The Kendal Institute Engages with the Arts

Two weeks ago the Kendal Institute for Community Engagement sponsored two events that gave residents of Kendal at Granville opportunities to enjoy a taste of the artistic richness of Licking County. On Wednesday, March 11, the chamber strings of the Newark-Granville Symphony performed a concert for a delighted crowd in the Amelia Room. Comprised of boys and girls from the sixth through the tenth grades, the chamber strings demonstrated how the schools, with the support of the arts community, afford aspiring young musicians chances to perform in ensembles before live and enthusiastic audiences. In addition to playing four numbers composed for youth orchestras, they took the time to introduce themselves to the audience. When, at the end, the conductor asked if there were any questions, the residents had plenty! And all testified to the happiness, enthusiasm, and excitement that the sight and sound of the young musicians had generated. No one could doubt that the concert had been an event that successfully engaged Kendal residents with the community.

Two days late, on Friday, March 13, forty-five residents journeyed by bus and car to The Works, the spectacular museum  of art, crafts, and local history that is one of the crown jewels of the cultural life of Newark, Ohio. The Works offers many attractions, but the two that stood on the residents' agenda for the day were a visit to the exhibition about Licking County in World War I, and the glass-blowing studio. With artifacts and pictures, the former reminded viewers of the way life was abruptly altered for county residents when the United States went to war in April of 1917. Then, with demonstrations – and active participation by five bold residents – the Kendal gang received instruction in how to create glass works with a combination of heat, breath control, and a little luck.

Credit for organizing the activities of this week rests chiefly with Jane Heller, one of Kendal's splendid resident artists. The evidence so far is largely anecdotal, but it suggests that the Kendal Institute is having the effect it sought: widening resident awareness of, and readiness to participate in, the fostering of artistic activities in the county.

An Evening to Remember

On March fourth as  I arrived at our Amelia Gathering Room for the evening program  it was apparent that there was going to be a crowd as workers were scurrying about to bring in more chairs/

 

When I thought about the fact that our speaker, Leo, was a member of our own dining staff, I realized that both residents and staff members would want to hear his life story.   We knew that he came from Senegal in Africa to live in Chicago.  He came to us from Chicago where he had worked at the Admiral, a Kendal community located there.   He had came here from Chicago because of his plan to enter Ohio State University to study medicine. 

In the short time this young man has been here we have been impressed by his quiet, courteous demeanor as he fulfills his duties in our dining rooms. 

As his story unfolded we learned that he had three sisters – two older and one younger than him.   He described to us the extreme poverty in Senegal where food, clean water, and good sanitation measures are in short supply.  His family was so poor that when they took the bus he had to sit on his mother’s lap which embarrassed him as he grew older. Whenever he spoke of his mother it was with great respect.  As I listened to him speak about his Mama I developed the distinct impression that it was she who had been instrumental in shaping his attitudes and values. 

 

He enumerated for us the many struggles he encountered in order to get his education in Africa.  Throughout this part of his story there was no hint of complaint about the obstacles he had to overcome.  Instead he emphasized the importance of hard work, determination, and self confidence to achieving success.

His father had already emigrated to Chicago when he decided to come to the United States.  Upon arrival in this country he was able to speak three languages - French and the tribal language of each of his parents – but not English.    Unable to speak English and with little money his life during his early days in Chicago were not easy. With characteristic hard work, determination he went hungry at times and learned English largely by watching television and You Tubes on the internet.  When he spoke of these problems it was not as a complaint but just a vignette illustrating his early life in the United States. 

We learned that one of his passions is playing soccer.  When asked how old he was when he started to play soccer, his answer was, “When I started to walk.”  As the grandmother of two grandsons who have not only played soccer for years but became soccer referees  for recreational soccer while still in their teens I understood that and knew what it meant in terms of getting to practices and games. 

While in Chicago he made the decision to become a doctor.  His search for a medical school he believed would be best suited for him led him to Ohio State University where he anticipated receiving a scholarship which would pay for his education.  When the scholarship did not turn out as anticipated, he looked for other ways to pay for his education.  As many other young men in this country have done, he chose enlisting in the Army as the pathway for him.  Sadly for those of us here who have grown fond of Leo it means he will be leaving us shortly to begin his enlistment.

He talked to us briefly about a friend who is involved in developing awareness of   African music and showed a short video excerpt of his work.  

Throughout his presentation, Leo never complained about the hard tines in his life, but emphasized the need to accept hardships and continue onward with self confidence.

His humble attitude about his considerable accomplishments was impressive. 

