Adler After Dark

Location: Adler Planetarium

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2015; 5:00-10:00 pm

Today’s theme was called “Geek Chic” and Michael sent us bunch of reading material and links to ‘Youtube’ videos of ‘Big Bang Theory’, a show I have never watched and have no intention of doing so.  I did look at the videos and it seemed like something that I could pull off.  On a freezing evening I took a cab, and on arrival went straight to the volunteer area.  After putting my stuff in the locker, I picked up my new t-shirt.  We were moving to a different attire with a more casual approach.  On the front was the saying, “Relax, it’s just Rocket Science”.  I grabbed some pizza and sat amongst the volunteers waiting for our shift to start.  Michael was assigning people and he came over to ask what I would be interested in doing.  I immediately said, ‘Smelly Space”.  He asked when and I said at 9 pm, after everyone had a chance to sample the drinks!  Eventually I had that for two shifts, from 6-7 pm and 9-10 pm.  At 7pm I would be helping with some trivia in ‘Johnson Theater’ and at 8 pm I would be doing something called “Electric Lemon”.

"Electric Lemon"

I collected the squeeze bottles for “Smelly Space” and I chose those which had the most distinct smells – ‘Moon’, ‘Titan’, ‘Sagittarius’ and ‘IRAS 24’…something.  I asked others what that was and no one knew.  A quick ‘Google’ search revealed it to be a star cluster.  We assembled in ‘Planet Explorers’ classroom and there was a setup there for 2 demonstrations.  One was a “Non-Newtonian fluid” which would be placed on a speaker and depending on the vibration frequencies would take different shapes.  The second demonstration was two-fold.  An “endothermic reaction” where a staff member would dip bananas in ‘Liquid Nitrogen’ and freeze it, and an “exothermic reaction” called “Elephant’s Toothpaste”, where mixing two chemicals would create a giant foam like thing.  We continued the tour to our next stop, which was a classroom where the “Electric Lemon” experiment was being staged.  We were essentially asking people to use Lemons, Limes, Potatoes, Cucumbers and Apples as batteries, which would eventually light up a ‘LED’.  Some of the multimeters didn’t seem to be working and I said that I would cross that bridge when I came to it. 

It was time for our shift and I took my “Smelly Space” things and joined the gathering.  The first thing that I noticed was how people had dressed up as “Fantasy” characters.  Some of them were “COS Players”, attending as invitees for guests to take pictures with them.  The guests themselves were doing quite well as far as costumes were concerned.  I saw everyone ranging from ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Storm Troopers’, ‘Jedi’s’, ‘Marvel’, ‘Video Game’ characters, ‘Sauron’, and even someone dressed as a ‘Tardis’.  It was fantastic and I felt like I was at the’ C2E2 Expo’.

I found a couple looking at the model of ‘Saturn’ and asked if that was their favorite planet.  Then I said that we should do an experiment together and presented them with the squeeze bottles.  It’s always fun to watch people try to smell and not be able to, especially since they always feel it’s a test and put pressure on themselves.  After the smell I would ask questions on how we knew and get responses like, “someone went there”, “we sent probes” or I even heard that someone “opened and closed a jar”!  Then I would get the tube with grating and ask them to look at the light.  Almost always people would not see it but would eventually spot it when I asked them to observe their peripheral vision.  Then I would explain ‘Spectroscopy’ and how we can create the chemical constituents in the lab.  Then I would say that replace the light with a star and the tube with a telescope. 

I talked to couple of ladies who were dressed as some characters and I asked who they were.  They were both from different video games, one a “Space Marshal” and the other was someone called the “Cube”.  A girl and 2 guys were standing next to ‘Jupiter’ and I went over just as the girl got impatient and started looking for her phone frantically.  As she went to look for it, I told the guys I would entertain them till she returned.  I chatted with many people and everyone had a different experience.  A band was playing today and it was getting loud upstairs.  So I went downstairs and stood next to the picture of the galaxy, which was perfect since it has filters and I could incorporate that discussion in my performance.  I chatted with a few more people over there and then it was time for my next task.

