Froyo Shop, T. Clay Wood Rudy Youth Serves Seniors

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Sweet Creations in Bristow Center hosted seniors from the Emeritus Senior Living Facility in Manassas Wednesday, serving them frozen yogurt and organizing a game of bingo along with T. Clay Wood Elementary School Rudy Youth members.

Debbie Bankert, owner of Sweet Creations, said she wanted to reach out to the community and to be as inclusive as possible.

“We’re all about community and about including all of our people in our sense of community, and I think it would be a good opportunity for these folks to do something different,” Bankert said.

Shawna Holmes, Concierge, Life and Enrichment Assistant Director at Emeritus, said the residents take field trips out to lunch, dinner or shopping every other Wednesday, but this event was an extra special treat.

“This is very unique; this is the first place we’ve been to that they’ve done something special for our residents. We have young children who volunteer, and they love all the energy of the young kids around,” Homes said.

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Seniors said they often go to Olive Garden or Logan's in Manassas but a frozen yogurt shop was a new adventure for them. Seniors enjoyed their desserts, saying it tastes just like ice cream and marveled at all the flavors and toppings like hot fudge.

One woman, unfamiliar with frozen yogurt, was at first reluctant, saying, she has yogurt at home in her refrigerator, but after trying a taste, she was sold.

Paul, an Emeritus resident originally from Arlington, noted how much Northern Virginia has changed, remembering when Bristow was just woods. Other Emeritus residences, had never been to Bristow, but had lived all over the country, including Hawaii.

T. Clay Wood Elementary Rudy Youth Organization students assisted the seniors with getting their desserts and calling out numbers in bingo, in which three residents won prize baskets.

Rising fifth grader and Rudy Youth President Mac Creswich said he enjoys the service work he does through the Rudy Youth organization.

“I like to do community service; it makes me feel good. It’s really fun to do, and it helps the community,” Creswich said.

Rudy Member, Madelyn Ashpole said her favorite projects so far have been cleaning up the Bristow Battlefield, saying, ”It was really fun because you got a feel of history (being) where the history was.”

At Sweet Creations, the children acted as servers, taking orders and delivering frozen yogurt to some of the residents’ tables. Seniors and children also had a chance to chat over froyo. The children asked seniors about their lives, and the seniors asked the children about school and their community service projects.

Emeritus residents and staff were also happy to visit Patrick, a former Emeritus employee, who now works at Sweet Creations.

“We wanted to support Patrick. He’s a great guy,” said Holms, “We thought it would be an extra sweet treat after we went to Foster's."

Bankert, who planned three other similar events with Novant Health Canton Merchant House and Birmingham Green in Manassas, and the Villa at Suffield Meadows in Warrenton, said she thought the Emeritus visit was a success, and she would be happy to welcome them back again.

“We just really want them to have a really good time. I think it’s important for all of us to really, and I hope when I get there someone will do the same,” Bankert said.

Concierge, Life and Enrichment Director, Lynn Hess, said while she plans exciting events for the seniors at Emeritus, it is also great to get them out of their environment and interacting with others.

She said since seniors enjoyed themselves, she would absolutely be interested in coming back another time.

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