Goodbye Carol

A long time client by the name of Carol, came to Shepherd House five times per week from her group home to participate in activities and increase her socialization. Carol was a wonderful addition to the Shepherd House family, spending a majority of her time in Leandra hall which is specialized for those with higher needs. Carol, although 73 years old, she declared to staff to be 16, though acted as youthful as a 3 year old.

As the elevator doors opened every morning to greet Carol, staff was greeted by her taking her shoes off and throwing them to the side, indicating that she was making herself as comfortable as possible. Shortly after her arrival into the building, the staff and clients were serenaded by wonderful songs such as “You are my Sunshine” and “Happy Birthday” as well as “God Bless America” and a year round rendition of “Jingle Bells.”

Carol, who was given the nickname “Little Carol” by staff due to her incredibly short stature, enjoyed only one activity beyond that of music, looking through her “book.” Staff and client family members searched their magazine collections to bring in any JCPenny catalogs they could find for Carol to page through until her little fingers turned black and the space next to her chair was piled high with pictures she wanted to share with others. Carol absolutely loved playing ball toss, talking about babies, and would often request “kissies” from staff. She laughed all day long and would call staff by name and talk about her sisters.

She was by far Danny Crivello’s number one fan. Every time Danny came to Shepherd House to sing, Carol was the loudest sing along voice heard, and gave the loudest cheers and claps. Danny would always get down on one knee and serenade Carol with her own song asking if she loved him, to which she would shout out “OH, YES I LOVE YOU!”

Unfortunately, Carol fell ill quite often, causing her to miss day care for as much as a month at a time. However, upon her arrival, she was as happy as ever, and staff would greet her by picking her up out of her wheelchair, and holding her in their lap like a young child, cuddling her and giggling with her. It was clear Carol was loved by her family, her group home, and by all of Shepherd House.

Little Carol passed away unexpectedly on November 9th, 2009. Shepherd House staff mourn her loss still today, but clients still talk about “that loud little one” from time to time, reminding the staff that Little Carol’s legacy at Shepherd House and as part of the St. Ann’s family, will never be lost.
Written by: Stacy Ory

Annie & Stan

At age three, Annie was everyone’s darling, an outgoing little girl who amused the elderly clients at the fledgling day care facility with her songs, dances and endless chatter. As the daughter of a staff person at the center, she often came to visit. She was uninhibited, would hop onto the laps of clients in wheelchairs and ask for a ride around the room.

One of the clients named Stan was prone to grand mal seizures. They would rip through him like a hurricane and leave him sleeping for the rest of the day. Everyone knew his signs of the impending seizure, but usually it was difficult to find a way to stop them from developing. One day, Annie too noticed these signs were beginning. She jumped onto Stan's lap and hugged him tightly. Incredibly the symptoms stopped, and Stan was spared the seizure.

Sr. Edna Lonergan, a Sister of Saint Francis of Assisi, witnessed that priceless moment and was inspired by Annie: “I decided that if I ever built a new center, it was going to be intergenerational.”

Not So Hidden Talent

Not So Hidden Talent

David J.–an artist in our midst–can be seen at work in our indoor atrium, wielding his brushes on canvas, blending color into images that emerge as portraits and landscapes that make us pause in our busy day to see as he sees.

David, a regular client at St. Ann Center, has show-cased his abilities in our center's "Seasons of Life" gallery, where local artists participate in bi-monthly exhibits, under the direction of gallery coordinator and volunteer, Nancy Macek.

But don’t just read about it. You're invited to come to the gallery and see David's works for yourself. You may even wish to purchase one!