The five young girls learning karate in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., were proud of their progress but at a loss to show it off until Tahoe Senior Plaza offered them both a stage and an audience.
Five years later, the girls are proficient at their martial art and their demonstrations are a twice-a-year event in the ABHOW affordable housing community’s spacious lobby. The shows often draw a standing-room only audience of seniors and the girls’ friends and families.
“The girls look forward to this. This is their big show,” says Cynthia Montgomery, their karate teacher at Sakura Dojo – Japanese for cherry blossom school.
Tahoe Senior Plaza’s 44 residents also look forward to the shows that come around every Christmas and spring.
“It is really beautiful when you see the seniors' faces,” says Montgomery. “We should be taking more pictures of the seniors than the children, because they’re smiling. It’s just really neat to see their reaction to these children.”
The karate shows came about when Montgomery, a longtime volunteer at the community, asked if she could bring her karate and music students – she also teaches piano and guitar — in to perform.
That sounded like a great idea to administrator Shelia Cooper, who thought it would provide both a bridge between the community and South Lake Tahoe as well as a link between generations.
“It helps young people get in touch with seniors and not be afraid of them,” says Cooper. “And it helps the seniors stay in touch with the younger generation, because a lot of our seniors don’t see kids for long periods of time.”
The residents have come to know the young performers and have helped celebrate their milestones. At last year’s Christmas performance, residents watched as the girls were awarded new colored belts to signify their progress in the martial art. All the girls can now break boards with a karate chop or kick.
“We watched these girls grow from tiny little girls to medium-sized girls and how their skills have evolved,” says Cooper.
Early on, Montgomery knew that bringing the students to the community would entertain the residents. What she didn’t know was how enriching the experience would be for her and the girls.
“Sometimes I wonder where the therapy is coming from,” she says. “Is it from us to them, or from them to us?”
Cooper says sometimes the best way for Tahoe Senior Plaza to serve the surrounding community is to simply say yes to opportunities that arise.
“I think there are a lot of people in the community who would love to do things [at Tahoe Senior Plaza], but they just don’t know that it’s accessible,” says Cooper. “We don’t have problems getting involvement from the community. They enjoy giving.”
About ABHOW:
Founded in 1949, ABHOW is widely known for its pioneering leadership in senior housing and health care. The company serves more than 5,000 residents in 37 retirement communities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Washington.
To learn more about ABHOW visit www.abhow.com.
This article appeared in the March 2011 issue of ABHOW Words.