As I walked into the ‘Johnson Theater’, I saw that a group was doing a “light-saber” demonstration and it seems that they have classes that they conduct for people who really want to learn how to fight using “light-sabers”.  I mean, they haven’t been invented yet, but why not get a head start!  Once they were done, we went towards the stage area for the trivia game, which was on movies, shows, books, games and anything “pop culture”.  There were two “gamekeepers” and our job was to hand the ‘iclicker’ to the team captain.  The teams were comprised of 3-6 people and we were to also tell them not to click any buttons yet.  Once the quiz started, we were to walk about and ensure that no one was “cheating” by using a phone or other mobile device.  I walked about and handed clickers and also encouraged people to make friends if they were just a 2 member team.  In fact 2 couples came in and I encouraged them to pair up, which they did.

Just as we were about to start, one volunteer came in and said that Michael wanted me to continue with “pocket science” and that she would be replacing me.  So I picked up my “Smelly Space” stuff and went back to engage the visitors.  Outside the ‘Atwood Sphere’ was a great location since many people were waiting for their turn and had nothing better to do anyways.  I did the experiment with 3 girls and they were impressed.  One of them asked me how God would smell.  I said I don’t know about God, but if any of them were born under ‘Sagittarius’, they should smell like raspberries!  A group of 3 guys came and I started chatting with them.  They liked the experiment and in the end I told them to find 3 ladies and form a team of 6 for the trivia.  Just doing my part to bring everyone together!

At 8 pm it was my turn to go help out with the “Electric Lemon” activity, which was being staged in a classroom.  On tables, there were all the fruits and vegetables.  Also available were copper wires and Zinc nails, wires and alligator clips and multimeters and tiny LED's and batteries.  Folks were trying various combinations of vegetables and fruits and trying to “squeeze” - get it - current out of them.  I was encouraging the people to move things around, and try various combinations in series.  The idea was to get people to figure out by themselves, but we were to give them all the tools and let them be hands on.  Some people gave up easily and some stuck with it.  One couple was persistent and got an LED to light up, though the guy said that everyone should avoid the Apples since they “sucked”! 

Another couple very really determined and tried for 40 minutes before they finally got it to work.  The girl was insisting on using a Cucumber and the guy did not want to.  Later we learnt that the problem was with the LED and so when we connected a new one to the Cucumber, it worked. I said to him, “I told you she was right”!  Two guys came and they seemed well versed in the sciences.  They gave it a fair shot, and while they managed to get some voltage out of the system, but could not get the LED to work.  I was encouraging the folks to first check if multimeters were working and would say that there was just one thing on the table that could be used to check if multimeters would work and that was batteries.  Our job is to get people to intuitively solve problems.  Two ladies came and were doing their best.  In chatting I learned that they both worked for the ‘Art Institute’ – a place I visit regularly.  At one stage the fire alarm went off and when we started to leave, it switched off.  We returned back and since I had the “Smelly Space” equipment still with me, I did the experiment for them and mentioned how a “visual sense” was being converted to an “olfactory sense”.  I said to them that just like the art they were surrounded with every day, science is an art form as well. 

I continued with “Smelly Space” for my last shift and roamed about the lower level since the band was in full swing upstairs.  While I chatted with a few people, the evening was dying down and so went back to the office at 9:50 pm and chatted with my fellow volunteers.  Michael talked about some of the upcoming events for which I have signed up including “Astro Overnight”, with kids and “Pie Day”, where he said we would be throwing pies at astronomers….whatever that means.  It had been another interesting evening and a satisfying one as well.

