Wesley Enhanced Living Has Day at the Carnival

, a continuing care community in Hatboro, hosted its first Carnival Day, on the afternoon of July 11.

“We’ve always wanted to do an outdoor event like this,” Robyn Fine, Wesley Enhanced Living director of resident programs said.

According to Fine, the carnival day was collaboration between the senior community’s activities and dining services. She said both departments planned several months in advance to set up the carnival attractions and atmosphere.

Carnival attractions were spread out around the roundabout, located in front of the Wesley Enhanced Living building.

According to Wesley Enhanced Living executive director Robyn Kulp, Upper Moreland’s fire marshal and other officials were first contacted for permission to close off the throughway to traffic. Kulp said the flat and even front-area surface could accomodate the residents for the event, adding that it would be the first time residents were able to make use of the outdoor space.

“This is the first time we had a carnival,” Kulp said with pride. “It’s the first time the whole front area was able to be used.”

Kulp observed that the carnival, which took place from noon to 3 p.m., was well attended by both the Wesley Enhanced Living independent residents, as well as those in personal care.

 “I think it’s great, they really did a nice job,” Arlita Sugdea, Wesley Enhanced Living resident, said. “From the food and everybody seems to be enjoying the games. It’s a nice change of pace.”

“Everything is well planed, and well-thought out,” Mitzi Plunkett, added. “They do a really nice job for everybody around here.”

A Day at the Carnival

If not enjoying the carnival from underneath shade trees or tents, the senior residents and visitors lined up to participate with carnival and ‘backyard’ games.

Such games included:

• A ‘Horse Race,’ where residents rolled dice that moved large horse figures down a racetrack.

• Bean bag toss

• Two types of ring toss, using various-sized rings

The Wesley Enhanced dining services provided summer healthy and sweet tooth delights, such as fresh popcorn, cotton candy, hotdogs and assorted fruit on a stick, called “fruit-kabobs.”

An Inter-generational Event

Helping to enjoy the event were several 3-and 4-year-old students of the , located around the corner from Wesley Enhanced Living. The young carnival participants were excited to eat the carnival treats and play the games. It was also apparent the joy felt by residents showing excited Just Like Home students how to play the carnival games.

“It’s nice to get out and do something different, instead of just our normal outside playtime,” Jami Noce, 3-and 4-year-old Just Like Home teacher, said.

According to Noce, Wesley Enhanced Living often invites the Just Like Home students over for special events throughout the year, including a Halloween Trick-or-Treat, where the young students can go door-to-door of residents.

“The elderly really enjoy seeing them when they can,” Noce said. “And, I think the kids do, too.”

The Wesley Enhanced Living Foundation

A hat stand was also present, at which residents were selling Wesley Enhanced Living branded headgear to raise funds for the Wesley Enhanced Living Foundation.

According to the Wesley Enhanced Living website, www.wel.org, the foundation raises funds year-round to make a positive impact for everyone involved with the senior residential community.

One such impact goes toward the dining staff of Wesley Enhanced Living.

According to Robyn Fine, 90-percent of the dining staff are local high school or college students. Fine said, every year the foundation provides a $1,000 scholarship to one of the dining staff members, based on a strict criteria, to help pay for school-related expenses such as textbooks or computers.

“It’s a relief, because we don’t have to get much financial aid, so it’s not that much of a burden,” Megan Raslovick, a dining staff member and junior at Shippensburg University, said. “It’s nice.”