandchildren, 40 great-granchildren, and two great great granchildren!

programs. Perhaps you are familiar with the multi-bounce rule changes that accommodate the little players’ shortcomings. Dan’s new Wacquetball  rules provide for the less mobile but more than eager senior club members’ special abilities. Wacquetball also appeals to young children just beginning and handicapped kids.

Wacquetball rules allow two bounces, but the biggest change from the regular racquetball rules is his creation of a special three-inch foam ball (the official color is yet to be determined) that is a lot slower, quieter and easier on the arm than the standard racquetball and will not bounce all the way to the back wall, no matter how hard you hit it into the front wall. Dan’s senior group absolutely loves the game.

Dan’s Wacquetball  group was showcased on the local Denver news in April. This news piece can be seen at the following link:

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=8X7gM0ziWOg

This could be the perfect program for you to fill up the courts at your facility during the day, before the high school players and the after-work crowd. Players may eventually want to play with the standard ball and rules, and we welcome the new recruits, but the important thing is to get them on the court and moving at their ability level.

For more information on how you to get involved with Wacquetball, contact Davis at dndvs1@msn.com.

The specific intended result of the project was to unite orphan kids and old age people. The old people have rich experience sof life which are very valuable for kids of present generation. These values and experiences of aged people are not tapped for the development of kids. On the other hand the orphan kids do not have the privilege of being with their grandparents and thereby they are deprived of love or affection of grandparents and also the value that they could derive from old people. To fill the gap in between these two communities and also bring in the atmosphere of belongingness and joy to these communities the project was created.

Anatha Shishu Nivasa at Basavanagudi in Bangalore, a NGO taking care of orphan kids and Asha Jeevan at Huli Mavu, Bangalore, a residence for old aged people, took part in the event of the project that happened on 11^th May 2008.

Nagendra and his community of friends at Office and SELP community arranged four vans for the transportation of kids to Asha Jeevan, where old people reside. The kids reached at 2 .45 PM. The Old people were eagerly waiting to meet kids. When the kids arrived at the place there was lots of joy and warmth in the expression of aged people.

Many activities were evolved to engage kids and old people together. All the activities of the day are narrated briefly here:

1. Singings & Dancing: Kids and old people sung devotional and songs of moral value. One song of Yaswanth, who is about 10 years old, was in appreciation of mother. This song moved everyone and we all remembered our mothers in those moments. Many kids performed dances. Also an old lady had a small cat walk! It was full of fun and joy.

2. Story Telling: Old people shared lots of stories, which were rich in experience and there was some value to take home from each of the stories. One old lady shared how much she likes Gandhiji and she urged that all kids should go on the foot steps of Gandhiji.

3. Balloon blowing and Bursting: This event was very exciting and fun-filled. All the kids and old people were asked to blow balloons. There were about 100 balloons in various sizes and shapes. Once they were ready, they were instructed to burst them. It was full of self-expression of everyone. Each and everyone were so much involved in that exercise that they were lost in happiness and joy.

4. Drawing: Kids and old people made drawings for each other. The drawings of kids were retained by old people and the writings and drawings of old people were retained by kids as token of appreciation and remembrance.

Nagendra’s friends had got few books for distribution among kids. The same were handed over to the management of orphanage home for the Library. Everyone had cake, cool drinks, chips and also butter milk and enjoyed each other’s company for till 6.45PM. By 7.30 PM all the kids were dropped back to their homes and we all went home fulfilled and looking forward for one more such opportunity.

The intention of the project, belongingness, joy, and acknowledgement, were present in the event and the project was a huge success.

The same team is wiling to organize such events regularly. Not only that Nagendra has taken on uniting 15 orphanage homes and 15 old age homes for such regular events so that the possibility of the project is alive forever.

The project event was mentioned by a local daily, Vijay Karnataka, on May 24, 2008. The media appreciated and acknowledged the project for creating fun and joy in the lives of old people.