Darlene T. has the longest tenure at Anthesis – she has been a program participant for 53 years and counting! Darlene began her journey with Anthesis on September 18, 1967 in the Work Activity Program where she completed many jobs, includingpackaging sponges. In March of 2014, Darlene transferred to the ‘Round About Senior Services (RASS) program to retire and engage in recreational activities in her community. Anthesis’ RASS program is specifically geared towards providing senior citizens with disabilities (ages 50 and up) with care, age-appropriate activities, and daily socialization to maintain skills and enjoy retirement.
In the RASS program, Darlene enjoys going on community outings, especially museums and restaurants to eat out with her friends. If you ask Darlene what her favorite outing or activity is, she will say, “Everything!” One of Darlene’s fondest memories is participating in the holiday play in December 2019 because she loved performing for her family and friends. RASS has given Darlene a large group of friends who she can rely on during times of need; Darlene battled cancer and the RASS community was a strong support system during her tough times.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Darlene valued taking care of her health and staying connected to her Anthesis family. Since in-person programming wasn’t available, Darlene was always excited to receive updates in the mail and participate in activities at home, like Zoom meetings to talk to her friends and keep her connected to the RASS community.
Even though she missed seeing her friends in-person and going out into the community, Darlene has remained positive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained her close relationships with her friends in RASS. The staff members at RASS worked with Darlene to make sure she was still progressing towards her goals, like completing a safety training for COVID-19, learning health skills, exercising via Zoom classes, and socializing with her peers.
With the support of Anthesis staff, Darlene is enjoying her retirement. Throughout the many seasons in Darlene’s life, she believes the best parts of life are connecting with her friends and doing things she enjoys, which she says is everything!