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Touch
of Gray - March / April 2002
Meadows
quilters carry on old American tradition
Volunteers Fair to be held at Carolina
Meadows
Community Outreach Volunteers
Many volunteers play active roles in health
center
Whirligigs: Creative Art Form
Carolina Meadows to Host "Meet the
Candidates" Forum
Meadows
quilters carry on old American tradition
At
the February Carolina Meadows Residents Association meeting
the Quilters Group presented a beautiful Nine Patch Plaid
quilt to the Pittsboro Playground Project in Chatham County.
The quilt was based on an early nineteenth century pattern
and represented many weeks of dedicated work by Edith Campany,
Elizabeth Wyley, Marjorie Vaiden, Bobbie Wilkerson-Hahn, Rose
Calamai and Billie Johnston. The quilt was sold at a Coffeehouse
Show and Silent Auction in Pittsboro on February 16 as part
of a project to raise funds for a children's playground on
land donated by the Kiwanis. Guess whose bid came in highest
for the quilt? It was from our own Helaine Plaut, which seems
very appropriate for someone who devotes so much time and
energy to the Community Outreach Volunteers program. "I
was going to give it my kids," Helaine said. "But
on second thoughts I want to enjoy it in my own house. Of
course I was most pleased to contribute to the Playground."
The
art of quilt making arrived in America in the 1600s with settlers
from Great Britain. A quilt, originally a bed covering, is
an example of truly American needlework. The techniques used
to make a quilt, as well as most of the designs, resulted
from the attempts of American pioneer women to make the best
of things in a harsh environment. The warm bed quilts were
born of necessity, since women in those early days had to
use and reuse every inch of cloth that came into their hands.
The desire to make something of beauty as well created a unique
art form highly prized today by collectors.
Patchwork
quilts are made by joining many small pieces, or patches,
of fabric to form patterns. Patches are often cut from pieces
left over from dressmaking or salvaged from old clothes. The
choice and placement of the patches and the accuracy in joining
the fabrics is what makes the finished product beautiful as
well as practical. As well as patchwork quilts there are applique
quilts - developed by North American women in the 18th and
19th century. In making these, simple bold designs are produced
by cutting fabrics to shape and then stitching them on the
main background fabric. Sometimes three-dimensional raised
effects are created by inserting padding between the motif
and the background.
The
ladies at Carolina Meadows have been active quilt makers -
both patchwork and applique - for many years. In October 1990
Billie Johnston created an appliqued Carolina Meadows logo
medallion and asked the group if they would be interested
in making a quilt as a wall hanging to decorate the community's
future auditorium.
The
idea was to express in fabric the concept of residents coming
from all parts of the State (the four corner blocks) and from
other States near and far (the other border blocks) to find
a happy home in the Meadows (our logo in the center medallion).
All endorsed the idea and each member chose one block representing
a State, usually one in which she had lived. The final quilting
of the border was a group effort. Others worked on quilting
the medallion and embroidering the States initials. It took
three years to complete the project. The quilt now hangs in
a place of honor in the auditorium in our Club Center and
a side panel lists the names of the fourteen residents responsible
for the fourteen State illustrations.
Inspired
by this success, our Quilters have gone on to create other
unusual and different quilts. The Chatham County Council on
Aging organized a "Taste of Chatham" fundraiser
at Fearrington Village in the fall of 1994 to finance its
new building in Pittsboro. The organizers asked our quilters
if they would donate a quilt as a raffle prize. A beautiful
handmade 78" by 96" patchwork quilt was created
for the event by the Carolina Meadows group, again headed
by Billie Johnston.
But something
even more ambitious was yet to come from this talented group.
In 1998, twenty residents worked to complete a full size applique
quilt called "Life at Carolina Meadows", which turned
out to be almost three-dimensional in appearance. Betty McMahan
drew and designed a series of quilt squares representing golfers,
tennis players, bird watchers, pet walkers, and croquet players;
plus scenes of our Golden Pond, campus buildings, and the
Old Well at our north entrance.
The
following year an "Art Is Ageless" contest was sponsored
by NCANPHA (The North Carolina Association of Non- Profit
Homes for the Aging) in Raleigh. The Quilters decided to enter
the new quilt in the contest. Over 300 entries were received
from retirement communities across the State. The quilt from
Carolina Meadows won a First Place in the Group Project category.
Marjorie Vaiden and Billie Johnston were cited as chairs for
the project. This quilt now hangs in the Club Center auditorium
as well as the earlier "State Stars of Carolina Meadows"
quilt.