Lakeview Seniors Pet Therapy

Location: Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Date: Monday, February 16, 2015; 6:15-7:45 pm

I arrived to see a house full of dogs.  Before greeting them, I went over to the main room to say hello to Jack, Larry and Elmer.  They told me that Jim had finally moved out, though he does visit every now and then.  I saw Emma sitting by herself and went over to greet her.  She was her usual kind self, but it seems like she is slowly fading.  I went back to the room with the dogs and we accompanied them to the main activity room.  Robyn, who was leading tonight and who comes over with Bruce and June, asked if I would mind holding June's leash.  Poor Bruce had just thrown up and she was trying to clean.  June is a sweet girl and I was happy to do so.  She was generally well behaved, though she did yelp when a dog came in.  I took June to see Holly and we were wondering if June was named after the month of her birth. But in fact, Robyn mentioned that her birthday is next week.  I also learnt that Holly’s birthday was on April 7, same as one of my friends.  “I will be 91 years old”, she said.  “91 years young”, I responded.

Beautiful June

We went out in the hallway and Robyn assigned all of us. I was going to hang on to June and accompanying Robyn and Bruce.  We were starting on the 1^st floor and I asked her how Bruce can cope with being blind.  She said that it’s been 2 years now and he just follows the scent and navigates by bumping into things.  Aww, that’s sad.  We weren't having much luck on the 1^st and went into a room where a gentleman by the name of Daniel was lying in bed.  He said he's not much of a pet person but was willing to chat.  I saw that he had some ‘Valentine's Day’ balloons and also a ‘Teddy Bear’.  I pointed it out and said that he was popular. He said the bear was for him to hug when he coughs.  He had just had bypass and hugging something soft helps with stitches...not to mention provide comfort when there is none.  He called the bear “Sir Hugs-a-Lot”.  We laughed at this and he seemed like a jolly person.  I said that my dad had bypass a few years ago and based on his recovery, Daniel would be up and about in no time.

We left him and went to the 2^nd floor.  First stop was with David and I picked up June to put her next to him.  As is his usual style, he gave her a solid massage; "a deep tissue one", Robyn pointed out.  Bruce is amazingly well behaved and sits when told, even by me.   Robyn said that was impressive that he was used to my voice.  In was warm inside and the pups were getting thirsty.  I took the two of them to the fountain, though poor Bruce was bumping into things.  There were ladies sitting on wheelchairs outside in the hallway and they loved petting them.  Bruce impressed them by following Robyn’s instructions and doing tricks like shake paws and giving "High-fives".

Next stop was to see Loritta and boy was she in a mood to chat today.   We talked about pets and she told us about some rabbit which was big and a dog that got along well with it.  She was going on and on as I was playing with Bruce and June.  Bruce would whip his head around when someone touched him, but would then let you pet him.  June was feeling hot and so went down on her stomach to feel the cold floor.  We went to the 3^rd floor and I said that I wanted to stop by and meet Pearl.  A nurse in her room said that Pearl would be ready in a few minutes and we should come back.  Before leaving I yelled out in Hindi asking how she was and she responded in Hindi saying she was doing well.  We went over to see Hannah and once again she told us about her cat that had died recently.  She said that he had a good life and passed in his favorite chair.  Robyn said that at least Hannah had managed to finish the book about him and she said that some publishers were looking at it.  I said that we would like to see it soon.  Next stop was with Jerry and both, Bruce and June, joined him on his bed as he fed them the treats.  I looked around at some of his newer pictures on the wall and we left when some others came over for their treats.

We went back to Pearl and I chatted with her in Hindi and then introduced Robyn.  I said that Pearl’s Hindi was better than mine and Pearl said “bakwas” and I translated, “nonsense”.  Pearl was making some bracelets and they looked lovely.  She told us about her roommate who is blind and asked if we could send over some volunteers to just chat with her.  She is extremely lonely and according to Pearl, not treated well by the staff here.  In fact Pearl threatened to call the "Social Services" soon.  I said that maybe some of the Chicago Cares volunteers from other projects could stop by once in a while.  It was time for the dogs to leave and I wished Pearl goodbye in Hindi, Urdu and she added Punjabi.  She gave me some assignment to watch ‘Youtube’ videos on some senior living facilities. 

