It all Started with a Tour
Small Homes Visit Inspires New Volunteer Program Shortly after the Rose Neighborhood hosted a dedication and ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of renovations in March 2016, a group of curious residents from Brickstone by St. John’s took a trip to see the enhancements firsthand. Nearly a dozen residents organized by volunteer coordinator Jean Loomis toured the revamped neighborhood located on the sixth floor of St. John’s Home. While the group who volunteer coordinator Jean Loomis calls “Friends of St. John’s Small Homes” were impressed by the updates made to nearly every aspect of the neighborhood, it was the new friends they met that day that has enticed them to return. “Jean thought it would be nice to do things with them and for them,” says Marty Keller, one of residents from
Brickstone involved in this initiative. “This has been a great way to brighten their day.” Since that day, volunteers from Brickstone have made two return trips to St. John’s Home to visit and share in activities. This great relationship between Brickstone residents and elders living at St. John’s Home is still evolving. On a recent Monday afternoon, eight elders along with a pair of shahbazim and a therapeutic recreation specialist from Rose hopped on a bus and took the short ride to the Wintergarden at Brickstone. Their friends from Brickstone made sure to roll out the red carpet for them, treating them to a special party that included lunch and a performance by the Brickstone Chorale.
Brickstone by St. John’s and SWBR Architects shared a major design award in 2016. The collaboration was selected as the sole winner amongst nearly 50 other project entries submitted from across the country . . .
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