Life Beyond the Caricature A Willow House Adventure at Knott’s Berry Farm |
By Sheryl Wilde In literature, caricatures portray simple, one dimensional characters. They generalize about an individual or group of people using stereotypical characteristics, while not considering the complexities inherent in each human life. In art, caricature is a device used in which certain features of an individual are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect. Some may see our Mountain Shadows residents as caricatures of the disabled. They may see only the wheelchair, hear only the slightly slurred speech, not looking beneath the surface to witness the rich tapestry of their lives. And while drawings, like the one below, can be fun and laugh-out-loud funny, a day at Knott’s Berry Farm proves beyond any doubt that our Willow house residents are anything but caricatures. In fact, they are, in every way that matters, just like you and me. |
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Mountain Shadows – San Diego – Willow House Residents |
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Susan Weller, mother of resident, Kristen, and her family, donate yearly to Willow house to ensure the residents enjoy some special outings. “This year, we used the donation to take the whole house to Knott’s Berry Farm,” says Patricia Macias, Mountain Shadows – San Diego. “It was a really special day for them.” |
“Lupita is really, really sweet,” says Patricia. “One of her favorite staff members is Betsy. They went on the Teacup ride together and had such a fun time! “Lupita speaks fluent Spanish and she’s practicing her English. I always tell her, ‘You help me with my Spanish and I’ll help you with your English.’ That’s our thing.” Friends always help friends. |
“Brian is a sweet guy too,” adds Patricia. “He’s really social and he was chatting up with someone at Knott’s Berry Farm, someone of the opposite sex. “We teased him, like, ‘Are you flirting with the girls?!?!’ And he just laughed really big. It was so funny. “Brian got to go on the merry-go-round. He had a blast! “Kristen and Heidi couldn’t get on the merry-go-round, but they rolled right up to the gate so they could watch their housemates. They were cheering them on from the sidelines. It was so cute! Every time the residents on the merry-go-round passed them, they shouted back and forth to each other. Everyone was in such good spirits. They were all just happy to be out with their housemates.” |
“One of the residents’ favorite things was playing the arcade games,” says Patricia. “They really got a kick out of the arcade area. They had to hit a red button to win a prize. “They were being very competitive with each other. Then we noticed everyone had won a prize except Kristen. “Josh is super sweet and he really cares about his housemates. He’s always making sure they feel okay. He saw Kristen hadn’t won anything so he let the bus driver know, ‘I want Kristen to win, okay?’ It was so sweet! They care about each other a lot.” |
“Kristen, she’s always all smiles,” continues Patricia. “And she was just so happy to be out and about. Her favorite food is burgers, so we all had burgers for lunch. “Heide is a sweet girl too and she and Kristen are best friends. We had all agreed to have the caricature drawing done as a souvenir of our visit to Knott’s Berry Farm. Even in the souvenir portrait, they wanted to be drawn next to each other! “Heidi and Kristen are like two peas in a pod. Heidi was a bit upset about not being able to go on the merry-go-round, so Kristen held Heidi’s hand. They were holding hands at lunch. That helped Heidi. She felt better after that.” |
“Karen’s favorite thing in the world is Snoopy,” says Patricia. “They have Camp Snoopy at Knott’s Berry Farm, so she just loves it there. “She bought a cool stainless steel Snoopy water cup. She has endless Snoopy shirts, sweaters, everything Snoopy!” |
“There is quite a bit of preparation involved in an outing like this,” says Patricia. “We have to make sure we have all their adaptive equipment. We knew we were going to have lunch there, so we had to bring all of their adaptive eating utensils, six special plates, a portable puree machine. Three of the six residents are on puree diets. “The staff members are so great. They were sitting there pureeing burgers and taking turns helping whoever needed to be fed. We also had to be sure to bring the Thick-It. We had big backpacks on each wheelchair to carry all of the supplies. “It was a full day, but it was really special for them. They were smiling and laughing all day long. It was so fun. The residents were just really, really happy. They are still talking about all the fun they had.” |
The Knott’s Berry Farm souvenir drawing now hangs on the wall at Willow house – a simple caricature celebrating the joy shared among our Mountain Shadows family members. But, woven into the drawing’s penciled lines, lie the colorful life stories of our Willow house residents – they laugh, they cry, they care, they flirt, they look out for each other, they cheer each other on – and we honor their uniqueness, their individuality, the fullness and complexity of their lives – as an integral part of the human fabric of life. |
Greeting Cards Available Now! Specially Designed for You Our resident artists worked very hard to create the artwork used for the greeting cards above. You can purchase these cards, which have been thoughtfully designed with love, now. These beautiful cards are blank inside and can be used as: Valentine’s Day cards
Thank You cards Sympathy cards Thinking of You cards Anniversary cards Every Day cards to send to loved ones for any or no reason Suggested Donation Amounts: $25 = Five cards $50 = 10 Cards $100 = 20 Cards or Join as a monthly donor for $25/month = 10 cards every quarter (updated designs with the season) Click Here to Purchase Greeting Cards Now |
The Mountain Shadows Foundation – Because We CARE |
Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, the Mountain Shadows CARE program provides recreational and social experiences to residents and participants adding meaning and richness to their lives. It’s easy for you to help us continue to provide activities like this – activities that improve the quality of our residents’ lives in fulfillment of their dreams. Here are some ways you can help ensure these crucial activities can continue for years to come: - Make a one-time donation today by clicking on the donate button below.
- Make a monthly or annual contribution.
- Leave a Legacy Gift.
To learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society, to include us in your estate plan, or to let us know if you have already designated Mountain Shadows to receive a legacy gift, please contact Mandy Huiras, Director of Development at: [email protected], or visit our website by clicking here: Learn More About the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society Please share this story with your family, friends and co-workers to help grow our Mountain Shadows Family! |
Mandy Huiras Mountain Shadows Foundation Director of Development Contact Mandy today to learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation and how you can continue to make a difference in the lives of our residents: mhuiras@mtnshadows.org |
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