The Elim Connection, April 2023

NOURISHED
WRITTEN BY
KATRINA LAROY,
STAFF CONTRIBUTOR
BRING SOME JOY
TO YOUR LIFE
WRITTEN BY
EILEEN CLARKE,
Elim Village Fleetwood has long off ered Bus Outings to residents in all housing types onsite, and
Assisted Living resident, Eileen, is a frequent participant! Hear from her below.
RESIDENT CONTRIBUTOR
It has long been a tradition to incorporate the arts in ELIM’s signature event, the Health & Wellness
Fair. Many will recall that in 2018, residents worked with a local artist to create custom clay leaves that
were then affi xed to a large clay tree, sculpted as a magnifi cent relief that hangs in the stairwell near the
Harrison West Chapel at Elim Village Fleetwood. The installation is titled Nourished.
The success of the project encouraged a
follow-up endeavor, and the subsequent Fair
in 2019 expanded on Nourished; residents
created more leaves (about 85), and plans
were laid for fi ve additional distinct art pieces.
This project is now complete. The fi ve art
pieces (pictured) depict parts of the same tree,
and conceptually are extensions of the original.
You can now fi nd these fi ve pieces mounted
in the following locations: In Fleetwood,
the Oasis, the Emerald Assisted Living, and
the entryways of The Harrison and Harrison
West. In Garrison Crossing, a piece adorns a
wall in The Hawthorn. Several new leaves
have also been added to the original tree relief.
I started going on bus outings here when I
moved in, in 2018. The Wellness team offers
such a variety of trips—some practical, like
to Save-On-Foods, and others to restaurants,
like the Olive Garden. There are scenic drives,
but also adventure-type trips, which are my
favourite! We’ve been to parks, down to the
White Rock Pier, and we went to the Bloedel
Conservatory in Vancouver back in January.
There was one trip that was amazing—we
went to a High English Tea, and it was at an old,
historic farmhouse. I'm British and was born in
England, so that interested me a lot.
Recently, in March, there was a Mystery
Scavenger Hunt trip. Residents were fi lled with
anticipation at the beginning of the tour. The bus
drove alongside the Fraser River and into New
Westminster. Residents had to look for things
to fi ll up their bingo card, and there were also
trivia questions, such as, “What is the longest
cable bridge in BC?” (The answer is the Annacis
Bridge, or Alex Fraser Bridge, which at one time
was the longest cable bridge in the world!) The
last stop was to A&W, and residents loved that,
as there’s so much nostalgia there, given that it
opened in 1956, and all of us grew up with it.
All in all, residents left inspired to attend more
bus trips because they had so much fun.
When I get my Activity Calendar each month,
I always look to see what bus trips are planned.
The Wellness team puts a lot of thought into
them. So I would say to residents reading this—
pick up your Activity Calendar! Read it!
And try out a bus trip. Ask a friend, or a new
resident, to go with you. They are just fun!
Nourished now beautifully connects us as a
broader ELIM community. The following excerpt
is mounted adjacent to the original tree, and
describes the meaning of this special project:
“The tree and uniqueness of each leaf are symbolic
of the life-giving force that we all cling to in our
desire to be part of a community that
nourishes us in life. Through nourishment
we can connect our souls and spirits to the
Creator who gives us life.”
Residents have seen some pretty (funny) sights during bus outings! Such as "Blanca", a dancing
umbrella cockatoo, who residents met during a recent bus trip to the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver.
6 THE ELIM CONNECTION SPRING 2023