Elim Village
9025 160 St V4N 2X7 Surrey, BC, Canada

Lest we forget On this important day, we remember the men and women who served our country with courage and at great cost. You fought for freedom in our land. At Elim, Remembrance Day is especially meaningful as we have many veterans in our midst. Today we honour those who served, and those who still serve today, to defend our country.

Have you had a chance to explore our new COVID-19 web pages? The Fleetwood website has a robust Frequently Asked Questions section and information on Window Visits and the Visitation Centre. Our Garrison Crossing website also has a new web page customized to COVID-related material unique to that campus.... Check out these new web pages if you haven’t already. Look for COVID-19 in the menu. https://elimvillage.com/surrey/visitation-centre-faqs/

Elim University (Elim U) is back! Our pastoral care team (Phil and Lorin pictured here) kicked off the new semester with a first class at our Fleetwood campus in October. The class was full as a new cohort of students eagerly embarked on their educational journey. We are also excited to announce that for the first time, Elim U will be offered on site for Garrison Crossing residents in Chilliwack. Spots are filling up, so don’t miss out on this chance to grow together spiritually as a community. Classes start late November. If Garrison residents have questions about this opportunity, contact Sarah Aradi, Campus Coordinator, at 604-769-0022.

A year ago this November, Don and Kay moved from Calgary into Elim’s newest Independent Living building, The Douglas, at Garrison Crossing. This move brought the couple closer to their daughter and family who reside in Maple Ridge. Don and Kay were born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada with their families in the 1950’s. Don’s family settled in Ontario, and Kay’s in Nova Scotia. The couple met at a Young Calvinist rally in 1963 and married in 1967. Their life jour...ney has taken them to Grand Rapids, Edmonton, Calgary, and now to Chilliwack. Don trained as an auto mechanic and teacher, and throughout his career these interests intersected in the classes he taught at local high schools. Kay worked as an LPN in hospital settings, palliative homecare, and long-term care. Their family of two grew to a family of five with the arrival of two sons and daughter, and they later welcomed six grandchildren. Don and Kay are a friendly addition to our blossoming Garrison Crossing community. We just love it here, comments Kay. Elim is different. The whole concept is different. The concept is community. Don and Kay enjoy many new friendships at Elim, which are strengthened by frequent coffee socials. Kay is actually quite certain she’s met everyone in her building! We celebrate their one-year anniversary with us and appreciate the active role they take in establishing a vibrant community at Garrison Crossing.

In the spring, face-to-face visitation was suspended for residents of The Emerald, The Harrison and Harrison West in order to comply with Health Authority requirements resulting from the onset of COVID-19. On June 30th, almost four months later, the Ministry announced that visitation could resume within controlled environments. Elim’s Visitation Centre opened on July 14th and since that day over 2,000 visits have safely occurred. This video captures the special place of connection facilitated through this remarkable space.

Thanksgiving looked different for everyone this year, including for residents. Staff had to think outside the box to make it a unique and extra-special occasion. In Assisted Living, wellness staff hosted a Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt throughout the weekend. Twenty paper leaves were scattered throughout the Emerald building with short, hand-written notes on them stating what staff were thankful for. Residents who found at least 15 leaves had their names entered in a draw fo...r prizes which included a gift card, an Elim mug, chocolates, and a few other goodies. There was also Thanksgiving Trivia and Word Scrabble for games, and pumpkin pie was served at coffee time. To conclude the festivities, a special Thanksgiving dinner was prepared by our hospitality team. Although it was an unusual holiday this year, a sense of gratitude remained strong. Even in challenging times there is much to be thankful for, which is a perspective so often adopted by residents.

When excavation began for The Hawthorn (the Supportive Living building planned for our Garrison Crossing campus), historic wooden stave pipes were discovered deep underground. These pipes are 22 inches in diameter and 12 feet in length. The history on these pipes is fascinating, and resident John was curious to learn more. Our research indicates that wooden stave pipes were commonly used to supply water in the mid-1800’s up until the early 1900’s. In some cases, these pipes ...were still in use after 75 to 100 years of continuous service. When filled with water, the wood swelled and sealed the pipes together at the joints. The pipes were also very easy to tap into and there are accounts that firefighters dug down to tap (drill) into them to access water for firefighting. When done, they would plug the tap and mark the plug spot before filling in the hole (for future use if needed). Some say this is the origin of the term "fire plug. Elim hopes to feature this historic artefact somewhere on the campus as the site continues to develop. Pictured here is John exploring the wooden stave pipe alongside The Hawthorn project manager and staff member Neil.

Today is National Seniors Day. Today we celebrate all seniors across Canada, but we especially celebrate the 700 seniors that live with us at our Fleetwood and Garrison Crossing campuses. Each one has a story to tell. Did you know that in the last year alone, three couples have moved to Elim Village from outside of B.C.? One couple joined us from Hawaii and two from Ontario. Each person’s journey is truly unique, and older adults in particular carry invaluable experience and... life wisdom that makes them a treasure. There are many ways to show the seniors in our lives just how appreciated they are. Consider running an errand for your loved one, such as delivering their groceries or helping with housekeeping. Even something simple like a friendly smile, a wave, or an intentional phone call can go a long way. Take the time today to be intentional and appreciate the seniors in your life. Below are photos of a few of our residents. Some even have some words of wisdom.