Bobbie
Wilkerson-Hahn, who has headed the Quilters for several years
has agreed to chair again for the coming year. "Please
join us," she says, "it's a fun group and we can
always use more help on our projects." The group traditionally
meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Because of increased
interest, they have added a second monthly meeting, on the
fourth Friday. The Quilters, when they are not working together
on a major wall hanging find time for many individual projects.
They have made many lap quilts for our Health Center residents
and baby quilts for the Linus program. They have made smaller
lap quilts for premature babies at UNC Hospitals and pot holders
for the First Methodist Church in Chapel Hill. -- Des Reilly,
Resident
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Volunteers
Fair to be held at Carolina Meadows
A range of Chatham County non-profit
agencies have been invited to participate in the Volunteers
Fair set for April 26 at Carolina Meadows. Agency directors,
residents and guests will interact and share information about
agency needs and opportunities to serve.
In the past the interchange has been lively,
and has produced positive results, including:
- Fifteen
residents volunteering this year at North Chatham School
- Another
Summer Day Camp in 2002 for young clients of Orange-Person-Chatham
Mental Health Services
- Three
"food and funds" drives benefiting Chatham Outreach
Alliance, the Salvation Army and Chatham County Together
in addition to regular volunteer service at the food pantry
in Pittsboro.
In
appreciation for their support of the Chatham County Soccer
League, Carolina Meadows residents received free car washing.
In addition, 18 residents and neighbors
have become volunteer mediators for the Chatham County Dispute
Settlement Center. -- Helaine Plaut, Resident
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Community
Outreach Volunteers
During
a Residents Association meeting in February, Chip Pate and
Richard Webster, representatives of Chatham Outreach Alliance,
thanked Carolina Meadows residents for their help during 2001.
Residents held three food drives that brought in 3,000 food
items for CORA, in addition to volunteer service at the food
pantry. Last year CORA provided the equivalent of 51,652 meals
to 2,352 recipients in more than 850 family units.
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Many
volunteers play active roles in health center
The
Health Center at Carolina Meadows is a cheerful and homelike
place, painted in bright colors, decorated with attractive
artwork and cheerful curtains. There are flowers in window
boxes in the rooms and pets and personal possessions are much
in evidence. It is very different from the kind of nursing
home we knew years ago which seemed so cold and impersonal
and hospital like. Our Center is enjoyed not only by its residents
but also by Carolina Meadow's independent living neighbors,
many of whom actively volunteer to help there.
In
November 1990, our Center opened and a Health Center Auxiliary
was formed under the leadership of Peg Hazard and Marilyn
Cashwell, former residents who started many of the campus
activities (including the Gift Shop) in those early years.
The Health Center was little more than a year old when Don
Hamm arrived in Carolina Meadows. Don, with an MBA from the
Wharton School, had spent 34 years in Distribution Management
with a Fortune 100 company. From 1986 to 1991 he was president
and executive director of the Interchurch Center in New York
City, which provided office space and facilities for metropolitan
church related and not-for-profit organizations. In January
1992, the Residents Association named him coordinator for
the Health Center Auxiliary Volunteers, a post he still holds.
Little
more than two years ago, when Bobbie Gray became CM's Director
of Health Services, she and other administrators introduced
CLEO, the Community Life Enrichment Options program based
on the Eden Alternative. This was designed to create an even
more home-like environment in the Health Center. Through CLEO,
residents continue to enjoy an environment and activities
familiar to them before they moved to the Health Center. These
include pets, birds, plants and contact with people of all
ages. The pets that live in the Center are two golden retrievers
named Mack and Sweet Pea; two lovable cats named Bogey and
Woody, fish, parakeets and finches.
Last
year 52 volunteers in the Auxiliary program contributed nearly
3500 hours of service, equivalent to the full-time service
of almost two professional staff members. And that is not
counting the many additional hours contributed by volunteers
in the CLEO program. Their aim is not to take over the duties
of the professional medical staff. It is rather to supplement
and add to the quality of life of Health Center residents.
Don
Hamm points out that Carolina Meadows residents have a long
tradition of volunteering to help others "It's a two-way
street," he commented. "Those in the Center enjoy
the companionship and feel they are a part of the community.
Those volunteering enjoy continuing the tradition. Also, when
their own time comes to move on to the Health Center they
will have a better feeling of what life is all about there."
What
are the kinds of things the volunteers do? Every month Don
Hamm prepares a detailed schedule of volunteer assignments
and Ellie Moore, another longtime resident, runs it on her
computer. Violet LaRivere, another volunteer and former teacher,
posts a copy of the schedule in each resident's room.
Signing
up for two-hour shifts, often several times a month, resident
volunteers come for friendly visiting and listening, sharing
special skills and talents, playing games or reading and carrying
out a variety of chores for residents. They may help to write
notes or letters, assist on arts and crafts projects, and
take residents for garden walks outdoors or to lectures and
concerts in the Club Center.