I said bye to Bruce and June, who had been fantastic.  I told Fran about what Pearl had said and asked her to perhaps work with Wilson to facilitate visits.  There was one last thing to do and that was drop off Emma to her room.  She was eating some cereal from a single serve bowl - perhaps something that she won in Bingo.  I asked if she wanted to be dropped in her room and she said “Yes please”.  I took her upstairs and indicated to the nurse to help her in the bed.  Emma said something about her daughter coming to help.  She thanked me as I left and I once again had a feeling that she was fading.  I had a lot to think about as I walked back to the station.

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy

Valentine’s Day Special: Senior Breakfast Club

Location: Zelda Ormes Apartments

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2015; 9:00 am-12:00 pm

It was ‘Valentine’s Day’ again and no, I was not going to ‘Lakeview Pantry'.  I was in fact going to a new place for a Saturday morning Senior’s breakfast.  Rosie from Chicago Cares asked if I could lead since the regular leader was busy, but when I asked several question about the place, the Bingo game etc., she said that another regular volunteer Francie would lead instead.  There was a problem with the trains that morning and so I just took a cab to the place.  I arrived and went inside to see that Francie was there arranging everything but there were no other volunteers. 

I said that we should get started and my first task was cutting sausages.  There were a lot of packages and not enough pans or utensils to keep them in.  That we could overcome, our main problem was that as time went by, it seemed like no other volunteers were going to show up.  Francie was not a leader yet and did not have access to the leader portal.  This meant that she would not know if people were cancelling on her and for all we knew, this was it…which is exactly what it turned out to be.  This meant that we had to be super-efficient, though it was going to be a challenge.

We had more than enough Sausages

The tray was full of chopped sausages and I started cooking, though it was going to take some time.  Francie was making biscuits in the oven while chopping fruits on the table outside.  Some of the guests came in and they were being a bit demanding.  Francie kept saying to them that it was just the two of us today and we were trying hard.  Fortunately, one lady who appeared to be the resident coordinator was helping us by serving juice and coffee, but the crowd was getting impatient.  Francie was trying her best to remain patient and polite as people kept demanding things.  I was cooking sausages in batches and putting them in whatever containers we could find...and we did not have many of those either.  It is easy to be dynamic with limited utensils when there are more people, but when there are no volunteers, you become static in your process and thus need as many things as you can get.

I started breaking eggs – 18 at a time, and then started cooking scrambled eggs on the stove next to the sausages.  We had everything going simultaneously and to her credit, Francie was doing a terrific job in getting food out just as I was sending it from the kitchen.  I finished with all the sausages and then focused on the eggs.  Because of the speed that I had to work at, I was getting egg splashes and some other stuff all over me.  Just then there was a request for more sausages and so I opened more packs and moved to that… and then there was a call for more eggs!  It was relentless, but finally the lady who was helping us said that it was enough.

But that was just one aspect of the project.  Now the residents were calling out for 'Bingo' and so Francie moved to that while I started on the massive task of cleanup.  Cleaning the pans used for greasy sausages and eggs was a task and a half.  It took me a long time and I was just done with the dishes just as the game got over.  I then cleaned the countertops and stove while the helper lady mopped the floor.  I thought we were all done, but the lady asked me to put the container with Chicago Cares stuff into the closet.  The said container was really heavy and I huffed and puffed there.  Just as I was checking the room to see if anything was left, one resident asked if she knew me from anywhere.  Unfortunately I was tired and so rather than engage in a long chat, I just said that this was my first time here.  I asked Francie if anything was left to do and since there wasn’t anything, I left.  But not before I had to chase Francie to hand her the signup sheet, which the helper lady in turn had chased after me for.  I did not say "well done" to Francie or anything kind, even though she deserved it. All things considered, she had really done a great job. I was just ticked off.  I felt that Chicago Cares had let us down by not having a staff member to help, especially as they should have seen the volunteers drop off.  There was no check-up to see if we were doing well.  Now wouldn’t this be something for the “Auxiliary Board” to talk about!  It was by far one of the most disappointing experiences as a Chicago Cares volunteer…and on this day too.

