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With so many things changing in our daily lives, Wake Robin Program and Events Coordinator Jena Necrason wanted to ensure this semester of Inquire empowered residents to deepen connections, have fun, and explore topics that surprise and delight them.

“This semester has been one of my favorites to put together.  I had to think way outside the box, using a new way of creative thinking, and the programs that emerged have brought a new sense of fun and playfulness to Inquire.”

This winter session of Inquire differs from traditional semesters of the past. Whereas before residents needed to preregister, now residents can sign up in more of a rolling admissions fashion. It’s a way to get more residents involved, and more programs and activities can be added as opportunities arise.

As usual – and what makes Inquire so exciting at Wake Robin – topic vary widely. One unique program features a presentation by Shelburne Museum’s Chief Curator, Kory Rogers. Rogers will showcase some of the Museum’s astonishing collection in a lecture titled “Early American Circus Posters.” Another unique program, “Flip the Script,” has residents meeting weekly on Zoom to read film scripts. They are currently reading the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility.

Virtual community movie script readings have been a delight!

So many Wake Robin residents love reading and writing as a lifetime hobby. Some are even published authors. It’s no wonder then that two main courses encourage residents to express themselves through written language. A poetry workshop was so successful in the fall that it’s been brought back for another round. Local poet, author, and educator Rebecca Starks will guide Wake Robin poets in a four-week workshop, in which residents offer constructive criticism to one another and “focus on the sites of energy in the poem and its further possibilities.”

A Legacy Letter writing workshop is also being brought back by popular demand. Jay Sherwin, founder of the Life Reflections Project, offers one-of-a-kind teaching as residents think about and compose a letter that allows them to “express values and transmit blessings to future generations.”

In addition to intellectual and artistic endeavors, Wake Robin’s Winter 2021 Inquire makes it a point to promote exercise and wellness. One activity draws from Wake Robin’s 20^th anniversary in 2013, when identifying markers were placed next to 20 trees on Wake Robin’s trails and main campus. However, the markers are put away for the winter, and this activity, titled “Into the Woods,” challenges residents to identify the trees themselves! The person who identifies the most trees at the end of January receives a $50 gift card to Dakin Farm!

What’s the story of your art?

Finally, one program that’s generated tremendous buzz involves a bygone tool – the disposable camera. Necrason created the “Wake Robin Photo Challenge” as an opportunity to think about photography then and now, and the current culture of being able to  re-do, edit, and alter to make our photos immediately better. She is encouraging residents to “take a time machine” back to when we saw something we wanted to capture on film with no adjustments or fixes, and the idea of working from a place of in-the-moment inspiration.  The photos will be curated and displayed in the Community Center Lobby. Some themes to catalyze the residents’ imaginations range from “The Rainbow in Winter” to “This is Vermont” to “I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.”

The programs are already underway and residents are having a blast. Lifelong learning is an essential part of the culture at Wake Robin and this winter’s Inquire demonstrates how resourceful – and creative – our residents can be.

Model trains are popular at Wake Robin

At Wake Robin, the winter holidays provide a special opportunity to transform the campus into a merry, festive environment. The Sugar House is decorated with wreathes and lights, providing a glow to staff and residents driving in and out of Wake Robin Drive during the long winter nights. The annual Christmas tree – almost reaching the ceiling – is placed at the front of the Community Center, so it’s the first thing that greets you as you arrive. Handel’s Messiah tea has been a tradition here for years; friends and neighbors gathered virtually this year to listen in awe to the classic music.

Model trains and their train setups are also a major ingredient to the festive winter atmosphere at Wake Robin. The often elaborate, vintage train sets come from resident railway buffs who make up the Trains Committee, a group devoted to railroads, model railroading, excursions on different lines, the history of Vermont railroads and elsewhere.

Holiday train set up

Wake Robin is resident-driven in name and deed, so the Train Committee began as a simple wish of a resident to organize people with a common interest in all things involving railroads. The founders of the committee presented his plan and purpose to the Wake Robin Resident Association, and the Train Group was officially incorporated in 2018.

Since then, members of the committee have enjoyed learning about and working with model trains, as well as taking some beautiful trips by rail.

One memorable journey occurred in 2019, when 20 residents traveled across to New York to board an Amtrack train which ventured south, hugging Lake Champlain and overlooking the Green Mountains, eventually offboarding Wake Robin residents at the historic Fort Ticonderoga station. One resident remembers the trip fondly, saying “I could stick my hand out and nearly touch the water!”

