King City Senior Village Residents Combat COVID Fatigue with Poetry

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Will the Lilacs Bloom, by Peggy Taylor.
Will the Lilacs Bloom, by Peggy Taylor.
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The residents at King City Senior Village (KCSV) are usually an active bunch, so when COVID-19 dictated implementing rules limiting family and friends from visiting, as well as other social distancing rules, staff had to get creative on best serving their residents.

Activity Director Deana McIntyre jumped into action with a plan for a poetry contest, according to Debbie Hartvickson. “This was the brainchild of our amazing Deana McIntyre. She really jumped right on this new normal we were all experiencing,” she said. “At the beginning of the pandemic, we truly were reinventing the wheel. How could we engage our residents and follow the new social distancing guidelines? This was one of the great ideas Deana came up with.”

KCSV Pandemic, by LeRoy Nollette.
KCSV Pandemic, by LeRoy Nollette.

McIntyre launched the program as a contest with gift cards as prizes: $50 first prize went to LeRoy Nollette, $25 second-prize to Leo Graham and a $15 third prize to Peggy Taylor. Golda Fabian, who recently celebrated her 97th birthday, received an honorable mention. “We had a total of 15 entries. No criteria, they could write about anything they wanted,” she explained.

Reflections, by Leo Graham.
Reflections, by Leo Graham.

“The goal of this contest was to really draw out the creativity in our residents,” McIntyre added. “We know that they have all lived through many challenges in life and were hopeful that they would bring their wisdom to the forefront so that we could all be encouraged and learn from their experience.

“We were pleasantly surprised at the quality, skill and content that came from this. They put a lot of time and thought into this project. It was great to see the sense of pride they have. Even the residents who did not submit a poem enjoyed reading them all and subsequently were able to vote on the best one.”

For more information on King City Senior Village, visit kingcityseniorvillage.com.