Displaying items by tag: Katelynn Donovan

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SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Sept. 9 National Grandparent’s Day will be celebrated by the Wesley Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Wesley Community, at the Saratoga City Center. The event will honor grandparents and great- grandparents by providing an opportunity for family members of all ages to spend time together on National Grandparents Day. It’s the second annual Saratoga Grandparents Day celebration hosted by the foundation.

“Most of the people who live here are great-grandparents so we’re creating a day of inter- generational fun for all of the different individuals that we serve hereatWesley,” Katelynn Donovan said, marketing and advancement associate at the Wesley Community.

Attendees can enjoy carnival- style games, a silent auction, face painting, balloon art, a magician, a raffle, a book reading of Lucky’s Adventure in Saratoga by author Elizabeth Macy and her dog Lucky, amongst other activities. The first 250 grandparents to enter will receive a special giveaway.

“You probably know what you do on Mother’s Day and on Father’s Day but we thought, what do you do on Grandparents Day,” Donovan said.

“Our grandparents here didn’t know it was a national holiday so we ran with that idea to really create a celebration and make it so that our residents have something to do with their families and then the whole community because we service the demographic and grandparents are of all ages,” she added.

The celebration is free and open to the public. Fees will apply for select activities and items for sale with proceeds to support the renovation of the Resident Activities Room at The Wesley Health Care Center. The residence caters to older adults who may have significant, chronic medical needs requiring daily assistance. The resident activities room serves as a social hub for these residents, providing a venue for performances, religious services and other social gatherings. Major event sponsors are Marshall and Sterling Insurance, Ellms Family Farm and Angerame Architects. According to Donovan, the event has gained traction in the Saratoga community; this year the Wesley Foundation is reaching out to different organizations that provide services to grandparents. “There’s a lot of excitement, it’s slowly building to what we really want the day to turninto,” Donovan said.

The National Grandparent’s Day celebration will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs City Center located at 522 Broadway. The event is free and open to the public, Wesley residents are also welcomed to attend, and encourage family to bring residents that would need to be checked out of the center to attend. The Wesley Foundation will also provide transportation for the independent residents.