Many residents trace their railroad interests back to childhood, when they would play with model railroads around a Christmas tree. Some even inherited train models from their grandparents, and one appears in Wake Robin’s lounge train setup, a ninety year old train car that runs like new and even whistles!

The model train set up takes an intense amount of attention and ample time. This year, the Community Center lounge, adjacent to the library, was made available to lay out the tracks. The Train Committee uses model trains and tracks shared from fellow residents, and designs a sort of mini village to accompany the train line. “It can take a week or ten days to make sure everything aligns and runs smoothly,” one member said. In normal times without Covid restrictions, the “train room” becomes a popular hub for friends and family – especially grandchildren – to delight over the locomotives.  For now, the Train Committee has coordinated visiting times for residents during the holiday season. It has been an event worth seeing for those just strolling by, and the passionate enthusiasts.

One members summed it up his love for trains in jest: I’m not going to heaven unless they have trains!”

Founders, board members, and residents, Stokes and MaryJane Gentry are honored through the Gentry Lectureship

On Thursday October 22nd, global leader in environmental activism Bill McKibben gave the first of two speeches for Wake Robin’s annual Gentry Lectureship. Over 175 people, 150 residents and 25 Priority Depositors, from New England to as far as Denver, Colorado, listened to his talk over Zoom. After his talk, Mr. McKibben was happy to take questions and comments from the virtual audience.

For those who are unfamiliar, The Gentry Lectureship is named after Stokes and Mary Jane Gentry for their contributions as founders, board members, and residents of Wake Robin. The program was established in 2002 and has brought prominent figures from the government and economic sectors, as well as the fields of science, education, and the arts.

This year, residents organized the 2020 Lectureship around climate change and sustainability, creating a two-part program, “Crises and Change: Building a New Future in the Age of Climate Change.” The second speaker will be Mary Powell, former CEO of Green Mountain Power, who will make her address in December.

Former CEO of Green Mountain Power Mary Powell will address the Wake Robin audience this December

Bill McKibben is an author, environmentalist, and the founder of 350.org. the first planet-wide, grassroots climate change movement. He has spearheaded the resistance to the Keystone Pipeline and launched the fast-growing fossil fuel divestment movement via stopthemoneypipeline.com. His book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change; and his latest is Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

Bill McKibben spoke to the virtual Wake Robin audience

Mr. McKibben entitled his lecture, A Crisis Inside a Crisis: What COVID-19 Might Teach Us About  Dealing with Climate” and he argued “that we must do everything we possibly can right now”  and “disrupt in a large way” to combat climate change. Noting that the world has already passed certain tipping points, he maintained we must limit the global temperature increase only to 2 degrees Celsius and not let it go to 3 or 4 degrees, which would be uninhabitable for current civilizations. 

A former science journalist and current Wake Robin resident was deeply impressed. “I took a lot of notes because I felt he was giving a tremendous amount of information and educating us on critical issues. One point that really stood out was his mission to organize older Americans to advance climate change reforms.”

For its part, the Wake Robin Residents Association (WRRA) has two active groups that research, promote, and practice sustainable measures campus wide. The Greens Committee provides information on reducing energy use and works on community recycling and composting in coordination with Environment Services. Additionally,  The Wake Robin Climate Action Task Force examines electrical and water usage, and promotes ways to cut back on those and other wasteful behaviors that tax and harm resources.

Concluding his address, Mr. McKibben gave some hope to a community eager to play an active part in the climate change movement. “The most powerful lesson of all is that social solidarity is necessary, and our job as individuals is to be less individual. ” Wake Robin continues to demonstrate that spirit.

Wake Robin residents love being active. Physically engaged, they swim in an indoor swimming pool, bike the country lanes around campus, and practice yoga and Tai Chi. Residents also nourish their minds through lectures, Inquire – Wake Robin’s lifelong learning program – and, fundamentally, reading and writing. Wake Robin has been a center for arts and letters since the beginning.

The library has 34 volunteers making it the great place it is

Even before the Community Center was completed in 1993, a library was installed on campus. It started just as a basket of books!  The Founders then solicited incoming residents to donate books, and once the Wake Robin Residents Associated (WRRA) formed, funding for a library space became top priority.

The design and implementation of the library was a great success, primarily because a few professional librarians – who were joining Wake Robin – oversaw its progress. Today, the library is housed in a brand-new space of the Community Center, adjacent to the reading room. It features a digital center equipped with a large Mac monitor, which serves residents well because many continue independent research projects. The thousand-plus book collection reflects resident interests and includes many bestsellers from the last five years. According to the Head of the Library Committee, Pat, there is a strategy in choosing new books. “The community here is very well read. They like to read the latest books and often make suggestions,” she said.

