Spring market at the Pavilion seeks to raise funds for accessible garden planters
Fridge magnets, posters, pine cone flowers, and bee houses are just a few of the handmade crafts that will be available at the Pavilion Care Centre’s Spring Market on Saturday, May 11, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Pavilion.
Proceeds from the market will go towards accessible garden planters. Activities Director Carla Card hopes to raise enough funds to purchase six.
“It’s not just a planter box,” she said.
The planters, made by Green Circle Accessible Gardens, have special features like a low maintenance self-irrigation system and a large growing tray. Most importantly, there’s a space for chairs or wheelchairs to fit into for easy access to the plants.
“And they’re made out of composite; they’re going to outlast me!” Card said.
The Pavilion has wooden garden planters, but over time they’ve deteriorated and their design is not as ergonomic for the residents.
The new planters come with a high price tag – about $1,200 each.
“It’s going to take a lot of $10 crafts,” said Card. “But that’s my goal and it’s what I’m going to focus on, and hopefully we can make it work.”
Arts and crafts
Card, who began her position in August 2023, organizes crafts and activities with the residents four days a week. The last few weeks have been filled with preparations for the market.
There will be decoupaged posters with cheeky catch phrases, scented Epsom salts, ‘gag’ bags, and insect and mason bee houses. Residents have painted colourful pine cones to look like flowers and planted hens-and-chicks in teacups.
“They love bling – lots of bling,” said Bluebirds volunteer Linda Norman, who joins in the fun twice a week.
Card said they may even get supplies so market attendees can paint a rock to add to Roscoe the Snake, to see how long he can grow. Volunteers will bring baked goods.
The day this reporter visited, residents were filling fabric bags with rice. A volunteer was coming later to sew them up to make ‘magic bags’ – multi-use bags that can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer to alleviate pain.
All this and more will be for sale, all crafted with care.
Home
The Pavilion is located within the Slocan Community Health Centre. It is a long-term care facility for those who require 24/7 complex care.
“They try to make it as homey as possible,” said Norman, “because it is their home.”
About a year and a half ago, Chelsea Pryor was hired as care coordinator.
“The first thing I did was adopt two cats,” she said.
The centre’s walls have slowly filled up with resident and local artists’ work. One wall features photos of all the care aides’ pets – dogs, cats, birds, and Card’s two-year-old horse Quincy.
Music group Fiddle Dee Dee comes in once a week to play for the residents.
“A lot of our folks here are with dementia, and it can be more challenging for families to come in and not know what to say or do,” said Pryor. “So if we have activities where they can just sit and hold hands and watch together, it alleviates the pressure.”
Pryor has seen more families visiting since activities have increased.
Card will be starting up a new program once a month called Cooking with Carla. When asked what residents missed most, the overwhelming answer was homecooked food.
The program will focus on one resident per month. Handsome Howard has requested a BBQ steak, and others would like to make traditional meals. Pryor is hoping to bring in kids to bake cookies with the residents.
“To remind them of baking with their children and grandchildren,” she said.
All this is to make the centre as homey as possible, said Norman, to bring normalcy to their lives.
“We’re having fun and doing lots,” said Card.
The whole crew is looking forward to opening up the Pavilion for the spring market. They would love to see you there on May 11, from 10 am to 2 pm.
Rachael Lesosky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice
