Paul McCann

(Right) 101 years old. WWII Veteran. He was in college but allowed to graduate before reporting to NYC for midshipman training & to Washington DC for ordinance training. He was then stationed in the Pacific at the Naval Ammunition Depot on the Island of Oahu where he was officer in charge of ordinance loading ships out of Pearl Harbor.

Ruby Taylor

(Left) 100 years old. Broken Arrow – She graduated in 1942, with the last graduating class from Mazie High School, where she & her twin sister Ruth played basketball. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 25 years. Playing cards at the senior center, reading on her I-Pad, playing solitaire & word search are her hobbies.

Robert Williamson

(Right) 100 years old. WWII Veteran. After graduating from Broken Arrow HS he served in the US Army during WWII. He was 1st Sergeant over 300 men for 3 years in North Africa. Upon being honorably discharged he worked for American Airlines for 22 years.

Oklahoma (Choate) Smoyer

(Right) 107 years old. Born in Gore, OK on June 29, 1917, one of 9 children in the Cherokee Native American farm family of William Choate & Mary (Benge) Choate. Brothers Charles lived to 101 years old & Sequoyah David lived to 102. Married to Daniel F. Smoyer, she had 3 sons, 2 daughters, 12 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren & 4 great-great grandchildren to complete this 5-generation family.

Story by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Perkins Mayor Carla Fuss-Cummings said becoming an educator was a family tradition.
“I had a grandmother, I had lots of aunts and uncles and cousins in the education field. I just felt from a young age in high school, I knew I wanted to be a coach and PE teacher,” she said. “It’s a passion. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a really good job.”
Fuss-Cummings, who is in her 28th year of education, said she enjoys working with students helping them reach their full potential.
“What keeps me going is I get to go to work and do something I truly love,” she said. I joke around with my students all the time. I’m like, dude, I was going to be an English teacher, but have you seen how they have to dress? And I get to wear athletic clothes every day. It’s hard to explain sometimes except for all I can say is it’s a calling from God. And He gave me a gift and I try to use it to the best of my ability. And I do wake up looking forward to going to work.”
Fuss-Cummings grew up in Pawnee where she graduated high school. Her collegiate journey would soon begin, and it took some twists and turns.
“My ex-husband was in the military and we moved around a lot, but I finished,” she said. “I got my associate’s degree from Murray State College in Tishomingo, and then got married. He was assigned to an Air Force base in Kansas, I went to Wichita State University for a year and a half, then got shipped off to England. My education was on pause for a while, and I moved to New Mexico and taught at a private Christian school and also went to New Mexico State in Las Cruces. After moving to Andrews AFB in Maryland, I finished up my education at the University of Maryland with a kinesiology degree, Summa Cum Laude”
Fuss-Cummings returned to Pawnee after her ex-husband was discharged from the military, then later got her job at Perkins-Tryon, where she serves as the PE teacher with the intermediate school with the third, fourth, and fifth graders. She also gives private softball lessons and umpires some school ball.
“Right now, we’re in cooperative days activities,” she said. “I do what we call a sports education curriculum, and I take each sport unit and I set it up as a mini-season. Each class will have three teams and two teams are playing and one team is actually being the official team. They’re doing the scoreboard. I mean, they get some real-life experiences.”
Fuss-Cummings said her students also make team posters and hang in the gym.
“We get the computers out and we draw, we make posters, it gives them a little bit of ownership and freedom,” she said.
Carla Fuss-Cummings said sportsmanship is a key component in teaching her students.
“We are currently in a cooperative activities unit,” she said. “There’s a lot of structure to it, but we have fun. I only see my students every three days on a three-day rotation. I try to make sure we’re getting a little bit of fitness. I want to help teach them how to treat each other right now, before we get into some competition activities, because I feel like, well, number one, kids learn through play more than what people think. They learn so many life skills through play.
We talk about how competition can bring out the good you or the negative you. If we’re playing a game, someone’s going to win and someone’s going to lose. And, we have to learn how to win with humility and lose with some dignity. And we don’t pout. We work to get better because it’s trying to find that balance between having fun and nobody wants to lose.”
Fuss-Cummings talks to her students about learning from failure.
“We talk about how success comes from failure,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of activities so far this year where I’m like, okay, gang, we’re probably going to fail today and then we’re going to succeed because we’re going to talk about it and then we’re going to find some strategies to make a change or make an adjustment to get better.”
Fuss-Cummings said she never thought about running for public office, but found it to be another calling for her.
“I had just got to that point where I was like I’m going to do this,” she said. “If I win, that’s your (God’s) blessing. If I lose, then that is You telling me this is not my job right now. This is not for me, and you have something else planned for me.”
Fuss-Cummings is about half-way through her first term as mayor.
“It’s been pretty positive,” she said. “I do my best to protect city staff. Our city staff works very, very hard and they don’t get much credit. I’ve had to be out in public than what maybe I would’ve wanted or thought I would have been. I’ve had to step outside of my box a little bit and make myself more available and I’m ok with that now.”
Fuss-Cummings said she likes to do her homework before every city commission meeting.
“I’ll take my city commission packet and I’ll take it to the gym and I’ll get on a treadmill and I’ll read over it, highlight and ask questions,” she said. “We have a good team. We have some Commissioners that truly, really care. I do my best in a meeting to never make a motion or anything before any and all Commissioners have had an opportunity to ask a question or make a statement. We make sure that we are transparent in any way possible.”
Fuss-Cummings was simply known as Coach Fuss for many in Perkins. She became Fuss-Cummings after marrying her husband, Dennis Cummings.
“We have a lot of fun and we joke around about my last name changes, we’ve been married about three and a half years,” she said. “Some people won’t know me unless you have that Fuss in there, whereas in the Commission room. It just says, Carla Cummings. My husband is so comfortable, he doesn’t get upset when somebody calls me Coach Fuss because that dates how old they are.”
Fuss-Cummings has two sons, Jacob and Caleb Hart, daughter-in-law Hannah Hart, four grandchildren, three adult step-children and three bonus grandchildren.
Faith plays a major part in who Fuss-Cummings is.
“I had a stepmom that drove me to church, my dad and stepmom saved my sister and I from a life that could have been a lot different,” she said. “My husband and I go to worship (at First Baptist Church in Perkins) the Lord on Sundays together, it’s just the best date ever.”

