One Sooke artist, with the help of the Sooke Arts Council, is gearing up to raise funds to make a vision for Sooke’s Ayre Manor a reality.
The campaign, spearheaded by Shelia Thomas, was developed with the goal of transforming the hospice areas of Sooke’s Ayre Manor.
Sooke is home to many seniors – 20 per cent of its residents are over 65. Presently, there are only four local hospice rooms in the region, two of which are primarily suited for MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) services, with only two rooms at Ayre Manor – the regions only senior-living residence – these feature a visitors area, which Thomas says also needs upgrades.
“Some 15 years ago, Ayre Manor hired my friend Rose Fotheringham to be their activity coordinator. She really enjoyed crafting with the residents. She was a woman full of life, love and compassion,” said Thomas.
“Rose is the reason I started painting.”
In honour of Fotheringham, Thomas painted her a llama in a rainbow of colours and hung it in her hospice room.
“It looks like a child painted it, but it doesn’t matter,” she said. When Rose died, the painting went to Australia with her daughter, where it now hangs.
With the focus of hospice care being on improving the quality of life and comfort for those nearing the end of their life, it's Thomas's goal to use art to brighten the last days of many seniors' lives.
“The entire experience taught me the value of this form of art therapy, and now I want to create the same experience for others.”
Thomas then met with Ayre Manor’s executive director Kerry Williams, who greenlighted the hospice art project.
Thomas invited a group of local artists together, and the initiative was fleshed out and organized. A GoFundMe was set up under the name Ayre Manor Hospice Art Project, and a grant application was submitted to the CRD.
Now, local artists will create original pieces to grace the walls of the hospice rooms at Ayre Manor.
Samples of work can be seen at West Coast Family Medical Centre.
Shelly Davis, an Indigenous artist, will include work and is collaborating with the T’Sou-ke First Nation to create a collective Indigenous piece.
Funds collected will pay for art supplies and the construction materials required to revamp the small family room at Ayre Manor.
For more information, supporters or curious art aficionados can drop by the Sooke Art Gallery from Wednesday to Sunday, where a poster will be featured with further information. Or visit the GoFundMe page to learn more about the campaign. Thomas herself will also have a booth at the upcoming Sooke Senior & Family Fair on July 7.
