THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410260220
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 01B EDITION: BAYSIDE
SOURCE: BY HEIDI GLICK, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
KATIE COVELL, 10, leaned over Mimi Ross's wheelchair and gently placed a stack of drawings on her lap. The drawings were of trees, sporting colorful fall foliage, that she and her classmates at St. Gregory's Catholic school painted.
With shaky hands, Ross slowly thumbed through each one, complimenting the pictures on their beauty.
``And this is the one I did,'' Katie proudly whispered, pointing out a tree painted with leaves of red, orange, yellow and brown.
``Oh, that's a nice one,'' responded Ross, praising Katie's artistic talent. ``You can always tell the ones who have it.''
Blushing and obviously pleased, Katie looked into the older woman's eyes and smiled.
Ross and about 15 other residents from Marian Manor retirement community, along with some students from St. Gregory's Catholic School joined forces in the Halloween spirit recently.
Together they decorated the cardiology department at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk. For Ross it was a special assignment because her son, Dr. Bertran Ross, is a cardiologist at the hospital.
``This is the first time I've been inside the office,'' Mimi Ross said as she was wheeled in.
Wearing matching white Marian Manor sweat shirts, the residents immediately went to work covering the office's white walls with animated cardboard cutouts of witches, pumpkins, dracula and happy Halloween banners.
``In here,'' called out Rosemary Trotter as she surveyed the bare walls of a patient's room. ``It needs something.''
``Ha! This is cute,'' she added as a co-resident of Marian Manor handed her a brightly colored cardboard cutout of flying bats.
Nearby Ninfa Sanchez, with the handle of her walking cane hooked on her forearm, helped Henry Misiewicz tape a Halloween banner in one of the hallways.
For an hour and a half, the usually quiet doctor's office was inundated with energy as the Marian Manor residents scrambled through bags of Halloween decorations, admired the animated posters and jokingly fought over who's turn it was to use the masking tape.
Even Sanchez's cane was put to other uses than walking. Other residents used it to help hang decorations from the ceiling.
``Oh I just love it,'' said Jean Garris as she watched her co-residents hang up decorations.
A little while later, she took off her shoes and climbed on a chair to hang a plastic orange pumpkin above a paper towel holder. Three other residents held the chair in place.
Charlotte Spivak, assistant administrator with Marian Manor, said the residents looked forward to coming out to the office to decorate and helping in the community. ``They don't get to contribute,'' she said. ``People come in, but there's not too many shots at them participating.''
In addition to store-bought decorations, the residents helped hang crafts made by students at St. Gregory, like yarn spider webs, clay pumpkin faces, sponge painted leaves and paper haunted houses.
Ross helped Katie hang the sponge-painted leaves by picking out ones with different shapes. First a magnolia, then an elm shaped leaf.
``First-graders did these,'' Katie commented while hanging the leaves on a wall in the lobby.
``First-graders did this?'' questioned Ross in surprise as she delicately handled the leaves. ``I never did anything like this in school. Are children smarter now than they were at my age? I think they are.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Ninfa Sanchez uses her cane to hold a Halloween decoration in place
while fellow resident Florence Sierra tapes it on the wall.
Mimi Ross compliments Katie Covell, 10, on the paintings done by St.
Gregory's Catholic school students that will decorate the hospital.
Mimi Ross discusses Halloween decorating plan for the cardiology
department at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk
with her son, Dr. Bertran Ross, a cardiologist at the hospital.
Ross, 15 other residents from Marian Manor retirement community and
a group of students from St. Gregory's Catholic School joined forces
to decorate the department.
by CNB