A heartfelt project at Dufferin Villa in Portage la Prairie came full circle last Thursday, as tenants and staff gathered outside the seniors' residence to proudly raise a new community flag.
What began as a simple idea from four residents turned into a meaningful symbol of pride, place, and home, brought to life entirely by the people who live there.
Adrienne Matthews-McCulley, manager at Dufferin Villa, says the idea took shape last year, when a few tenants envisioned something special to mark their community.
“These four tenants came up with this project last year. They were quite excited and thought that it would be nice to have a flag marking our location here at the end of Dufferin Ave. East,” says Matthews-McCulley. “They came to me with the proposal, funded the project, and did all the legwork."
The flag, custom-designed with Dufferin Villa branding, was officially raised in the residence’s parking lot on July 19th, with dozens of residents and staff in attendance.
Community-driven success
The four residents behind the initiative, Clark Guinn, Laurie Matthews, Peter Vandermeulen, and John Fehr, brought the project to life, winning full support from the board along the way.
“It was brought forward for approval, and the board felt that this is their home. If that's something the residents would like to see, they were very supportive of that,” she explains.
While the idea came together smoothly, unpredictable weather caused delays.
“By the time we got the logistics in place, to have the flag ready, we ran out of time in the fall. Then this spring, as everyone knows, started a bit tumultuous for weather," she adds.
Even with setbacks, the enthusiasm behind the project never wavered, and when the day finally came, it was one worth celebrating.
“Today, everything came together, the flagpole was in place, and we hoisted the flag. We are certainly congratulating these four gentlemen on a project well done,” she says.
A place to call home
With roughly 60 tenants living at Dufferin Villa, Matthews-McCulley says small touches like this go a long way in building a true sense of community.
“It was a beautiful day. Our residents are proud to live here, and we’re happy to make it feel a little bit more like home for them."
~With files from Jared Thiessen
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