Yesterday afternoon, we visited Oaks at Snellville to perform some string quartet music and host a DIY flowers arts and crafts session. It was our first time visiting, and we really enjoyed getting to meet and talk with all of the seniors who came to our session. We started off by playing a familiar, heartwarming song “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” by Elvis Presley, which was selected by Allison Wong, our Georgia chapter’s Vice President. Thanks to Allison, we started off on a great note, as we saw some of the seniors’ faces light up in recognition of the familiar tune.
Allison and I then helped to facilitate the DIY flower making activity using multicolored pipe cleaners, pom poms, and wooden dowels for some of the flower stems. We had already prepared samples of different types of flowers beforehand, and asked them which one they would like to make.
The daisy flowers (pictured above) were a popular choice. We went around and let each senior pick a color of their choice from the selection of pipe cleaners, a dark green pipe cleaner for the stem, and a pom pom. While simple, this one was a joy for all.
At the same time, Nathan and Calvin, our Co-Vice President and President of the Georgia Chapter, played a selection of duets and concertos. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was a favorite amongst the seniors. While they played, we continued to make other varieties of flowers, such as tulips and multicolored, four loop flowers.
To conclude, we performed “Canon” on our violins and thanked everyone for coming. When asked about how the session went by workers at Oaks at Snellville, the seniors said “We all had a good time.” It was exciting to hear that they had all enjoyed the event and see them smiling as they took their newly made flowers home. We thank Oaks at Snellville, and Crystal, the wonderful lifestyle director at Oaks at Snellville, for getting in touch with Allison and helping set up this event. We are looking forward to going back soon!