Borrowing books on the go due to Covid precautions

Outside of the library, there are a number of groups at Wake Robin that hone the skill of writing. The Memoirs Group meets weekly and welcomes all kinds of writers – from those residents who are polishing up an autobiography, to those just beginning to write about their lives. These days the group connects through video chat and listens to one speaker who shares part of his or her memoir for fifteen minutes, and then hears feedback. The range of stories are delightful, spanning childhood memories of farm life to unique career experiences. One member, reflected on the bond of the group, said “We trust each other and very interested in what each other have to say.”

The Vermont Humanities Book Club at Wake Robin attracts the inquisitive and analytical minds on campus. Popular each year, the demand to join the book club

Vermont Humanities Council’s Reading & Discussion program has been going strong at Wake Robin for over a decade

is always so strong that two groups are needed to facilitate discussions. The statewide program offers 250 themes and Wake Robin chooses one each fall and winter semester. Within each theme, residents read one book each month for four months and convene monthly with a expert discussion leader. Last year the group selected the US Constitution as a theme and read the Bill of Rights, among other documents. “The best part of the group is the discussions,” said Pam, who’s in charge of the committee that selects the themes. “The discussions are always riveting.”

The active life here at Wake Robin takes many shapes. Residents choose which path of joy they want to choose – and there are often many. You can come here to finish your novel or memoir. Or rekindle a passion for woodworking or quilting. You can learn water coloring from scratch. The possibilities are endless. Let your imagination roam.

Among the core Wake Robin values is Difference: Honoring the diverse backgrounds and worth of those who live and work at Wake Robin. Our twenty-seven-year history illustrates why so many interesting people, from various walks of life and professions, choose to call Wake Robin home. Many prospective residents learn about the community through word of mouth – from friends, colleagues, and even some from their very own brother or sister.

According to a 2015 resident-published Trillium newsletter, Wake Robin siblings made up more than five percent of the entire resident population. Five years later, the number of siblings on campus has increased and now includes an aunt-niece duo as well as a mother-daughter pair!

Wake Robin attracts families for simple, important reasons. It was founded by a grassroots organizations made up of friends and like-minded people. Furthermore, Wake Robin’s long-term health care model – which provides a continuum of care for all residents – provides a sense of security and peace of mind to residents and their extended families.

Family Values From the Beginning

The first set of siblings arrived when Wake Robin opened in 1993. An “original” resident, Ruth, who is now 102, shared a large corner apartment with her sister Frances; two more brothers moved in the year after. David, Ruth’s younger brother, was the last sibling to arrive in 2008. “My siblings took me by surprise. We put a deposit in way back with them,” David said, “and all of a sudden – whoa – everybody’s moving in!” David and his wife Dee followed in Ruth’s footsteps because they appreciated the healthcare model and culture of Wake Robin.

Brother and sister David and Libby 

Wake Robin empowers residents to be independent or engaged as much as they choose to be. David and Libby loved learning about different cultures and shared a passion for the arts. They even collaborated on a “Teaching about Inca Culture” course at the University of Vermont, where some of the students never even knew they were brother and sister! When David joined Wake Robin, he got involved right away with organizing events and participating in the chorus. Libby, on the other hand, values the community for its solitude. As a professional writer, she’s able to gain inspiration from the natural setting as she finishes working on a memoir and book of poems.

For Ginny and Betsy, Wake Robin has been the place to truly catch up. Ginny lived in Ohio for thirty years but always considered herself a Vermonter. “It was a homecoming when we came here,” she said. Her younger sister Betsy, who moved in three years after her, feels like she’s deepened her relationship with Ginny. “I love the small things about being neighbors. I make Ginny her favorite BLT sandwiches and we dine together and have a laugh when we want.”

Best Friends: Mother and Daughter Living at Wake Robin

Mom and daughter, both Wake Robin residents

The latest Wake Robin family connection formed just this summer when Jackie moved in two floors below her mom, Marjorie. They are the second mother-daughter pair in the history of Wake Robin! “She’s my best friend,” Jackie said. “Before, I attended events with her, so I got a chance to really get to know the sense of community here at Wake Robin.” The active culture resonated with both daughter and mother. They walk the trails together and both are very fond of woodworking.

