AN INNOVATOR LIVING AMONG US

Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.

Here at Sayre Christian Village, we have an exceptional Activities Department both on the Healthcare side of campus (which includes our skilled nursing facility) and the Housing side (which includes Friendship Towers, Baunta Apartments, and Forest View Apartments).

Nowadays, we take for granted that there are activity programs for older adults both in retirement communities and in the general community.

However, just 50 years ago on June 1, 1967, when Bell House in Lexington opened its doors to senior adult programs, that our city was the ONLY city in the state offering senior programs?  And did you know that our own Sayre Christian Village Healthcare Center resident, Dorothy Large, was the first Director of these programs?

Honoring Dorothy’s Pioneering Service

Dorthy LangDorothy was recently honored as part of the celebration of 50 years of providing programs for Lexington senior adults. Mayor Jim Gray acknowledged Dorothy’s decades of service and her dedication not only to the city but to its older adults.  Gray said, “She was a pioneer”.

One of the most popular programs was the Monday Club – a group that still meets once a week at Bell House.  Another popular activity was the Kitchen Band in which band members, under the direction of Dorothy, played washboards, kazoos, spoons, and other “instruments”!

Dorothy’s Legacy

As the Director of Senior Adult Programs for 40 years, Dorothy Large helped facilitate programming for older adults that included classes in writing, music, theater, fitness, wellness, and many more areas of interest.

Cindy Adwell, our current Director of Activities for Sayre’s Healthcare Center said that Dorothy had offhand alluded to the fact that she had ‘once done activities with older adults’, but that until Dorothy received her award in June, Cindy had no idea the extent of her influence in the city of Lexington!

We are proud that Dorothy has chosen to live here at Sayre Christian Village and thankful that her sons, Russell and Jack Pattie, have allowed us the privilege of sharing her story.  All of our residents have lived such interesting and unique lives and we feel blessed to share in their stories every day.

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Have any questions about living at the Sayre Christian Village? Do you want to know why Sayre Christian Village is "A Great Place to Call Home"? Call us or fill out the form for more information!

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