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“I wanted to do something that was purposeful,” Steve, who is Baháʼí, said “I could play at a pub and sell a bunch of drinks, but with a bit of a higher purpose in mind, I feel like performing for seniors takes it a step above ”

Sharon Woods-Bryenton, program coordinator at Andrews of Stratford, said having Steve perform has been a treat for the residents

“’Con’ was an Island treasure and our residents loved his visits and music,” she said. “When Steve called after he moved back to the Island, I knew it would be like having a part of ‘Con’ back Both Steve and Con are extremely accomplished musicians, but it really is their heart that shines through as you can see the joy they give and get from performing and sharing music with our residents ”

Which for Steve, has always been the point

“I feel like live music is good for anyone at any age, ” Steve said “It just reaches the heart and brings back memories. There’s a couple of songs I do where everybody sings along. It’s heartening.”

An added benefit is meeting residents who remember “Con”

“A lot of the places I play, they know him,” Steve said “When I played Andrews of Charlottetown, eight people came up to me and said ‘I knew your father ’ I get to tell the story about dad when I’m performing here He’s the reason I’m here doing this in the first place ”

Tara Steele has been with Andrews of Charlottetown for 28 years.

Tara started working as a dishwasher with Andrews through a job placement program in 1995 and never looked back

"It's a good place to work," she said "I've made a lot of friends through the years Everyone is friendly and helpful "

Over the course of her career, her role has evolved to include " a bit of everything " Sometimes she's handling cleanup, sometimes she's doing food prep She enjoys the bustle of working in the kitchen The constant motion, the team atmosphere are all perks as far as she's concerned

"I enjoy the work," she said "I'm never bored "

She added the social side of working at Andrews is one of the primary reasons she's stayed with the company for as long as she has.

"I like the people, the social aspect," she said. "Being a part of that environment."