Attendees were equipped with paint and paintbrushes and used the rocks as their canvas during Chartwell Lakeshore’s “Rockie Snake Project.”

By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On July 11, Chartwell Lakeshore Retirement Residence held a rock painting event that was not only open to residents of the retirement home but also to members of the public of all ages.

The rocks that participants were painting are all going to be a part of a snake art piece that will be displayed on the sidewalk, alongside a poster telling passersby about the creation.

Soodabeh Yazdani, the activity manager at the home, said that she was very lucky to find the perfect rock for the head of the snake.

According to Yazdani, many attendees arrived ahead of the 10:00 a.m. start time, eager to get painting.

“The residents loved it,” Yazdani said. “They’re so happy when we have a big event because so many residents get involved and really enjoy this. And most of them volunteer too. When they come to this kind of event, they come and help us.”

The table where the semi-finished snake was displayed also doubled as “The Rock Shop” at the start of the event, where painters could select the rock they wanted to paint. The snake will be a continuous project that residents can add to during the monthly painting events to come.

Jobie Brady, a resident at the home, said that students from the nearby Mohawk Gardens Public School often join in with the elders at events like this one.

“They come down every month,” Brady said. “They’re just grade 1 to 2, and they come down and mix in with us, and a lot of the children don’t have grandparents, so it’s kind of nice.”

Brady also said that whenever events are held at the residence, the staff are always very involved with not only the planning and facilitating aspect but in participating as well.

Brady also volunteers in the set-up and tear-down of the events, which she says are held at least twice a month.

Yazdani said that she plans to continue the rock painting events, with a different theme every month, including one for Halloween and Christmas.

Sadie Champagne, who helps plan the intergenerational programming for Chartwell and Mohawk Gardens, explained how events with both groups work.

“The kids will walk down and our residents will help them read, or they’ll read to residents to kind of share, which is great,” Champagne said. “And summer is upon us and school ended, and so we thought how can we continue to keep this going and open it up to seniors in the community, as well?”

Some residents painted solo, while others sat with big groups, socializing with students, staff, and fellow residents during the process.

She also spoke about what it means to both the kids and adults alike.

“They provide a sense of belonging and a sense of comfort,” Champagne said. “I was out and about one day, and I ran into somebody who found out that I worked at Lakeshore and they said, ‘Oh my gosh, my daughter goes to Mohawk school and she goes for the intergenerational programming,’ and she said that is so special to her because she doesn’t have grandparents.”

Champagne elaborated on the reasons why they decided to extend invitations to intergenerational events at the residence to all seniors, not just ones living at the home.

“We’ve extended it to grandparents to come with their grandkids and children to come who don’t have grandparents or whose grandparents might live far away,” Champagne said.

Champagne said the event was very successful and has encouraged her to not only make the rock painting a monthly occurrence but also to continue making events at the residence part of the intergenerational programming.