Valentine’s Day Dance At The Wells Street Cafe

Location: Breaking Bread Ministries/LaSalle Street Church

Date: Friday, February 13, 2015; 6:30-8:00 pm

Marianne had told me about this event in January, similar to a one that had been held last year.  It was the ‘Valentine’s Day Dance’ for guests who visit this place every week.  Wilson had been involved then and he was involved in this one as well.  He had set up a ‘Meetup’ for this and requested all volunteers to get sweet treats - homemade if possible.  I had been working as an intermediary between Marianne and Wilson to set this up through the ‘Meetup’, though I had told her that I would come separately…and I would even wear a suit.

The week of the event I went and bought ‘Valentine's Day’ card kits, similar to the one's I had seen during my project at ‘Mary Hartwell Catherwood Apartments’ last week.  The only thing that I couldn’t find were the foam hearts and Wilson said that he would provide those.  My dear friend from work was going to come with me but despite being a Friday, we were delayed in the office.  Earlier in the evening Marianne had asked if I could get 5 lbs. of sugar, but since I was going to be late, I redirected that to Wilson as well.  Before leaving I asked Wilson if we needed more desserts and he said that we were a bit short.  So before proceeding for the party, my friend and I went to ‘Jewel’ and picked up couple of boxes of mini cupcakes.

Appropriate wall decorations

We arrived to see that the layout was a bit different than the usual setting; with a DJ, a dance floor and colorful tablecloths. Plus the walls had been decorated with heart-shaped cutouts and photographs from last year’s party.  Finally, there was the dessert’s station where all the goodies were kept.  After apologizing for being late, I borrowed a few volunteers and started them on the candy card kits, while I went inside the kitchen where I saw Wilson doing the dishes.  He told me that the evening had been a bit chaotic since Keith had quit. Wait what; I had just seen him last Wednesday!  There had been a bit of panic earlier but now things were under control and food was being served outside.  Trust Wilson to get everything right.

The “Valentine Kits” were now ready and the volunteers put them into bowls and took outside to distribute to the guests.  There was general merriment going on and the guests seemed to be having fun.  The dance party was well and truly underway and even the kids were joining in.  Most of the volunteers were Wilson’s group from the ‘Meetup’, though I did spot a few regulars like Mark from the ‘Moody Bible Institute’.  Marianne was taking pictures and even took some with me.  She told my friend how I was her eye doctor, referring to our first meeting last year.  In fact, my friend had heard a lot about all of these people from me, including Wilson and we talked about all of our volunteering experiences. 

The party was winding down and I started getting the candles into the kitchen - yes there had been real candles!  They were supposed to be removed from inside the holder and the holder washed.  However, removing them wasn't exactly easy owing to the warm oil, and I had to soak them in ice water first.  I wiped down the kitchen in the meanwhile while chatting with Wilson, who mentioned that he was feeding 500 homeless tomorrow morning.  He also said that he had inherited a food pantry - whatever that means.  I know better than to ask him questions!  The tables and chairs outside were to be left in place since there were church events over the weekend and I told Marianne to call me if ever she needed anything, especially with Keith gone.  I still couldn't believe that he was gone, but it was time to leave.  It had been a wonderful party and the guests had enjoyed themselves.  It’s one thing to have dinner service every week, but this event was something that had shown our guests that on a day universally acknowledged for acts of love, they mattered to someone.

Just For Starters Sweetheart Bingo

Location: The Imperial Nursing Home

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015; 6:30-7:45 pm

I had done this exact project on ‘Valentine’s Day’ 2 years ago.  Two years is a long time, but the more things change, the more they stay the same.  It was a familiar setting that I found myself in and I arrived to find that our Volunteer leader, Nell was already there with another volunteer.  Nell asked if I had volunteered with Chicago Cares before and I replied, “You could say that”.  She said that we would be competing with a ‘Valentine’s Day’ party that was already in progress, and looking inside I could see some younger folk.  This meant that some people’s families were visiting and while that was great, it also meant that we would have to relocate to the 5^th floor for our project.  Nell and I chatted about her job, which was at a place called ‘Feeding America’, which supports over 250 Food Banks across the nation, including ‘GCFD’; who in turn support shelters and soup kitchens.  I asked if these food banks cover every square inch of the nation and they do – including Alaska and Hawaii.

