November 30, 2005
Pavilions cited for bridging age gap
Generations United Shared Site Award honors local facility
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The Grand Traverse Pavilions received the Generations United Intergenerational Shared Site Award in September, national recognition for the organization's successful mixing of ages, activities and accomplishments.
From baking pumpkin pies to decorating Christmas trees to crafts, puzzles and games for any season, the residents and the daycare children share fun across the generations.
"The kids, they bring in a lot of sunshine," said Charlene Selkirk, a resident of the Pavilions for 12 years. "The kids will stand in the hall smiling and grinning."
The 330 residents at the Pavilions have ample opportunities to visit, play and share with some of the 50 members of the day care center. These children range in age from infants to preschool and activities are available for any age. In addition, many children and school groups from the community visit throughout the year but especially during the holidays. The facility is designed, too, so that residents can watch the children romp in outdoor play areas.
Whether rocking together, working a puzzle or taking a walk, the time shared is invaluable.
"[The children] love getting to do things with the grandmas and grandpas," said Nancy Schmidt, child care services manager for the Pavilions. "It gives them a chance to get around grandmas and grandpas so, for example, they get used to people in wheelchairs."
Generations United is an umbrella organization comprised of more than 100 organizations at the local, state and national levels. Collectively, these organizations represent 70 million Americans. Formed in 1986, Generations United promotes an understand of and advocates for intergenerational concepts.
The award's inscription reads 'For helping to build a world that values all generations,' which could be a mission statement at the Pavilions.
"This is like a lot of other programs in Traverse City: we have a number of treasures here that are highly respected in the state and nation," said Patti DeAgostino, Community Relations Director at the Pavilions. "We have health care administrators coming here to see what we do."
"There's always something going on here, it just makes it a happier place to have the children here," she added.
Resident Margaret Unruh, who has lived at the Pavilions two years in a room festooned with family pictures, the children bring a homelike atmosphere to the facility.
"I do everything that they have the kids doing," she said. "This last week, we made turkey decorations with our hands and I've helped the kids make parfaits."
DeAgostino noted that an underlying philosophy is that every resident has a wealth of life experiences - including parenting, a career, community contributions - that are valued. Residents at the Pavilions are not strangers in the community, they are neighbors, teachers, ministers and so on. They represent a collective wisdom of a generation that children both at the daycare center and the community at large can tap into.
"They may be grandpas, too, but they're just as important a part of this community, they've had careers and left legacies," she said. "But they still have their memories, traditions and stories and they love to talk about them."
"Just because you're older, doesn't mean you're removed from the traditions you cherish," she added.