Few couples arrive at celebrating 73 years of marriage together. Recently, residents Carl & Marie celebrated exactly that: 73 years journeying together as husband and wife partners in life. Carl & Marie have lived the last few of those years here on our Fleetwood campus. They began together in Assisted Living and today, one remains in Assisted Living while the other is in Full Care. This is Elim’s vision fulfilled: couples able to stay together within the same community despite differing care needs. Congratulations to this remarkable couple, pictured here celebrating their milestone anniversary. We honour your journey together and are privileged to have that journey continue with us at Elim Village.

Elim University, or Elim U, was founded in 2019 to provide an opportunity for spiritual and intellectual growth for residents. Elim U is hosted on our Fleetwood campus and run by our pastoral care department. Today we are proud to share the achievement of our very first graduates 25 in total who successfully completed at least 9 of the 11, monthly, day-long courses on topics such as Understanding and Dealing with Grief, Fruit of the Spirit, and Redeeming Conflict. The g...raduating class included two Full Care residents, two Assisted Living residents, 21 Independent Living residents, and one staff member. A large graduation ceremony was initially planned for the spring, but the onset of COVID-19 required creative re-envisioning of the event. At the end of August, we hosted four separate graduation ceremonies and successfully celebrated our graduates while adhering to safety protocols. Graduates walked the stage and received their certificates with pride, satisfaction and joy. Our next Elim U cohort begins their journey in October. We look forward to another year of learning and growing together.

recently Elim Village held a car wash hosted by our volunteers. Within five hours 70 staff and resident vehicles were cleaned, all while making sure vehicles were cleaned in a safe manner. All car washes were by donation of either cash to go towards our Community Life programs or a non-perishable food item for the Surrey Food Bank. In total, $683.85 was raised and approximately 90 food items were donated. There was even valet parking and a shaded area for residents and staf...f to wait for their car. It was a great day with even better weather and good clean fun complete with street dancing and bubble blowing. Thank-you to our volunteers for hosting event! You did an amazing job!

Yesterday, the Rainbow Ice Cream Truck came to Elim Village! There were various stops around the Village and that familiar classic ice cream truck refrain from years gone by rang through the village at each location. It was a beautiful day and the residents had a great time socializing at a distance while enjoying some sweet treats.

In the last week of March, 2020 Elim Village had a staff member diagnosed with Covid-19. This trailer is a shortened version of a documentary video we filmed to capture the sentiments and emotions of the news that fateful day and how Elim Village leadership and Staff responded to it. As we all are aware until there is a vaccine to Covid-19 we must all continue to be professional and diligent in our approach to this virus. An extended version of this video can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/452704944 BC Care Providers Association Fraser Health Government of British Columbia BC Seniors Living Association

Elim Village has been a valued member of the City of Surrey’s Adopt a Street program for a few years now. Many of our residents volunteer monthly to keeping the western side of Elim Village along 158 Street clear of garbage and debris. We manage to catch Clara Kastelein early one morning out with her picker-upper putting refuse in a plastic bag. While photographing her a neighbourhood gentleman stopped and thanked Clara for her efforts in beautifying the area. Isn’t it refreshing that small gestures can have such big impact?

She still laughs when she recalls her move to the Bowron and familiarizing herself with the building. Walking into the garbage room and seeing all of the empty wine bottles and pop cans hundreds of them she thought to herself; O my, these people at Elim drink a lot of wine! What she did not know was that the empties were compiled from throughout the village. They were and continue to be sorted and stored in the Bowron recycle room prior to being brought to the depot for a ...refund. The money is then sent to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank organization, and due to a Canadian government grant is quadrupled dollar for dollar. Did you know that Elim residents have collected $34,931.75 from refundable bottles and cans since 2001? This translates into $139,724.00; These funds are used to provide things like emergency food for the hungry as well as tools and training for small-scale farmers worldwide. Thank you to all who contribute your refundable bottles and cans to support this cause. A heartfelt thank you to that ‘special someone’ that spends time each week sorting through the empties and delivering them to the depot.

Behind the winter 2019 cover of the Elim Connection: Clara Kastelein was a young 59 and still nursing full time when she and her husband Dick moved to Elim in 2001; they were among the first residents to move in. Within a few short hours, we both felt at home says Clara, and I’m so thankful for the many years we could live together in this community. Sadly, Dick passed away in 2014.... One of Dick’s final words to Clara expressed his relief in knowing that she would not have to move and could remain in the home they shared together for 14 years.

Over the last few months, ‘window visits’ have become very popular, not only at Elim Village, but around Canada. In addition to our Visitor Centre, the Emerald at Elim Village now has a private corner set up for window visits, complete with chairs and a phone for residents so loved ones can easily talk to each other (pictured below). Below are also a few candid photos of some of the window visits that have been happening around the village in the recent months.

If you have walked through Elim Village recently you may have noticed painted rocks throughout the various gardens on site. Some rocks have hand painted quotes, while others, are a pleasing picture. All were hand painted by residents, families and friends to uplift and put a smile on your face as you walk by. We hope you enjoy all the labours of love that have gone in to making these a delight for everyone. Have you found any that resonate with you? Share them in the comments!

This year’s staff appreciation BBQ looked a bit different due to Covid-19. Instead of having a themed gathering with a buffet style BBQ we brought in two food trucks. This allowed staff to enjoy a well-deserved celebration while abiding by the physical distancing guidelines. A Triple O’s food truck came to Elim Village Fleetwood for the day and provided staff with good food in a safe manner. For dessert, a Hugs Mini Donuts food truck was also on site. Thank-you to our heroes and everything you do.