The magnificent flowers

Other volunteers filtered in, including a married couple and another whom I had met at Lakeview Nursing, during the ‘Pet Therapy’ project.  We were waiting in the lobby by the most exquisite looking flowers, which at first looked artificial, but were very much real.  Nell said that one of the volunteers is taking it home after the project.  We went inside and as we walked to the elevators, we were invited to join the party, or at least have some wine.  I said that with wine in the mix, there was no way that we were going to convince the residents to come to our event!  We arrived on the 5^th floor and there were only a few residents present.  There were no decorations over here as from 2 years ago, when artificial rose petals had been sprinkled on each table.  I asked a few to join us, but as I have learned during over the trivia events here, the residents here are a little bit more impaired than others.  I went outside to “recruit” some residents and came back with a lady.

I sat down  and she introduced herself as Betty.  She asked if I was from India and I said that indeed I was.  She said that she had just had a hernia procedure done a few weeks ago and was now on the mend.  She said that soon she would move to the housing section next door and have her own refrigerator and a stove.  I asked if she had any friends here and she said a few, but not really.  I asked why she had not gone down for the party and she said because there were people with families there and she did not have any family.  But she did have family, a son, several grandchildren - including twin girls - and some great grandchildren.  She even imitated a little 2 year old and the way he looks at everyone suspiciously.  I asked how often do they visit and she said not a lot, but brushed it off saying everyone’s busy.  Yeah, everyone is and life goes on. 

The game started and our caller was going really fast, meaning I had to keep track of Betty’s cards as well as mine.  Though she was sharp, she did say her eyesight was not what it used to be.  I asked when had she moved to Chicago and she said a long time ago, in her 20s.  I said, oh, you mean 10 years ago!  Always the charmer!  She said that she had come from Bethlehem PA, a small steel town and there was nothing there.  I won on the very first round and asked Betty to pick a prize.  There was the usual spread and initially she was intrigued by some body-lotion, but then Nell showed her a Violet water bottle and since I love that color, convinced her to take that. 

There was a huge influx of residents now and the room was getting full.  One lady walked in and she looked - and was dressed - like some British royalty.  One gentleman joined our table and I asked his name, which he said was Don.  He seemed quiet, but smiled every now and then, and was quite sharp.  We were going through a terrible dry spell while the other tables were winning.  One guy kept saying “Bingo respect”, though I did not understand what that meant.  Betty kept repeating about her medical procedure and moving back to her independent housing - with her own refrigerator and stove.  I asked what she would do with her own stove and she said that she would cook.  I asked what would she cook and she said she doesn’t, and would get things from the café downstairs.  So I asked why would she need the stove, but I knew what she meant.  It was more than a stove.  It was independence.  I often wonder if they just imagine it or will they really be able to leave.  I asked Betty what other activities they have here and she said “Ice cream social”.  I asked what flavor she liked and she said “Vanilla, with whipped cream and chocolate sauce”.  I said, “Me too”.  “Strawberry”, I heard from the other side and it was the first time Don had spoken without being asked a question.  Nothing like ice cream to get people going! 

We were getting close to the end and Don won twice…on the same card.   Betty said that now he will be playing for “Bingo respect”, since he had won twice and was not eligible any more.  So that’s what it means.  I took the gifts over to Don and he chooses some soap and a book of puzzles.  The game was over and that was good since Betty kept saying that she was tired.  Nell and the other volunteers distributed sweets, including sugar free ones. I said that the folks at my table loved ice cream and probably would not care too much for sugar free stuff.  Sure enough Betty had not taken the sugar free candy, but the real one.  We left after an evening that had started off slowly, but was a huge success at the end.  The party was still on downstairs and as I walked out, I saw the old lady who looked like royalty having a smoke.  Good for you Madam, after all it is the ‘Valentine’s Day’ party.

