When CEO Marilyn Slade and her team at the Villa Carital long term care home in Vancouver decided to host an exhibit of paintings by residents, they never expected that they would have to make room for over 100 guests. But that is exactly what happened on June 16th for a special Wine & Cheese reception at the facility.
Recreation Therapist Teresa MacPhee said as soon as people arrived, they wanted to start buying all the paintings. "We decided to hold a silent auction to satisfy the demand. Most of the art was purchased right there on the spot."
For the past 18 months, Teresa and a stellar group of volunteers have been facilitating a Drop-In Art Program for any resident who wanted to participate. Since then, the residents worked on individual canvasses and four large group paintings. For Christmas this year they put together a calendar and bookmarks that included a biography of each artist. After that, local sponsors came forward to assist with framing costs - leading to last month's exhibit.
When it was all over CEO Slade said, "We are so grateful for the individuals and organizations that helped sponsor this event: This was over the top." Villa Carital is one example of many BC Care providers that are working hard every day to improve the quality of life for seniors across BC.
