Over the last year, The Wake Robin Marketing Team discovered the truth of the timeless proverb “necessity is the mother of invention.” The pandemic required that the campus close down to visitors, and in order develop relationships and engage folks interested in Vermont’s only Life Plan Community, Director of Marketing MaryBeth Dudley got creative.

Director of Dining Kate Hays gave a cooking webinar

Usually, on-campus events mostly bring in local people and those from the region. Going from live events to web events provided a tremendous opportunity to reach people from all over the country, and Wake Robin’s virtual programs attracted people from California, Texas, Florida, and a number of other states. People have truly come from all over the map!

Like many organizations, Wake Robin has utilized video conferencing to optimize its outreach. Marketing Admissions Planner Jane Mitchell helped curate topics to convey the scope of the community.  “Nothing can replace visiting Wake Robin’s 136 acre campus in person. However, teaching  interested parties about the in-depth care of the Linden Health Center, the many activities run by the Residents’ Association (WRRA), and how streamlined the admissions process can be – these are valuable insights that inform people in their decision making to come to Wake Robin,” Jane said.

Garrett Graff gave a presentation on history

Web events have taken two forms: webinars and group discussions. Webinars permit uninterrupted presentations, and can be informative about Wake Robin or just culturally interesting. In the spring of 2020, Wake Robin invited local historian Garrett Graff to delivery a presentation on his latest book.

At the beginning of this year, the Marketing Team organized a web event which focused on a very popular subject: mindful decluttering and downsizing. Regarding the experts chosen for the webinars, one Priority Depositor commented, ” The presenters have all been extremely interesting and have an amazing background for the work they do.”

A popular webinar on mindful organizing and decluttering

This spring and summer, informative segments on cultural life at Wake Robin will be offered. In May, a Q&A session will be held with the President of the Wake Robin Residents’ Association. You can find out more information here. Then in June you can find out about Inquire, Wake Robin’s Lifelong Learning Program, with Program & Events Coordinator Jena Necrason. Be sure to visit the News & Events page for all upcoming events!

Last spring our world was turned upside down, and Wake Robin’s maple sugaring operation was no exception. By mid-March 2020, residents were in the thick of boiling down gallons and gallons of sap that was collected from the property’s sugarbush. However, when the governor declared a State of Emergency and Wake Robin leadership instituted safety protocols for the campus, all activities had to cease. Residents understood the gravity of the situation, followed the state and community guidelines, and salvaged whatever maple syrup they had finished bottling.

A resident out on the trails to collect sap this March

There’s hope in the air this spring. Wake Robin remains Covid-free on campus and the majority of staff and residents are fully vaccinated. Activity groups are also prepared to operate safely. That’s because the Wake Robin Health and Resident Services department required every committee to submit a Covid-safety plan in order to resume their activities.

Getting instructions on the boiling process

The sugaring team adapted well. Sap collectors wore masks and kept a safe distance apart as they checked the 300 sap buckets in the lower and upper sugar bushes. Only a limited number of people could be present in the sugarhouse as boiling was under way. Through it all, residents were overjoyed to being back to what they love best. “Maple sugaring is truly a rite of spring at Wake Robin,” one resident said. “To get outdoors, to feel the changing of the seasons, and to taste the delicious syrup we made together, is very satisfying. We’re proud of what we do.”

The sugaring operation here gained attention beyond Wake Robin, when a local WCAX reporter came by and interviewed a couple of the maple sugaring leaders. You can watch the full segment here.

Behind the scenes with WCAX!

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!”