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Quilt weavestaleretirement complexlegacyBy Catherine HosmanDaily Herald CorrespondentVillage made of graham crackers, Henn is content with her life at and living in different parts of the Harold Harrison was the creativeIn commemoration of the 15th ancinnamon crisp crackers and chocolate graham crackers.Friendship Village. And in her spare time from the numerous activities incountry.force behind the project. “We wereWork on the legacy quilt began which she participates, she knits from bingo to T’ai Chi, residents areWith a variety of activities ranging just helpers,” said Ed Kruisinski, re-niversary of the Friendship Village jast May when the women beean ere baby cl°thes which she offers at cost able to meet kindred spirits and deSchaum 6 f-:—J J __j-ll------— —*---« •burg, some residents will be behind memories of their lihopeating their individual squares In No- to her friends and neighbors as gifts velop close relationships.vember, the women assembled the ^or ^e'r great-grandchildren,quilt, piecing together their lives andtions.1992sary, some of the residents wanted to give back something of themselves for future residents to see and enjoy,” said Barbara Kurth, arts and crafts manager.A total of 45 women participated in the creation of the legacy quilt. Unveiled at this month’s anniversary celebration kick-off, the quilt now hangs in Friendship Village’s main atrium.memories.Each square represents a personal, affectionate memory in each woman’s life. With their varied backgrounds and personalities, each square tells a different story.Virginia Henn, 75, a petite woman with a seemingly shy demeanor, came to Friendship Village 124 years ago for its security and independent lifestyle. Her contribution to the quilt is the clown square because “whenever the village Variety Club needs a clown, bratty kid or sassy old lady in one of their skits, I playMeanwhile, four men showed their «be Dart ” she said.A • A ft ft • ftft ft a • • • ^Ella Theimann, 88, came to the Village 34 years ago because she had lived alone for 18 years and didn’t want to live alone anymore, she said. One week after she moved in, she met Elmer, 93, and six months later they were married.In celebration of her romantic en counter at the Village, Ella created the heart and cross square which displays her wedding date.For most of the residents, Friendship Village is home and fellow residents are family.They have come to the Village for varied personal reasons, but mostly to not have to be alone anymore.Anna Sasstrom, 73, expresses this sentiment in her square for the legacy quilt. Simply stated, it says, “Friendships Grow at Friendship Village.”Men are a minority at Friendship Village and have limited access to the arts and crafts department. However, four men found their way into the department to create a miniature, to-seale replica of Friendship Village. Their building materials included three pounds of graham crackers, two pounds of cinnamon crisp crackers and eight pounds ofchocolate graham crackers.Cemented together on a cardboardferring to himself, Harold Schroeder and Dick Ebel. “Harrison did all of the cutting and architecture. We took our direction from him.”For 15 years, Friendship Villagehas been known for its quality independent retirement living as well as its care and assisted living programs.What started out as a pioneer venture into this type of retirement community has made Friendship Village a leader in its industry, said Frank Miezio, executive director. “There are a lot of people from all over the world coming here to see what we do.”The year long celebration has justbase with a mortar made of eggs and begun, Miezio said, and the residentsconfectionary sugar, this sweet-eat- have a full year of special events toartistic skills by creating a miniature, to-scale replica of FriendshipMany of them do not have any ers dream is an edible mix of imagi- look forward to, most of which areFar from a shy or sassy old lady, family or their children are grown nation and architectural prowess.still being planned.
Newspaper Details
Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Sat, Feb 01, 1992
Page 336
Full Page
Clipped by
Schaumburg T.
IL, USA 24 Jun 2021
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