Marilyn Olson, VillagesOKC’s excecutive director, joined other stakeholders in the June 25 unveiling of the Oklahoma Multisector Plan on Aging, which has been dubbed “Aging Our Way.” The event at the Oklahoma History Center included a partner from Guidehouse consulting, Oklahoma Human Services leadership and Aging Our Way Ambassadors.
The Aging Our Way plan is an approach that engages public, private, and other organizations to work together to improve the lives of older Oklahomans – specifically those 60 and older. The goal is to give every senior the confidence to live life on their terms and to provide them with the resources needed to lead a healthy lifestyle.
In his remarks, Jeromy Buchanan, Executive Director of Community Living, Aging and Protective Services at Oklahoma Department of Human Services, who directed the plan’s development, said the plan is intended to be a roadmap for Oklahoma to be a wonderful place for people to age well.
“While today is a celebration of the plan’s completion and the work done to-date, it is really just the beginning,” Buchanan said. “Now that we have the plan, it’s up to all of us to put it to action. I encourage you to get involved or stay involved. Take a close look at the full plan on our website, Oklahoma.gov/aging.”
The official unveiling included remarks by the Honorable Lance Robertson, Guidehouse partner and VillagesOKC board member. Robertson is the former US Department of Health & Human Services Assistant Secretary for Aging. Guidehouse oversaw development of the Aging Our Way plan. He was joined by Olson and Deborah Shropshire, Director, Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Speaker introductions were managed by Joncia Johnson, Aging Initiatives Programs Director- Aging Our Way OK.
“It’s been our pleasure at Guidehouse to support Oklahoma Human Services in the development of the Aging Our Way Oklahoma plan,” Robertson said. “Our team at Guidehouse is committed to supporting state agencies around the country in navigating the challenges of long-term services and improving quality and outcomes for older adults.”
Information gathering for the plan began a year ago and included Listening Sessions and a Statewide Survey conducted in May and July of 2023.
Olson represented the grassroots sector of 50+ adults embracing change from the ground up. She served on the Advisory Committee representing private sector organizations and nonprofits and two Advisory Committee subcommittees providing subject matter expertise for each of the plan’s 10 focus areas. She is an Aging Our Way Ambassador and will be promoting the plan in her role with VillagesOKC.
“The Aging Our Way plan perfectly aligns with the VillagesOKC mission, and I’ve been proud to be involved,” Olson said. “Everyday at VillagesOKC we are actively connecting with individuals, businesses and organizations who offer trusted solutions empowering each individual age with vitality and purpose. Aging well is both a personal responsibility, and also a community responsibility. We are fortunate here in great State of Oklahoma to have a wealth of community resources from which to draw.”
Shropshire said, “It’s hard to believe this day is here. For more than a year, Jeromy and the Community Living, Aging and Protective Services team has been focused on building this Aging Our Way plan. And, as he mentioned, today is not the end, but the beginning. At Oklahoma Human Services, our goal is to be here when Oklahomans need support. And. that includes looking ahead to identify potential areas of need in the future.

