Abby Partington is a first-year student at The University of Guelph focusing on Biology and English. She is also the daughter of Village Voice writer Kristian Partington, and she’s happy to support the Villages by reminding us all that amid the challenges we face, there are always signs of hope through kindness.
May 22 | Shoutout to The Village of Erin Meadows Meadowvale team from CBC Toronto
May 16 | What Makes A Hero
May 15 | Caregivers' Week Video #5
May 14 | Caregivers' Week Video #4
May 13 | Caregivers' Week Video #3
May 12 | Caregivers' Week Video #2
May 11 | Caregivers' Week Video #1
May 9 | Kicking off Caregivers' Week
April 29 | Rallies of Support
Rally outside The Village of Aspen Lake
As a result of COVID-19, physical connections outside of our Villages are being cut off, but that doesn’t mean that support and emotional connections are being cut off as well!
At Taunton Mills, the team at Sandals Resort drove by in a makeshift parade, honking and shouting thanks and encouragement to the hard working team members.
In Waterloo, a crew of police officers visited The Village at University Gates as well as Pinehaven Nursing Home. They drove through with flashing lights and homemade signs showing their support.
Members of the Windsor community created a parade for The Village of Aspen Lake, driving by on two different occasions! Some people had signs, others shouted their thanks, and others honked their horns.
The shows of support from community members and organizations are helping keep team members and residents in high spirits. Thank you to everyone who is finding creative ways to visit our Villages and share their thanks!
April 22 | A Kind Bus Driver in Windsor
In Windsor, the buses that many team members use to get to the Villages are not running, or are running with very limited access. A pair of team members working at the Village at St. Clair used the bus to travel to and from the Village every day, and while talking to their regular bus driver, Brandon Lake, about the changes, he offered to drive them to work personally.
Brandon put up a tarp in his vehicle to keep his distance and picked up the two team members himself to drive them to the Village. Brandon is a wonderful example of the care and support being offered by public service workers everywhere. Thank you to Brandon for helping our team members to do their jobs, and thank you to our team members for their daily dedication to their Villages!
April 19 | A Message of Thanks
Pizza Delivered to The Village of Arbour Trails
As a message of thanks, food is being delivered to essential workers from restaurants all across the country. Guelph City Pizza delivered pizzas to the Villages of Riverside Glen and Arbour Trails, all thanks to a donation made by Adriano Sorella.
Adriano, with the help of some friends, donated enough to Guelph City Pizza for over 300 pizzas to be delivered. These deliveries went to hospitals, police and fire stations, and many other locations including our two Guelph-based villages.
As a new member of the Guelph community, I find the dedication and support of Guelph residents incredibly heartwarming. It is remarkable that community members like Adriano are helping essential workers however possible in this time of need. Thank you Guelph City Pizza and Adriano Sorella for your generosity and support to our Villages!
April 17 | A message to the team at The Village of Humber Heights
April 16 | Stay the Course, a poem by Taunton Mills Resident, Patricia Bayley
April 12 | Spring Kindness
Kindness Eggs and Flowers
delivered to Erin Meadows
In the spirit of Easter, many different organizations have given gifts and tokens of kindness to Villages across the province. Flowers and cards have been delivered to residents and team members to celebrate spring and spread happiness!
At the Village of Arbour Trails, Darren Chubb and his family donated Easter lilies to residents and team members, and a pot of pansies was delivered to each resident from Belgian Nurseries.
At Riverside Glen, Walinga Inc. and Janco Steel Ltd. delivered hydrangeas, and the Canadian Tire on Woodlawn Rd. donated Easter lilies and assorted flowers. Both residents and team members received chrysanthemums thanks to Kuyvenhoven Greenhouses.
As one resident put it, it was “a lovely gift you have given to us at Easter time, when we cannot be with our families. These plants will brighten our rooms and our hearts!”
Emma's team at Humber Heights
Coleman Care Centre received kindness cards from the Ripple of Kindness organization, assorted flowers were donated to the Village of Wentworth Heights by Floral express, and the Village of Humber Heights received bouquets from family members of residents.
Kindness eggs were hidden all around the Village of Erin Meadows - when an egg is found, it is given to a recipient with a compliment, and an orchid is given as a gift of appreciation.
All across the Villages, donations are being made to brighten up the lives of residents and team members. Thank you to everyone whose gifts brought smiles to the faces of those in our Villages, and Happy Easter!
April 8 | Industry Sharing Support
Ford Team Member Delivers to the Village
As COVID-19 continues its spread across the country, the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has significantly increased. Governments and health care providers are all working hard to gather what they need, and it’s heartening to see leaders in industry stepping in with support. Many organizations and community members are finding creative ways to make protective face masks for the team members in our Villages, and our gratitude goes out to them all. Here are few examples:
At Ford Motor Company’s Windsor Engine Plant, a collection of employees used their time to make face shields that were then donated to Villages. Over 200 shields were donated to The Village at St. Clair and 100 were given to The Village of Aspen Lake.
At Riverside Glen in Guelph, a donation of face shields was made by the Upper Grand District School Board and the SHSM program there. The Village of Tansley Woods in Burlington also received a donation of multiple homemade cloth face masks from the family member of a resident.
People everywhere are stepping up to help out where needed! When resources aren’t needed by organizations, they’re making generous donations to our Villages where they can be put to good use. Thank you to everyone who has donated equipment for the safety of our residents and team members.
April 6, 2020 | Serving up Trays of Goodwill
Serving trays delivered to all 19 Villages
As a result of social and physical distancing measures, gatherings of more than 5 people have been restricted in the province of Ontario and, as much as possible, the theory of distancing is happening in the Villages as well.
In many cases, the COVID-19 crisis has shifted how we approach meals in The Villages and we’ve been preparing for possibility of tray service for all residents, especially when in Outbreak.
To make this extraordinary endeavour possible, many organizations that have shut down because if the crisis have loaned cafeteria trays to Villages across the province. These donations have been made by the Universities of Guelph and Waterloo, CF Sherway Gardens, Erin Mills Town Center, CF Fairview, CF Lime Ridge, and Devonshire Malls, as well as Fanshawe and Humber Colleges.
The combined cost of all of these donations would total over $75,000 had they been purchased by the Villages. We are incredibly thankful for the generosity and support exhibited by these various groups, whose community support is helping everyone stay safe and healthy. Even when the world is put on hold, malls, universities, and colleges are supporting those around them in whatever ways they can.
Thank you to everyone who is providing support to our Villages in whatever ways possible!
April 3, 2020 | Tim Horton's Delivers
Tim Hortons delivers to
team members at the Villages
In a time of global panic, connection and kindness between the essential workers of our communities remain strong. Earlier this week, the Villages of Taunton Mills, Riverside Glen, Winston Park and Glendale Crossing received deliveries from their local Tim Hortons as thanks to the hardworking team members.
Many Tim Hortons across the country have been making deliveries to emergency rooms, testing sites, and now Schlegel Villages to show support and gratitude for all of the dedicated healthcare workers in the nation. The team members at all of these locations are incredibly thankful for the support that they’re receiving from both inside and outside of the Villages. Even among chaos, kindness persists!
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