Question: What is your favorite activity here and why?
Answer: “Wood shop is my favorite activity and I spend a lot of time in the shop here. We were very busy just before the last Bazaar because I wanted to make a lot of stuff. We sold it and the proceeds went toward shop supplies and tools. I make toy cars, back scratchers, toaster tongs, bird houses, etc. It isn’t work to me. If it was work, I wouldn’t do it. Making small toy cars and trucks are the most fun because other people seem to really like them – especially here, where there are a lot of people who have great-grandkids and it’s just right for their age. I like the natural wood look, but it’s great because when I make cars or trucks, the kids put all kinds of stencils and paint on them. It’s great because that’s creativity for them. Right now, we’re just finishing up a project with the Girl Scouts where we’re making bird houses that they can paint, and they’ll all go on our campus somewhere. I think I got my first tool, which was a jigsaw, when I was eight years old. I spent a lot of summers growing up doing shop when I wasn’t in school. It takes my mind off everything else and it’s a way to get away. When you’re doing woodworking, you have to know where your hands are at all times and you have to concentrate. I think it’s very important, especially as you age, to keep your mind active; and it is creative and worthwhile. When I’m in the wood shop, I don’t think about anything else ever. When I’m sitting watching TV on the other hand, my mind will wander, and I start thinking about other things. Sometimes people ask me what I make and I jokingly say, ‘Sawdust!’” – Bob Sortland, resident Friendship Village Chesterfield
#WeAreFriendshipVillage #seniorliving #retirementcommunity #FVatHome #assistedliving #MemoryCare
The above photo and text are part of a year-long project we call We Are Friendship Village. We are posting these photos and brief interviews to our website’s blog section every day as we talk with residents at Friendship Village Chesterfield and Friendship Village Sunset Hills. The idea is to give a short introduction to the residents who make up our wonderful senior living communities and give you a peek at something you might not know about them!
At this year’s end, we will publish A BOOK featuring all the great residents who participated. AND PARTICIPANTS get A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK! During this year, we will also be sharing these photos and stories on Facebook and other social media such as Instagram, so look for them and please follow the hashtag #WeAreFriendshipVillage to stay current with the project!
We think it’s a great chance to share a bit about who we are! Residents’ participation takes less than ten minutes, so it won’t take much time to be a part of it and we think everyone will enjoy getting to know their neighbors and friends a little bit better!
If interested in participating (or know someone else who might be), feel free to give us a call at (314) 270-7837 or email at nagysteve@fvstl.com or drop by the marketing suites in Sunset Hills or Chesterfield. We have 365 of these to do over the course of the year, so everyone is welcome!
We look forward to seeing you as we get to share insights about the senior living residents who are making our Friendship Village retirement communities so great!
Thanks again!