Waltonwood’s cool ‘Pooh’ party brings together kids, seniors
A Waltonwood resident, who is also a Vietnam veteran, helped a camper learn how to plant seeds at one of the seven stations of The Hundred Acre Waltonwood.
Canton’s Waltonwood Cherry Hill senior living community’s recent “Pooh” party was sweeter than the honey craved by the event’s namesake, Winnie The Pooh.
Part of the senior living center’s annual summer camp experience, this year’s event attracted close to 70 kids between the ages of 3 and 13 years old to the exquisitely-decorated senior living facility located at 42600 Cherry Hill Road in Canton.
“Our residents love these camps just as much as the kids,” said Logan Winton, Waltonwood Cherry Hill’s Senior Life Manager. “Our residents interact with the children at the stations, each of which helps make up our Hundred Acre Waltonwood.
“One of our residents, who used to be a Girl Scout leader, explained to the kids her experiences growing up in a family that raised bees. It was very heartwarming to see the interactions.”
Kids take a Pooh book home
After visiting each of the seven elaborately-decorated stations — from Pooh’s Honey Hut to a station that allowed the kids to adopt a stuffed bear — the campers were given a page for a book they could assemble once the day was over.
The thought and care that went into making the event possible was a multi-month process, said Lindsay Charlefour, Waltonwood’s Director of Life Enrichment.
“I love the camp every summer,” shared Waltonwood resident Mary Johnston. “Seeing all the kids’ smiles just lights this place up.”
Bee station was buzzing with interest
Two of the most-popular stations were Pooh’s Honey Hut, which included live bees buzzing through an enclosed maze, and a Tigger jump house located just outside the building’s main entrance.
“My daughter loved all of the activities,” said parent Brooke Jones. “They do a great job of making sure the kids stay busy.”
Waltonwood does a superb job of spreading the word about their summer camps in the weeks leading up to the events.
The one-day summer camps are free for kids and their parents or guardians.
One family drove from Brooklyn, Michigan, to enjoy the magic that unfolded at Waltonwood.
Marketing pays off
“In addition to grandkids of our residents and kids of our staff, we distribute fliers to all the schools in the area and the public libraries,” Charlefour said. “This year’s camp came really close to breaking the record for the number of kids who attended.
Last year’s camp theme was Disney super-heroes. As far as next year goes, the theme has not yet been solidified.
But you can be it will be as sweet for the attendees as visiting the Hundred Acre Waltonwood this summer.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