 When he concluded his presentation, the applause was long and enthusiastic with the audience on their feet to show their respect for a young man who has come so far in his journey at the age of 25.

During the question and answer period when asked if he was a citizen, he told us that he had only been here four years and this fall when he will have been here five years he plans to become a citizen.  His response to a question about returning to Senegal, he replied to the effect that he believes in paying back and so would find a way to do that.

It was a moving experience to hear Leo tell his story.  I hope and pray he will do well as he journeys onward and hope that he will keep in touch with us so we can follow his story where ever he goes.

Truly the evening was one to remember - an event that illustrates why Kendal at Granville is a good place to work and to live.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raffles, Refreshments, and Rallying

    On February 11 the Kendal Institute for Community Engagement held its second event of 2015, a rally for the distribution of information about social service opportunities in Licking County. It was attended by forty-six persons and regarded as a grand success. The speakers represented organizations that address in various ways the needs of many of the vulnerable residents of the county – the old and young, the hungry and homeless, the disabled and abused, the diseased in mind or body.

    This point about the range of problems addressed is perhaps best driven home by citing the agencies that were present: the Center for New Beginnings, the Center for Disability Services, the Food Pantry of Licking County, the Licking County Aging Program, the Licking County United Way, Mental Health of America of Licking County, the Salvation Army, and the YES Club Youth Organization. 

    While many residents were aware of the work of some of these groups, fewer had seen or thought about the spectrum of needs that confront the agencies whose task is to provide assistance – needs that almost crush the daily lives of many of our neighbors in the county.  As one representative said, our aim is to help those who are struggling, and our motto is “I see you; I’m here for you.” And more to the point, few residents had realized the range of volunteer opportunities that lay before anybody who was looking for a constructive way to engage in the social service work of the county community. “Volunteers,” we were reminded, “aren’t paid. Why? Because they’re priceless.”

    When the brief talks were over, residents were invited to visit the various stations that the agencies had set up around the Amelia Room. At these booths they could study posters about the work of the various agencies, pick up hand-outs about volunteer opportunities, and pose questions to the representatives. Meanwhile, refreshments were steadily available, and before the rally ended a raffle identified the winners of gifts from three sponsoring local businesses: Goumas Candy, New Day Spa, and Palumbo’s Italian Market.

    It is not hard to see why so many residents found the rally rewarding. It offered a rich combination of useful information, food, an opportunity for social engagement, and the fun of a raffle. Thanks go to the two super-organizers, Janie Drake and Susan Richardson, for all their work in staging this event.

    The next Kendal Institute occasion will focus on opportunities for engaging with artistic organizations in the county, and it will occur over several days in the second week of March, the 9th through the 13th. More news coming. Mark your calendars.
   

Thank Goodness for Housekeepers

In June 2015 we will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of this community.  As we do so I like many others have been looking back at all that transpired during that ten year period.  In preparation for writing this blog I looked back to see what topics I have written about since I began blogging in September 2010.

My review indicated that generally my topics were related to events and facets of life here which have made me appreciate my life here at Kendal at Granville.  Very often I have written about one or another of our staff groups who do so much to make life better for all of us who live here.  Reflecting on the ones I chose to blog about I found that for some inexplicable reason I never mentioned one of my favorite staff departments, namely housekeeping. 

Our housekeepers are invaluable because they keep things clean and orderly in both our individual residences and our common areas.  I shudder to think about how those areas would appear without their daily attention to large and small details there.

Every other week they clean our residences.  For those assigned to go to the cottages and villas this means going outside in all seasons  and all kinds of weather, not a fun thing to do in the heat of a hot summer day, nor on a rainy day, or a snowy wintry day.  Of course   they have big carts to push around with their basic cleaning supplies!   

Housekeepers are required to do a lot of things most of us would just as soon not do such as clean toilets.  In addition to this drawback there is the fact that most housekeeping tasks tend to be tiresome because they have to be done over and over and over again.  Yet I don’t hear any of our housekeepers complaining about having to do all of the routine tasks that are a part of their daily life.

In spite of the many challenges of their jobsI have found them to be consistently courteous, considerate, and pleasant.  They go about their duties quietly and efficiently.

For the most part their labors go unsung and unheralded so for my part I hereby take my hat off to them and thank them from my heart for all they do to make me glad I  came to live at Kendal at Granville ten years ago.

Addendum:  After posting this blog a fellow resident who read it wrote me a note about it which included the comments which I would like to add to mine.  “My wife and I feel particularly warm about our housekeeping staff for they are some of the nicest people, we as residents, in a building that is filled with nice people.  I am glad you focused on them.”