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy

Bingo Fun At Britton Budd

Location: Britton/Budd Apartments

Date: Monday, February 09, 2015; 6:15 -7:30 pm

It had been a long time and I was looking forward to meeting my playing buddy Elvina.  I arrived at the doors and they were closed with a dial pad outside…but no number to dial so as to reach security.  After banging on the doors I was finally let in.  I saw Elvina walking towards the Bingo room and I told her to save me a seat as I checked in.  I went inside and as I put my stuff down next to her, she said, “We meet again”.  As soon as I sat down, she said "Wish me Happy Birthday", since it was yesterday.  I knew that it fell on an 8^th since it's her favorite number, but did not know which month, until now. 

Elvina's Bingo Board

There were several volunteers present today and we actually had one at each table, with our Volunteer leader Veronica calling.  It was just Elvina and me on ours.  Elvina had her own Bingo cards and they looked new, each with a different design.  She said that her daughter had gotten them for her and was having a tough time selecting 2 from the 3 that she had.  I asked Elvina how she had spent her birthday and she said that her entire family was there, including all of the grandkids.  I asked if her dog was at the party and she said not with so many people around!  I asked what presents she had received and she said cash and some gift cards. I said that works!  I asked what kind of cake she had and she said layers of Strawberry and Pineapple.  I said so she's not a 'Chocolate Cake' person.  At this she got excited and said that they had her favorite ice cream –“Chocolate Oreo cookie”.  She said that she had all of it, but in moderation. I said that's the key.  I said that it sucks to have a birthday in winter since you can't go out. She said yes, you can if you bundle up.  I said but not in a dress - referring to a comment she had made in the past - and she said yep.  Man I love her spunk.  It seems that yesterday they had played some game called “Left-Right-Center”, where you roll dice and depending on “L”, “R” or “C”, took money from someone sitting on your left, right or center.  She said that she had turned 69 but then corrected herself saying 89.  I said we should stick to 69 since she looks that - and she really does

The game started and we were struggling, with all the wins were coming on the other side of the room.  After we hadn't won in several rounds, I said that we should probably switch places with the folks on the side that was winning!  Elvina would every now and then remove the 3rd card and see if she wanted to replace one of the two she had.  But then she would end up keeping the original ones.  But she would not be denied and finally won.  She went and picked some 'Tupperware', and I said that it was a good choice.  Another volunteer took over for Veronica and she was nervous initially, calling "Zero" for “O”.  Hey, speaking from experience, it's not easy calling a game, especially when some people are complaining.  But this is a friendlier crowd and was encouraging the caller.  I said to Elvina that she would be lucky for us since the volunteer was wearing a Violet sweater, to go with my Violet scarf and Elvina's Violet water bottle cover!

Our side of the room was still struggling, but we finally won a couple - still not as many as the other side.  Elvina kept saying that I should win, but the problem was that we both had many numbers in common, meaning our fortunes were linked.  She won again and unfortunately some of the disposable Violet cups were gone, since they would have gone well with her bottle.  Elvina chose a word search puzzle over a photo-frame.  When everyone had won, the person with least prizes would get one, provided they put their hands up.  Elvina had less than others and so I kept saying that she had to be fast with her hands.  But she still had her sense of humor regarding the game, as earlier she had mentioned to me "Watch me else I will cheat", when I had said that one can win only once in the same round. 

When all prizes were gone, it was time to leave.  Elvina said that she would tell her kids how she had told me that she was 69.  Once again, I reiterated that she should stick to that age.  I asked what had been her favorite birthday to date. She said that at her age all of them are special.  I said that is true at any age.  I helped put her things in that lovely pink bag which I have known her to always carry and then she left.  So did I, after promising Veronica that there would not be so much of a gap between my visits next time.