Wake Robin invites all personalities and interests into the community. Joining the community means starting a special chapter in one’s life, inspiring healthy living among neighbors, friends, and as we’ve seen, even family. As another sibling Ellie stated, “it’s been absolutely the right place for us and I’m am so glad that my brother is once again a part of my neighborhood!”

Wake Robin has always played host to a wide variety of programming. Residents are getting accustom to more webinars and virtual presentations. Gradually, activities and events have been transitioning to outdoor spaces. The Farmers Market is a popular Thursday occasion, and residents can now practice socially-distanced yoga on the new back deck of the Community Center. Even during these nutty times, creativity continues.

The McClane musicians

One important part of Wake Robin culture – live concerts – was missing and yearned for. Now, staff and residents have collaborated to provide a safe way to enjoy musical performances. And it only took a few weeks to bring the idea to life.

Program and Events Coordinator Jena Necrason and the resident Music Committee brainstormed a solution. They designed a program called “Summer Concerts in the Park(ing Lot)!” which is set in the Community Center parking lot, affording ample space for socially-distant seating. The concerts take place every two weeks on Thursdays, with the alternate weeks serving as rain dates. The shows feature many artists that previously had to cancel indoor performances.

Steve M, a resident co-chair of the Music Committee, appreciated the community coming together to advance the project. “The WRRA (Wake Robin’s Resident Association) was crucial for making this happen, and they were very generous with their support,” he said.

With seatting appropriately spaced and audience members masked, pianist Annemieke Spoelstra McClane and accordionist Jeremiah McClane gave the first concert on July 16th to much acclaim. “People are really enjoying the shows,” said Steve M.

Health Center Residents enjoying the concert

More concerts are lined up for the rest of the summer. Necrason has partnered with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra to bring two VSO affiliated shows to campus; then the Craftsbury Chamber players perform, and a Dulcimer and Harp duo round out the series, which finishes on September 10th.

The second performance

The concerts are a breath of fresh air.  Necrason, who independent of Wake Robin also runs the Vermont Shakespeare Festival,  reflected on programming in time of Covid-19.

“It is a refreshing return to live events and the community-driven culture of Wake Robin.  With physical distancing and safety protocols in place we can still enjoy time together and a live arts event.  Seeing the residents smiling and relaxing in the beautiful evening sunset of Vermont summer, all while listening to professional musicians play, is a joyous thing!”

Staying at home doesn’t mean you have to confine your curiosity.

As Wake Robin has followed Governor Scott’s “stay home, stay safe” orders, Program and Events Coordinator Jena Necrason has been creatively engaging residents and providing high-quality content.

It starts by casting a wide net. Necrason probes the internet for offerings from the world’s most esteemed institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Lincoln Center, and each week she provides links for residents to access virtual tours and shows. Popular cultural resources have included performances from the English National Ballet, conversations from the Tribeca Film Festival, and a Great Courses Class on the history of France.

“It’s all about creative pivoting into virtual offerings,” Necrason says. “The possibilities are endless. Just this past week we hosted a webinar for residents and depositors with award winning journalist and best selling author Garrett M. Graff.  This one webinar allowed the viewers not only to virtually attend an interesting lecture on his book The Only Plane in the Sky; An Oral History of 9/11, but also allowed for participation in an engaging discussion with Graff himself.”

Necrason also works with the Resident Association to provide footage for Wake Robin’s community channel, broadcasting films recommended by the Movie Committee, and archival footage from performances and lectures at Wake Robin in the past.

Staying Connected

Connection is key, and it prompted Necrason and Resident Services Coordinator, Gretchen Roberge, to create “Coffee Connections”, a weekly virtual chat with residents where conversation is open ended and pleasantly unpredictable. For example, during a recent session, a long-time resident discovered a connection with a new resident’s grandmother.  Consequently, they both were founding residents back in 1993!

Added Motivation to Get Outside

As spring fully blossoms, residents are encouraged to get out doors and explore the wooded acres of the campus. To that end, Necrason has started a fun competition: The Spring/Summer 2020 Walking Challenge…Walk to Niagara Falls! Not literally of course, but until the end of August residents record their steps taken and those who go the distance and hit 375 miles – the distance to Niagara – are then entered in a drawing to win some wonderful prizes. Already, 50 residents have signed up for the challenge, and a mantra has been circulating around the Wake Robin campus: “Win at health.”

Wake Robin leadership is being very mindful of how to safely and appropriately ease restrictions during this difficult time allowing for outdoor opportunities such as yoga and small group wellness classes.  As one resident mentioned, “we always look forward to discovering what creative programming alternatives are in store for us…on an individual basis and the community as a whole.”