For more information about VillagesOKC visit https://villagesokc.org

Bigfoot Habitats, Dragon Eggs & Cattle Trails: Unmissable Summer Events at Metro Libraries

Summer is here, and so is a jam-packed calendar of events at our 19 library locations! Whether you’re looking for activities for little ones, teens or adults, the Metropolitan Library System has something for everyone. Check out the highlights below and visit https://www.metrolibrary.org/events upcoming for full details.

Camp Downtown at the Downtown Library: Bigfoot Habitats for Kids – weekly crafts with new fun each week! Create and decorate miniature Bigfoot habitats. Let your imagination run wild as you build tiny homes for the elusive creature. • July 5 at 10 am • July 6 at 2 pm

Camp Downtown at the Downtown Library: Forest Wind Chimes – weekly crafts with new fun each week! Join us to make beautiful forest-themed wind chimes as a family. • July 12 at 10 am • July 13 at 2 pm • July 16 at 1 pm

Discovery Backpack Exploration with Oklahoma 4-H Explore eco and health literacy backpacks with fun activities led by Oklahoma 4-H. • Downtown Library: July 9 at 1 pm • Bethany Library: July 16 at 6 pm

Dragon Eggs Take and Make Craft Create and decorate fantasy dragon eggs with our take-and-make kits, perfect for ages 6-9.• Edmond Library: July 8-14, all day

Cotton: Sustainable Fabric from a Seed Learn about the cotton cycle and its diverse uses beyond fabric. Suitable for all ages. • Warr Acres Library: July 27 at 12:30 pm

Extreme Animals Discover an array of extreme animals with live presentations. No registration is required. • Edmond Library: July 29 at 2 pm

Snake Events • Herp and Invert Exhibit: Explore reptiles and invertebrates up close. • Midwest City Library: July 10 at Noon • Larry the Snake Guy: Encounter reptiles and enjoy fun crafts. • Choctaw Library: July 25 at 11 am • Snakes at the Library: Learn fascinating snake facts with Larry Daniel. • Almonte Library: July 29 at 6 pm

Special Museum Programs This summer, our collaboration with local museums brings exciting programs for all ages. For full details, visit
http://www.bit.ly/2024SummerReadingMuseumAdventures.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Design: Participate in art activities centered around costume design.

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum • Western Legends and Modern Legacies: Enjoy Western legends and a poetry session with the Society of Urban Poets. • The Reading Roundup: Storytelling sessions featuring a cowboy sharing Wild West tales. • Cattle Trails and Branding: Explore artifacts and read stories about the Wild West.