 

The Kendal Institute is Launched, celebrating Volunteering, Exploring, Creating

To the rhythm of blue grass music, the Kendal Institute for Community Engagement burst on the scene on Wednesday, January 21. Created to promote fuller participation by seniors in the activities of the wider Granville/Licking County community, the Institute brought four guest speakers to the Amelia Room. After the entertaining performance by Big Red Blue Grass, a Denison student ensemble, the guests spoke briefly in turn, and their messages reinforced each other by highlighting three different routes by which seniors might engage more fully with their communities: as volunteers, as explorers, and as creators.

The audience of about seventy heard first from Denison President, Adam Weinberg, who explained how the university’s ambitions to become still more widely engaged with the Granville community coincide happily with the similar goals of the Institute and make a partnership between Denison and the Institute attractive. The next speaker was Connie Hawk, Director of the Licking County Foundation, who identified a diverse set of social service groups that stand in steady and compelling need of volunteer aides.

The third speaker was Jeff Brown, Superintendent of Granville schools, who spoke of the various ways in which school activities, both curricular and extra-curricular, offer a range of opportunities for senior participation. Jeff Gill, Pastor of the Newark Central Christian Church, was the final speaker, and he talked of many of the activities that the county offers to those who are seeking out encounters with the arts.

After the presentations, refreshments were available, as were opportunities for members of the audience to question the guest speakers. In some ways the array of opportunities that emerged from all of this seemed almost bewildering in its richness. The following are just examples:

VOLUNTEERING: with social service organizations; in and for the schools; as aides in museums and libraries; tutoring adults in the community; assisting people was tasks such as tax preparation and mastering English as a second language.

EXPLORING: through museum trips; with visits to places such as the Earthworks and the Dawes Arboretum; through taking classes at local universities or the Lifelong Learning Institute or, yes, at the high school.

CREATING: by experimenting with such activities as glass-blowing at The Works; by joining a community theater group; by learning how to play a musical instrument; by joining a singing group; by linking up with a class in painting.

The successful launch event triggered much conversation and interest in the Kendal community, and raised many questions about the crafting of follow-up steps designed to implement various ideas that were mooted about. On that subject, it's important to note that the next event in the Kendal Institute’s program for this year will focus on volunteer opportunities with social service organizations and is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, February 11.

Christmas Choirs at Kendal

For fans of choral music, the approach of the Christmas season offers the propect of enchanting concert opportunities. This year did not disappoint the residents of Kendal at Granville, for the Amelia Room was recently the site of two such concerts. 

On Sunday, December 14, the Chamber Choir from Granville High School performed a cappella a set of secular seasonal pieces. The choristers were talented and lively – think television's "Glee" – and their youth and enthusiasm reminded the audience of the jolly side of the season. 

The very next day, December 15, our home-grown choir of residents, the "Kendaliers," presented a thematically contrasting concert featuring carols and sacred music, reminders of the religious origin of the holiday. Under the leadership of Teddy Westlake, the Kendaliers have now performed in three consecutive Christmas seasons, and each year's performance has been better than its predecessor. The audience was invited to join in with the singers at various points, and the evening closed quietly as we all sang the moving prayer, "Dona Nobis Pacem." The residents have ample reason to be proud of the Kendaliers' fine work.

Observing Hanukkah atKAG

Beginning in 2005, our first year here at Kendal at Granville, members of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee have arranged for our observance of Hanukkah each year. 

This required a lot of study on the part of committee members since none of us were Jewish.  Much of the execution of the plan which evolved for our observance fell to Eloise and me.  This was probably due to the fact that Eloise lived in Granville before moving to Kendal and knew Jewish people in the area and over the years my husband and I had several close Jewish friends and had also participated in community dialogs between Christians and Jews in the Philadelphia area. 

Together with the full committee we established a simple format for our observance of Hanukkah.  Our menorah   is set up on a table close to the main entrance to our community building.  At sundown on the eight days of Hanukkah residents are invited to join in the lighting of the lights and  the saying of the traditional blessings and prayers. 

On some nights we have been privileged to have Jewish couples from the area join us.  These have been special times because they have shared with us the meaning of and the customs associated with Hanukkah.

This year it has been our very good fortune to welcome into our Kendal community two new residents, Steve and Connie, who are Jewish.  They have joined enthusiastically in community activities bringing us fresh new ideas. .  Our Hanukkah observance was greatly enhanced by their participation.  One particularly interesting aspect was their nightly show and tell about their collection of menorahs.  I personally learned from them and look forward to learning more as I get to know them better.