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Laurel Lake resident Gerry Kelly fulfills dream from childhood to visit Ledgewood in Peninsula
Published on Saturday, Sep 13, 2008
''If you never dream, how are you gonna have a dream come true?'' wiser minds than mine have concluded.
Geraldine ''Gerry'' Kelly knows that. Even dreams in Technicolor, too.
More importantly, the 95-year-old resident of Laurel Lake Retirement Community in Hudson was wise enough to share her dreams with folks who, this week, made a very special one come true.
That of being a Girl Scout one more time.
The Girl Scout alum got her wish courtesy of a national program called Second Wind Dreams, in which Laurel Lake participates.
''Gerry always talks about her days in Girl Scouting and how she used to love to camp,'' said Mary Ford, Laurel Lake activities assistant.
''She said she never had the opportunity to visit Peninsula's Camp Ledgewood because her troop leader had another place to go camping.''
So the powers that be at Laurel Lake, led by Kathy Marged — who oversees the facility's Second Wind Dreams program — caucused and came up with a plan.
With the cooperation of the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, Mrs. Kelly was given lodging at the camp and a chance to fulfill her dream.
While she wasn't able to spend the night in a cabin, she did the next best thing, with the enthusiastic support of the staff that included Ford, Marged, state test nurse assistant Juanita Medina and aide Patience DeFratis.
Mrs. Kelly and company were even formally registered as Girl Scouts for the year.
Their troop name was ''the Experimenters.''
The giggling group arrived at the camp Thursday, staying late into the night. Lunching, cooking dinner over the fireplace and making S'mores were just part of the adventures. ''We tried singing, too,'' she volunteered, registering a Simon Cowell-like, thumbs-down critique with her face.
Even so, the banjo/guitar accompaniment provided by Susan Bushko, Laurel Lake's wellness manager, was a hit.
Mrs. Kelly managed to pack in a lot of fun in a little time. So many, she said, that upon her return to Laurel Lake that evening, ''I got into bed immediately. I kept my socks on and my hearing aids in,'' she joked.
''I slept solidly until it was time for me to get up this morning [7 a.m. Friday] and come back.
''It bought back many fond memories,'' said Mrs. Kelly, who arrived Friday morning in time for breakfast over the fire.
''All I can say is, I'd hate to be starving,'' Mrs. Kelly joked from her wheelchair as she watched her pals loading brown lunch bags with bacon, hash browns and eggs and cooking them over an open flame.
Although it wasn't the breakfast she's used to at Laurel Lake — eggs with buttered wheat toast, orange juice and coffee, sometimes oatmeal — the roughing-it Girl Scout meal seemed to meet with her approval, as evidenced by the two forks she used to consume it.
''She's just so much fun,'' DeFratis said of the retired teacher and mother of three sons. ''She's always got a smile on her face. And she tells good jokes.''
Mrs. Kelly also has a real affection for playing cards — rummy, but mostly bridge. And she's very particular about her partners. ''I'm just very competitive,'' she explained.
And a very satisfied Girl Scout these days, thanks to those thoughtful enough to recognize the power of a dream.
Walk for Babies
Sam and Shelby Snellenberger of Kent are serious in their mission to give all babies a healthy start.
The Snellenbergers organized Walk for Babies, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Akron Zoo (registration at 8 a.m., followed by the 9 a.m. one-mile, noncompetitive walk). They want to show their appreciation for the great care their daughter Amelia received in the Akron Children Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
''A full-term baby, Amelia's organs began to shut down shortly after birth,'' her father recalled. ''Amelia went into shock and, at times, appeared to have no chance of recovery. . . . Amelia is now 21/2 years old, happy and healthy. This is our way of giving back.''
The Snellenbergers plan to raise $100,000 for equipment and to fund NICU research.
For information, please call 330-414-0259.
Benevolent fund
A James Cromer Benevolent Fund has been set up at FirstMerit Bank (any branch) to help the 29-year-old Akron man who is battling acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).
The former machine shop employee is about to lose his medical insurance.
His family is doing all it can to help but the gas has been turned off, so there no longer is hot water.
With an already comprised immune system because of chemotherapy, James desperately needs a supply of hot water to kill germs.
Racers tournament
The Akron Racers are gearing up for their annual Fall College Tournament to benefit Akron General Medical Center's breast cancer programs.
The 2008 Together Against Breast Cancer Tournament — which will include 12 colleges and universities on both fields at Firestone Stadium — gets under way Sunday at 8:30 a.m., with the final games set for 7 p.m. on the main diamond.
Featured schools are Wooster, Walsh, Notre Dame, Robert Morris, Tri-C, Miami Valley, Penn State University-Beaver, PSU-Allegheny and Ursuline, along with Akron, Kent State and Youngstown State.
Cost is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for students.
The Akron Racers' Together Against Breast Cancer Program includes a nine-year commitment to the Muffins for Mammograms program and the highly successful 2008 Bucks for Breast Cancer Campaign. That campaign has raised more than $17,000 to date for Akron General's newly opened McDowell Breast Cancer Center, part of a $25,000 pledge to fund high-tech audio-visual equipment in the family conference room.
Golf winners
Beautiful bouquets to Rich Hite, Craig Hassinger, Pete Seminaroti and Parker Berry — independent Seibert-Keck insurance agents — who won the local Chubb Charity Challenge, a summer golf tournament at the Cleveland Country Club in Pepper Pike.
Now they're advancing to the national contest Sept. 21-23 in Beaver Creek, Colo.
All entry fees go to charity; this foursome is donating all winnings to Akron Children's Hospital. The least the four can win is $5,000 and the most, $50,000.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
''If you never dream, how are you gonna have a dream come true?'' wiser minds than mine have concluded.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 03:02 PM, 09/13/2008
Can't that man get assistance from HEAP or call 211 or the gas company. I wish I could help but I can't.
Posted 03:05 PM, 09/13/2008
I never ate a breakfast like that at Camp Ledgewood but we always had a great time. Glad you enjoyed yourself Gerry.