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy

Senior Breakfast Club

Location: Mary Hartwell Catherwood Apartments

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2015; 9:00 am-12:00 pm

I always have trouble getting to this location.  This was true today as well as I almost missed my stop since I was day dreaming.  I then navigated my way through the tricky sidewalks with ice and arrived at the building I knew so well.  Rosie was leading today and I saw her outside.  I went in to see some of the regulars like LaKeith and his mom, as well as Sonia.  But there was no Sandy or others that I have known for so long.  However, there were several new volunteers and a lot of activity was underway.  I usually help with the fruits and so went over to chop the bananas, but LaKeith’s mom stopped me saying that they would turn brown if I cut them so soon.  Rosie said that rather than just fruit, we were making "Yogurt Parfaits" and so we would need the bananas for that.  Well, someone tell me what to do.

"Parfait's"

So I got down to putting Vanilla yogurt into cups while other volunteers cut strawberries and bananas.  We made several cups and placed them on trays.  The lady, who is in charge and also acts as the onsite coordinator, told me that she just wanted fruits and if I could make a bowl for her. So I did just that, cutting some fruits and gave to her.  The "Parfait" was proving to be very popular and when I walked about many told me they really liked it.  We had to keep making some more since people were still coming in and wanted to have a taste.  The other things on the menu were scrambled eggs, biscuits and turkey bacon.  The electric pan on which we were supposed to cook the bacon - and which was on the table outside - wasn’t working well and so we had to find place for it in the in the kitchen.  If nothing else, we find solutions to problems!

'Valentine's Day' presents

The entire room was decorated in ‘Valentine’s Day’ stuff, including things on the wall and other paraphernalia spread out all over the room.  Rosie had also bought some things for us to hand out to the residents and which needed to be assembled.  We were putting candy sticks in a ‘Disney Valentines Card’ and then sticking heart stickers on the back.  I helped with that with couple of other volunteers, including a guy who worked for ‘Discover Financial Services’.  I told him about how my credit card identity was being compromised all the time and all he could do was sympathize.  We finished making these small presents, which looked great.  We even tried to make all of them similar – ensuring that each had two hearts instead of one – so that residents don’t argue on why theirs had lesser hearts!  I liked this idea so much that I told Wilson that we could do something similar for our ‘Breaking Bread’ project later this week.  I even sent Marianne a note that we would be doing this.

Next, it was time to serve and I was on the eggs.  We realized that we did not have enough and were now scrambling to make more…get it “scrambling”.  Food runners would come with plates of turkey bacon and biscuit and I would put one scoop of eggs on it.  This process was very rapid and soon everyone had been served.  I know how much time it takes to clean the serving tray with the eggs and so I put the remainder of eggs in plates and soaked the tray.  Later on, me and another volunteer spent time cleaning and this has always been my regular role here. 

Soon we were done and the Bingo game was underway with LaKeith calling in his loud booming voice.  People were concentrating hard and I always find it funny because this is such a game of chance.  I always like to see what presents the residents pick and today it was hand-soap.  No one was picking tissue paper and there was a lone deodorant as well.  There was also a wall-hanging sign saying ‘LOVE’, which no one took till one lady grabbed it at the end.  While the Bingo was on, I helped Rosie put away the cooking stuff in the other room.  Soon all prizes had been handed out and it was time for the last “Coverall” game which had a giant industrial sized washing detergent as a prize.  LaKeith had asked if I could call the game and I said that while my voice wasn’t like his, I would try. 

I started calling and immediately people started complaining that they couldn’t hear etc. - basically giving me a hard time.  Amidst all the murmurs and rumblings, I got through the game.  We then put away everything else; and after helping put away a microwave, we could leave.  Rosie then did a quick reflection session and while many regulars have gone, the new people seemed excited to return back.  I walked to the train station with a couple of them and remembered how much I enjoyed coming here and I still do.