There is always something going on at Good Samaritan Society – Hastings Village in Nebraska.
In large part, that’s because senior living residents have their hands in all sorts of hobbies.
“You don't grow up without building something,” says Ken Robinson, sitting in the woodworking and hobby shop.
You can find Ken in the shop most days.
“When I moved here and discovered the wood shop, it was a blessing in disguise. My wife says when I'm supposed to get out of the house, this is where I come,” he says with a big laugh.
As a Navy veteran who served in the construction support team known as the Seabees, Ken is one of the many residents who find joy being surrounded by tools.
Their handiwork is a portfolio of flower pots, welcome signs and even rebuilt furniture – like a red, white and blue bench for a veteran and neighbor.
“That's probably one of my favorites,” Ken says.
Most of the wood is scrap or donated. Sometimes the work that starts in the shop takes on new life somewhere else.
“My wife is quite a quilter and a hobbyist, so she's got me busy making little projects for her,” Ken says. “She keeps me pretty busy and I love it.”
Creating community through crafts
Ken’s wife, Vikki, leads a crafting class with her sister, Tammy.
The centerpiece for one class ahead of the Fourth of July holiday is an American flag door decoration – cut from the woodworking shop.
The class is a combination of faith, fellowship and a few frills.
“We love the Lord. He’s given us the gift of creativity and we like to share that gift with others,” Vikki says. “Now, does that mean we do a really terrific job every time and do it perfect? No.”
The answer draws a laugh from the other members of the class.
The group meets every other month or so, breaking out brushes and grabbing glue guns for small, but meaningful projects.
Every get-together includes a treat and a raffle prize, as well as a lot of creative chatter.
“It’s supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be a time where people get to visit, get to know people they might not know or just laugh,” Tammy says.
“Our goal is to establish community and give everyone that attends our class purpose,” adds Vikki.
Finding delight in the dirt
Sometimes community comes from digging.
Judy Obert is a lifelong gardener.
“I'm fortunate enough that I'm still able to play in the dirt,” she says while giving a tour of the community garden – one of the things she says attracted her to Good Samaritan.
“One of the fun things about coming out here to garden is that you’ve got all these other people and you get to see all their methods,” Judy says.
When Judy isn’t stirring up the soil in the garden, she’s often getting her hands dirty closer to home.
Alongside her neighbor and fellow flower power friend, Sheryl Bach, the two team up in tending to the flower bed across the street from where they live.
“She's the whole reason why it looks as good as it does,” Judy says.
“I'm the weeder and she's the planter,” Sheryl adds.
The flower bed is a source of joy for the residents in Hastings Village.
“I've actually had people in the village tell me, ‘I've changed my route because I want to walk by that flower bed,’” Judy says.
It’s also a point of pride for Sheryl, who says she wants to be proud of the place where she lives.
“This is my therapy,” she says. “I like to be outside. I like the dirt and I like the flowers.”
Flowers aren’t limited to the dirt.
You can also find them being traded among the tiles at the Mahjong table, where the clicking and clacking carries much of the conversation.
‘I feel like I’m providing something’
Others, like Dan Koch, prefer a bit more melody to their music.
Dan keeps busy with cycling and writing, but the hobby that connects him with others is his guitar.
“I've always been involved kind of with music,” says Dan, who has played more than a dozen events and small gigs around town.
The audience that especially brings him joy is the one in his own front yard.
“I set up out here on my porch and I do little evening gigs. I'll have 16 to 20 people out here on lawn chairs,” he says, adding that his wife serves refreshments to the crowd. “If I can get people involved in just coming and listening, I feel like I'm doing something. I'm providing something.”
The hobbies in Hastings provide happiness for all involved.
“The opportunities are endless out here at Hastings,” says senior living sales specialist Erica Mangers. “But what's really cool is when residents move out here and they develop their own thing, and they invite other residents to come in and participate in their own unique gift.”