Contemporary Arts Center • Adventures in Needle-felting: Create wool sculptures. • Adventures in Embroidery: Learn basic embroidery stitches.
• Adventure Kites: Create and fly your own kites.

Unique Events for Adults

Swing and Foxtrot Dance Adventure Join Femeya Cole from Adelante Dance Studio for a fun-filled dance session featuring Swing and Foxtrot. • Edmond Library: July 29 at 2 pm

The Great Puzzle Race Compete in a timed jigsaw puzzle competition. Teams of up to four people will race to complete a 500-piece puzzle within 90 minutes. • Midwest City Library: July 6 at 1 pm

Neighborhood Arts Performances Enjoy diverse performances in music, dance, drama, and more through July 27. View the full schedule at https://www.metrolibrary.org/neighborhoodarts.

Weekly Performance Schedule: • Mondays: Northwest, Southern Oaks, Harrah Senior Center, Midwest City Libraries • Tuesdays: Ralph Ellison, Almonte, Downtown Libraries • Wednesdays: Bethany, Del City, Belle Isle, Choctaw Libraries • Thursdays: Edmond, Jones, Capitol Hill, The Village Libraries • Fridays: Nicoma Park, Rodeo Cinema, Warr Acres Libraries • Saturdays: Scissortail Park Farmers Market

What are Adult Day Services?

As President and CEO of Daily Living Centers, I’m frequently asked to explain what Adult Day Services are and the benefits they provide. Adult Day Services are defined as: Structured, comprehensive programs that provide a variety of health, social, and related support services in a protected setting for some portion of the day. Its purpose is generally twofold: 1) To provide a safe environment for adults with disabilities during the day while providing programming that enhances mind, body, and spirit. 2) To provide hope, rest, and peace of mind for caregivers, many of whom find it necessary to continue to work.
Adult Day Services typically focus on adults of all ages with disabilities which may be physical, developmental, or intellectual. Common diagnoses include Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Autism, Down Syndrome, and other developmental disabilities.

What services are offered through Adult Day Programs?

Providers offer a variety of services to their participants. Healthy meals including breakfast, lunch, and snacks are a part of the daily routine. Assistance with ADLs (activities of daily living) including medication administration, feeding, showering, and personal care (toileting). Activities are designed for socialization, such as exercise, brain games, community outings, music therapy, art therapy, and more are integrated into adult day programs. Some also provide transportation to and from the center.

When is it time to consider adult day services?

If there is a need, the time is now to learn about adult day services. If you provide care to someone 18 or older with physical, intellectual, or developmental, disabilities, they should qualify. Caregivers typically need options for their loved ones after they graduate high school, especially if they cannot live at home alone. Seniors can also benefit from adult day services. Those who are independent attend just for socialization, while others need more assistance and care. We often hear caregivers say, “I wish I knew about adult day services a long time ago.” This is because of what it provided them personally and the opportunity it provided for their loved one to thrive in social environments. Increased socialization is so important in helping decrease isolation and depression, especially among older adults living at home.

How do I pay for Adult Day?

Adult Day Services are an affordable alternative to long-term care options, and typically cost 55% less than assisted living and in-home nursing services. While some centers are private pay, many have contracts with various funding sources. The average private pay rate in Oklahoma is $85 per day. If private pay is too costly, other sources of funding can be found through help from a social services staff member. Some centers offer full day rates, half day rates or even hourly rates. The VA contracts with many adult day service providers and pay for the veterans’ day services care. Developmental Disability Services (DDS) waivers and the Advantage Medicaid Waiver Program also provide funding for day services. Department of Health Services also provide funding based on the income criteria of the participant and their spouse. Long-term care policies can cover some adult day services which will be clearly explained in the terms of the policy. Respite vouchers can help pay some adult day expenses as well. These vouchers, offered through Sooner Success and Oklahoma Aging Services, provided limited amounts of money per quarter to use on respite services including adult day services, private duty in home care, and overnight respite stays, etc.

