Today, April 6, 2016, I had the pleasure of having my first experience as a co-facilitator for the One Legacy program.  The program was at an assisted living facility called Autumn View Gardens.  I didn’t know what expect when I entered the cozy looking facility.  We were ushered to the activity room where several residents were already waiting for us.  I was immediately struck by the newly hatched baby chicks in one corner of the room.  They seemed to be a draw for many of the residents in the room.

We made our introductions to those who were early and set about arranging ourselves for the program.  Residents began entering the room in droves.  Ultimately, we had twenty or more residents participating!  We had to get more and more chairs to fit everyone.  Mike started the program off by introducing himself and explaining what we were about, including today’s activity which was designed to capture family history.

After the initial two people had their turn, I picked up the card deck and walked around from person to person due to the large size of the group.  Each resident introduced themselves, told the group where they were born, then picked a card from the One Legacy deck and answered the question posed on their card.  Even with the size of the group, everyone was able to have their turn.

Several things about this experience stood out to me.  First of all, the residents were very engaged in the process, and we heard some wonderful, fun, heartfelt and interesting stories about their lives.  The residents were very patient in waiting their turn, listened intently to each other and helped out the residents who had difficulty.  I believe people got to know each other in a different way because of the sharing they did.  There were a few people who were initially hesitant, but once they got involved they had a lot to say.

Further, the staff impressed me with their energy and caring.  I personally love the experience of hearing about others’ lives and can’t wait to go back for the second session next week.

NOTE: At the time of this story, Lorraine Langdon-Hull was working as One Legacy’s Curriculum Designer and Coordinator