Veterans Day is always an important day here at Ardenwoods. Not only do we have 31 resident veterans between Ardenwoods and Heather Glen Assisted Living, but we also have three staff members who served! We love to celebrate and honor our veterans every chance we get, and this Veterans month was no exception. Our Veterans Day celebrations included two local elementary schools as well as our own ceremony. Pairing with local students encompasses the spirit of Veterans Day: remembering our past and the sacrifices made by our military while honoring our future by passing it on.
At Avery’s Creek Elementary School, their annual Veterans Day celebration is a school-wide assembly featuring choirs from Avery’s Creek Elementary and Valley Springs Middle and the AFJROTC from TC Roberson High. Our veterans were seated amongst active members of the military and other veterans related to the students and staff of the school. The students had prepared interview questions for the vets and our residents shared their experiences.
WLOS came by and highlighted the wonderful event at our retirement community.
Our Executive Director’s son is a second grade teacher at a local elementary school and his class made poppies and posters explaining the history and meaning behind Veteran’s Day. These beautiful tributes served as decorations in our Mountain Laurel Grille as we served lunch.
The Ardenwoods Veterans Day ceremony is always a delightful affair. It began with a procession of the veterans as they entered the ceremony. The AFJROTC from TC Roberson presented the colors and performed a flag folding ceremony. Our favorite part of the ceremony is the military medley, where the songs of each branch of the military are played, and if they are able, those who served and their spouses stand for the duration of their songs.
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” -Abraham Lincoln