Why consider Daily Living Centers for Day Care Services?

Since 1974, Daily Living Centers (DLC) has provided rest and hope for caregivers. We are Oklahoma’s first and leading adult day provider and are in Edmond, Bethany, and SW Oklahoma City. We often hear that our services are “life-saving” for both our clients and their caregivers. With a fleet of 16 vehicles, including limos and wheelchair accessible vans, we provide door-to-door transportation and med rides. We have a staff of highly qualified, trained, and compassionate fulltime personnel along with many volunteers with a passion to serve others. They often come from the ranks of caregivers who’ve benefited from day service programs themselves. As a non-profit, our goal is to never turn anyone away due to lack of financial resources. Thanks to our generous donors and foundations, we have a scholarship fund available for those who cannot afford private pay but do not qualify for other funding assistance.
For more information about Daily Living Centers please contact Cindy Kanatzar, Director of Social Services at (405) 792-2401 or cindy@dlcok.org. Or visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or our website https://www.dlcok.org!

At 78, Annie Shurtleff still has a penchant for learning and experiencing new things.
In fact, over the last 23 years she’s turned into quite the road scholar.
“I’ve always been a very curious person,” the Tulsa native said, unfolding a story that began at age 55 and has chapters from all over the world.
After taking an early retirement from a 25-year career in customer service for Shell Oil, Shurtleff experienced wanderlust.
She liked to travel and always satisfied that itch by working at national parks beginning in 1996.
“I kind of put (travel) on the back burner for about 10 years, working at Yellowstone and other parks,” she said. “When I decided to slow down I started looking at the Road Scholar program more.”
Not-for-profit Road Scholar is the world’s largest and most innovative creator of experiential learning opportunities. The company has guided generations of lifelong learners on transformative learning adventures from San Francisco to Siberia, and nearly everywhere in between.
It’s comprised of a diverse community of knowledge seekers and explorers, united in the belief that lifelong learning is a vital part of overall well-being.
The belief is in living life to the fullest at every age – by experiencing the world, and not just looking at it. That goal is accomplished by meeting new people, touching history where it happened and, delving deep into the cultures and landscapes explored.
Alongside renowned experts, participants experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities by land and by sea on travel adventures designed for boomers and beyond.
Road Scholar offers thousands of learning adventures in more than 100 countries and throughout the United States. At any given time, nearly 2,000 Road Scholars – like Shurtleff – are experiencing the world on our learning adventures.
“I like to travel and I like the outdoors,” Shurtleff said.
She has gone on more than 50 excursions with Road Scholar and admits she’s been just about everywhere offered in the continental United States.
She’s even gone overseas with other companies and says oftentimes it’s the journey and not necessarily the destination that gives her the most memories.
“Usually, when people think of travel they think international,” she said. “I’m really an advocate for domestic trips.”
Shurtleff said she’s always stuck to the same formula when it comes to deciding on where to go. She starts with her available dates to travel. From there she looks over her interests, which for her are the outdoors and historical things.
Then she chooses a location offered.
“So sometimes it’s kind of a surprise to me that I end up someplace I really like,” she says.
Places like Chattanooga, Tennessee and Mobile Bay, Alabama are some of the communities she’s fallen in love with.
She admits she’s a small-town girl who loves the outdoors when she travels.
Natchez, Mississippi, and Channel Islands National Park in California have special places in her heart.
“Once you’re there, the one thing I really like is they take care of everything from the time you get to the hotel,” she said. “There’s transportation whether trolley or public transit or private vans so you don’t have to worry about a thing and they’re so comprehensive in their catalog”.
“They tell you literally down to how many steps you’ll have to take.”
Shurtleff said when she travels with Road Scholar she normally signs up willing to accept a roommate to save a little bit of money.
“I’ve made some good friends and I’ve always had good experiences, she said. “I’ve made some new friends that way and we still communicate.”
When she’s not traveling with Road Scholar you may still see Shurtleff in Colorado where she volunteers for YMCA of the Rockies. She volunteers at Snow Mountain Ranch by Winter Park for her room and board.
She teaches pickleball or serves as the lobby hostess.
“I love to meet and great people,” she said. “It’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done because you’re dealing with a cross-section of humanity and you’re helping people with special needs and helping families reunite.”
And when she’s not doing that she’s boarding a plane, a train or a bus looking for her next adventure.
“I’m a real minimalist now,” she laughed. “It’s pretty much have bag will travel for me.”