Marge
Oakley, who was Carolina Meadows Resident Head Librarian from
1990 to 1997, is the star volunteer, as Don Hamm is quick
to point out. Six days a week she comes to the assisted Dining
Room and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. helps to feed those residents
who cannot fare for themselves. Every morning interested residents
gather in one of their spacious lounges to hear a volunteer
read the news to them. Doris Bowles, Don Hamm, Pat Ballard,
Parkie Fisher, and Larry Shailer take turns as newscasters.
Ellie Moore comes in one morning a week to do crossword puzzles
with interested residents. On Mondays Marge Vaiden and Toni
Weber play dominoes with residents. Every Tuesday afternoon
Ellie Moore and Carolyn Mann host a bingo session that draws
a good attendance. Mary Hardison hosts a regular reminiscence
session another afternoon. Margaret Atkins regularly rearranges
and updates the magazines and other publications in each of
the lounges. Every afternoon a volunteer delivers U.S. mail
to each of the residents' rooms. Irma Eisenbud comes on Tuesdays
to play bridge with interested residents.
The
CLEO Program has created a need for even more resident volunteers,
as well as greater staff and outsider involvement. Beverly
Miller, coordinator of CLEO, has recruited a growing number
of volunteers of all ages from surrounding communities who
find meaningful inter-generational ways to contribute to life
in the Center. Visitors include numerous UNC students and
two groups of mothers with children under five years of age
that come three times a month from the Chapel Hill & Carrboro
Mothers Club and the Chapel Hill Moms & Tots Group.
Spearheading
many of the Auxiliary and CLEO programs are Kris Snyder, Karen
Wolfe, Jody Hite and Faye Culbertson of CM's Activities Department.
Rob Boening, Cm's Executive Director, regularly bathes our
two dogs, while Laurie Ray, our Independent Living Social
Worker, directs a group of thirty resident volunteers who
take turns walking and feeding Sweet Pea and Mack twice a
day seven days a week. Our two cats are primarily in the able
care of Claire Butcher who grooms feeds and cares for Bogey
and Woody seven days a week. Victor Bowles takes care of the
many bird feeders placed outside the windows of Health Center
residents' rooms. There are three cages of indoor birds to
be fed, watered and papered daily by residents Jane Hill,
Maurice & Marie Graves and staffers Kim Clarke, Tracy
Horton, Sandy Young, Carole Butler and Stacey Hayes.
Watering
the many plants on a regular basis is the responsibility of
Edith Boyer, Dot Govern and Helen Wilson. Two staffers who
help out on that important job are Martha Hutt, Executive
Assistant to the Director, and Activities Specialist, Karen
Wolfe.
Last
but certainly not least, among our volunteers are Herb &
Jean Harned who gather newspapers, magazines and other recyclable
articles weekly from the residents' rooms and take them to
Cm's Recycling Center at the other end of the campus.
Among
the many interesting art works exhibited throughout the Center
is a wonderful colorful display of original weavings prepared
by resident Carolyn Kozelka, a member of the Triangle Weavers
Guild. Carolyn was reported to be the youngest knitter for
the American Red Cross in World War Two.
A
highlight of the week's volunteer activities is the Social
Hour, every Friday afternoon, when Ed Hasselblad plays the
piano and Emily Newcity sings and many of the residents join
in singing the songs of many years ago.
-- Des Reilly, Resident
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Whirligigs:
Creative Art Form
It
is fascinating to observe what activities people pursue after
retirement. The activity must, to a degree, reflect the personality
of the individual, but this is not always obvious.
Andy
Lunde retired in his early sixties as Associate Director of
the National Center for Health Statistics, in Washington.
He built a studio-workshop next to his home and began to design
"whirligigs," which are hand-carved constructions
in which a wind-driven propeller moves figures. After creating
hundreds of whirligigs and writing four books on their design,
at the age of 87, Andy is still at it. He does the designing
and carving in his apartment at The Fairways.
You
may have seen some of his whirligigs on permanent exhibit
at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science.
Andy
has also been an active contributor to the Hall Art Show at
the Center, sponsored by the Art Guild.
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Carolina
Meadows to Host "Meet the Candidates" Forum
Carolina
Meadows residents will have an opportunity to meet and hear
the candidates for the offices of sheriff and commissioner,
at a Candidates’ Forum. Joan Blewitt, who was active
in setting up the forum, said, "We nee to know more about
the candidates for local offices so that we can make an informed
vote in the primaries."
The
date for the primaries, however, is still open at this writing,
pending settlement of legal issues on the boundaries of legislative
districts. In 2002, three county commissioners are up for
re-election.
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