By Denise Rockenstein — Staff reporter
CLEARLAKE — Ask and you shall receive are words believed by Orchard Park Assisted Living and Memory Care Community resident John Hall. Hall”s dream of a new recliner was made true Monday thanks to Bob and LaVonne Hopkiss, who read a request for assistance in a recent Record-Bee article.
Hall has been a resident of Orchard Park for the past three years. He is on a fixed-income and does not have any family to assist him. “John loves to watch movies in his recliner but his old recliner was falling apart. He doesn”t have a lot of money so we asked the newspaper to add a few lines to our last dream announcement article indicating that we were looking for assistance in getting John a new chair,” Kellie Furia, Orchard Park assistant administrator said. “The morning the Dream Day article came out we received a call from Bob and LaVonne Hopkiss, who said they had a new recliner that they had never used that they wanted to donate to John.”
The Hopkisses delivered the gift last week and staff cleaned it up a bit and slapped a big bow on it. “We had it sitting at his normal seat Monday at lunch,” Furia said. “The look on John”s face was priceless! He got comfortable in it immediately and then laid it right back.”
Hall said he was overwhelmed with appreciation. “I really appreciate the generosity of Bob and LaVonne. I was so surprised,” he said. “It means so much to me that people would take the time to care about others in this community.”
Orchard Park”s “Ageless Dream” program is an ongoing effort aimed at providing residents with a chance to experience or gain something that they have long-dreamed of. Through the program residents have revisited careers, received longed-for pets, attended desired events, rode in airplanes and even jumped out of them.
“The Ageless Dream program is about making residents” dreams come true with the help of the community and area contributors,” Administrator Kimberly Kent said. “Our corporation began the program in 2008 after realizing many seniors” dreams can still come true and it”s been just exciting for us as it is for residents to see those dreams realized.”
For more information, to contribute or share ideas for the Ageless Dream program, contact Orchard Park Administrator Kimberly Kent at 995-1900.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