By Marise Boehs

It’s called Big BAM (Bike Across Missouri) on the Katy Trail, starting in Clinton, MO, on the west end of the trail and riding to St. Charles on the east end. Six days, 225 miles across Missouri.

This was my 4th time to ride the Katy, but never had I not gotten on the SAG wagon nearly every day. My goal this year was to ride all the miles every day. I had trained and prepared. I had reached my weight goal. I wasready for the test. 

Sunday morning, June 2, with my bike loaded on my car, bags packed with healthy snacks, hydration powder, and electrolytes, I left Norman headed to Clinton. 

DAY 1 – CLINTON TO SEDALIA – 35.5 miles

I, and 175 other riders, left Clinton early in the morning. This first stretch is either tree lined or open prairie with wheat and corn fields. A very quiet and peaceful ride. The way the day breaks up is like this: first water stop was 16.5 miles; lunch stop was 25 miles and then roughly 10 more to finish the day by early afternoon.

DAY 2 – SEDALIA TO BOONVILLE – 37 miles

I was excited to get going on this leg of the ride because the trail picks up bluffs and the Missouri River as we approach Booneville. I spent the night at a nice casino hotel along the river and ate really good food. All the food is good at the end of a 4 hour ride!!

DAY 3 – BOONVILLE TO N. JEFFERSON  – 48.5 miles

This was the day I’d been dreading. The longest day. But also my favorite stretch of trail. Leaving Boonville the river runs on the right, and on the left, gorgeous bluffs. AND the famous Rocheport Tunnel. I rode the miles!!

DAY 4 – N. JEFFERSON TO HERMANN – 44.6 miles

Another long day, but I was feeling fairly confident that I could make it, having done more the day before. I did it! Rode all the miles that day as well. Spent the night in the historical Crown Hotel, ate hot wings and ice cream, and watched OU beat Texas to win the WCWS! It was a good day.

DAY 5 – HERMANN TO AUGUSTA – 36.6 miles

This section of the trail is absolutely gorgeous. River on the right, bluffs on the left, and a beautiful tree canopy that goes on for miles. The miles seemed to just roll away. When I arrived at the Augusta trailhead, I called my B&B reservation and the owner picked me up. I was in for a special treat this last night on the trail! The Enchanted Owl – if you have a chance, do yourself a 

favor and stay with them.

DAY 6 – AUGUSTA TO ST. CHARLES – 27 miles

Another day of river on the right, bluffs on the left for most  of the way. I took my time and enjoyed the last miles. I will daydream about the next time I can be there.

By Marise Boehs

Explaining the Stretch Zone difference, owner Wendy Uvino said, “Stretch Zone takes all of the stretching away from an individual, so it is totally practitioner assisted.”

“We have a series of straps that mobilize people onto the table which allows them to relax and stretch properly,” she continued. “Our practitioners have over 70 different stretches that they learn. And they put them together in protocols in order to work on whatever your goals are in terms of your body. It is something basically anybody can benefit from.”  

Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles breaks up tissue glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. Improved posture, circulation, and range of motion can be achieved at the stretch studio.

Different from stretching at home, practitioner-assisted stretching is a personalized routine performed by trained practitioners. Using our patented strapping system and proprietary tables to position, stabilize, and isolate muscles, our certified staff delivers a life-changing stretch experience to help you move efficiently and effortlessly. Simply put, we do all the work, you get all the benefits.

