Holidays at the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence can be difficult for many families, but dedicated volunteers, employees, and some talented elves are hoping to bring moments of merry to the residents and their loved ones.
Roxanne Lanthier (8) and Olivia Dabaiya (7) delivered handmade ornaments to every resident at the Residence. Each room has a tree where the ornaments now hang. Olivia's classmates and art teacher from the Edgewater school community pitched in to give each resident a special holiday gift. Together, they were also able to produce 3,200 hand-painted ornaments for the Elves for Seniors Christmas initiative.
The girls and their mother have a special connection to the TDPCR. Olivia Dabaiya (7), began art therapy at the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence after the death of her grandmother. Her mother, Lianne Watt, reached out to the Residence's art therapist, Sarah Tevyaw, and together, Sarah and Olivia worked on meaningful art projects that will remind her of her grandmother, such as a teddy bear they sewed together, with a note for her Nana inside.
Throughout the summer, Olivia and Roxanne worked together for a week to make the 30 pictures in time for the end of summer and hand-delivered them to the residents. They look forward to other possible occasions to brighten the days of residents through their love of art.
