For seniors feeling isolated this Easter, Holy Trinity Academy students stepped up to help them feel connected to their community.
Grade 10-12 students have volunteered to paint 48 wooden eggs for the residents of The Heartland Retirement Residence.
“I thought it would be a really nice boost to the seniors to have,” said Glenna Stiles, who works in the recreational department at The Heartland. “A multi-generational project that would involve young people, because they (seniors) missed the young people being in the building.”
Each egg is one dimensional, to allow them to be hung on doors or inside the recipient’s rooms to celebrate Easter and the season.
The intent behind the project is to allow seniors to celebrate the holiday at a time when they can’t safely leave to have Easter dinner with their families as they would under normal circumstance, Stiles said.
Thirty students, many of which are not currently enrolled in art classes, volunteered their time, some taking the project home or devoting their lunch hours to the creation of the eggs.
HTA art teacher Jana Clark said she has been “blown away” by the effort and quality put into these pieces.
“At the beginning of the project I described to them, that I really want each egg to be a unique work of art, rather than just an Easter decoration,” Clark said. “A little bit more than that, to make it special and individualized for the seniors. As each student started bringing the eggs back one at a time, I was blown away. They really went above and beyond.”
Clark had anticipated about 10 students participating, but it quickly became a large, community-oriented event, which she said has been “beautiful to watch unfold.”
This enthusiasm is shared by students, including Grade 10 student Maria-Theresa Allen.
“I know how hard the pandemic has been for everyone, but especially elderly people,” Allen said. “And I thought that having an artistic project like this would help bring some joy and happiness to their lives especially around the Easter season.”
While she would have liked to be able to deliver her work to the intended resident in person, Allen is happy to have done something for her community, and intends to volunteer for more events like this in the future.
Despite not being able to meet the seniors, students have done their best to personalize their creations for the selected resident, said Stiles.
She submitted a list of names to the school, and the students were allowed to pick who would receive their painting.
“For example, some of them are couples,” said Stiles, who noted one egg intended for a couple had “two little rabbits on the front … on the back, it said something for a special couple at a special time.
“They talk about how it takes a village. Well, I’ve had a whole village trying to get these eggs together for the seniors.”
Every egg will have the phrase He is Risen painted on the front as a faith-based addition, Stiles said.
She added that is something important to many of The Heartland residents who will attend the virtual church service during which the eggs will be distributed.