Starting in our 30s we begin losing flexibility at an average rate of 1% a year. Strains and micro-stresses on muscles compounded over time can glue them together. This “glue,” or scar tissue, tightens the surrounding tissue and restrains how we are able to move. Over time, the snowballing loss of flexibility ages us. Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles within a muscle group breaks up the glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on our posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. We can feel younger by improving posture, circulation, and increasing range of motion.

Due to sedentary lifestyles and overworked, stressed muscles, we develop residual tension in resting muscle, or “tonus.” When we flex a muscle, we create excessive tonus in the muscle. A certain amount of resting muscle tonus is necessary to keep form and posture. But when we have excessive resting tonus, it becomes harder to move. Many people walk around with stiff muscles, and it’s not from the gym. Working with an experienced practitioner at one of the Stretch Zone studios can reestablish a more ideal resting muscle tone, relieving stiffness and soreness through active stretching.

Call today to schedule a free demo. 

Edmond 

309 S. Bryant 

Chatenay Square

10600 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Suite 5

405-445-6700

North Penn 

5629 North Pennsylvania Ave, 

405-242-3428

By Nick Thomas

Mother’s Day may have passed, but moms continue to inspire and encourage. Even fictitious ones. Some of America’s favorite classic television and movie moms are raising awareness of the country’s homeless youth problem. Although their focus is one organization, Doors of Change in the San Diego area (with its summer benefit “Concert of Hope” this year to be held on July 27 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater, UCSD, and featuring KC and the Sunshine Band, see www.doorsofchange.org) their message should resonate in cities across America where homelessness continues to be a major social problem.
Doors of Change has helped thousands of homeless youth find safe housing and a sense of purpose with a unique arts-based approach. The organization’s team of trained professionals and volunteers search for at-risk youth, first offering them essentials such as water, socks, and sleeping bags. Once trust is gained, the organization offers music and art lessons as a non-threatening first step to turning their lives around. Individuals can then be connected with services that provide housing, employment, medical care, and addiction treatment.
Jane Kaczmarek, the mother in the 2000s sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” acknowledges this unique approach.
“The stress of being a teenager can be too overwhelming, too confusing, and too many find themselves on our streets trying to survive,” said Kaczmarek. “Doors of Change has discovered a unique way to connect with them, through music and art programs that have not only been saving lives but taken our young from hopeless to hopeful. They build self-esteem and respect for themselves and others.”
June Lockhart, the beloved TV mom from the 60s shows “Lassie” and “Lost in Space,” applauds the use of arts to connect with homeless youth. “At an early age, my parents instilled in me the importance of arts to inspire and enhance our lives,” she said, adding that the organization has been “successful at reaching the thousands of our young who have become lost.”
Support also comes from Dee Wallace, the movie mom from 1982’s “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial,” who applauds the group for “reinforcing positive attitudes and images towards oneself.” That, she says, “is exactly what our youth needs to face and replace the uncertainty and fear they may have of the future.”
Michael Learned won three Primetime Lead Actress Emmys for her role as Olivia Walton in the 70s historical drama “The Waltons” and notes “Every child, every teen, is our responsibility. We must keep them safe and the earth solid beneath their feet until they have found their place in this world.”
Until that place is discovered, the dangers of youth homelessness can often lead to additional social problems with which Karen Grassle is all too familiar.
“As one who has suffered from the disease of alcoholism, I know the loneliness and despair it can bring,” explains Grassle, who played the “Little House on the Prairie” mother. “As an artist, I know the healing that comes from self-expression and self-examination. For me, hope came as soon as I surrendered my addiction. Art is a great help and healer.”
“Mr. Belvedere” mom Ilene Graff also offers encouragement.
“You’re a runaway because home had become unbearable or you’ve been thrown out of the house,” says Graff, who played the mom in the popular 80s ABC sitcom. “If you’re lucky, Doors of Change will find you and help you get off the street and into hope, leading to safety, education, housing, music, art, friendship, (and) security.”
Since reaching homeless youth through music and art has proven to be a successful model, similar programs could be used to address the same problem around the country.
Nick Thomas writes about classic film, television, and music for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org.