The Beatles’ Biggest Fan
If you ask anyone at Trillium Community in Kingston, Ontario, about resident Debbie, they will say she lights up every room she enters. Sara Prest, Director of Resident Programs, shared, “Debbie is also a huge fan of The Beatles – and by that I mean, I don’t think she’s gone one day at Trillium without mentioning her love for the band, singing one of their songs, or asking fellow residents if they know who The Beatles are.”
When one of Trillium’s Dietary Aides, Tammy Harwick, saw there was a Ringo Star concert happening in Kingston, she immediately thought of Debbie and called Sara to share the news. While Ringo Star is just one of four Beatles band members, they knew it was as close as they would ever get.
Tammy submitted the idea to bring Debbie to the concert through Trillium’s Dare to Dream program – a program funded through donations and fundraising events to help make residents’ dreams come true, and from there they got the ball rolling.
They received permission from Debbie’s family and they were able to purchase tickets to the concert using funds from the Dare to Dream program. Next they made an adjusted care plan for the day of the concert to ensure Debbie received all the care she required, while still having time and energy to attend the concert. Sara and one of Trillium’s PSWs, Melissa Demille, planned to attend the concert to support Debbie during the event and ensure her safety.
To top things off, a local business generously offered a limousine and driver for the day so they could all ride in style. The last step was to surprise Debbie with the great news. The morning of the concert, the team shared the exciting plans with Debbie and she was overjoyed. “There was so much excitement throughout the home area and our team was thrilled that Debbie was going to attend the concert of her dreams,” said Sara. Debbie proceeded with her morning care and then the team gave her a full spa treatment before getting her dressed and ready.
When the team brought Debbie up to the limo, she couldn’t believe it was their ride for the evening. Her mom used to be a limo driver and so she insisted on sitting in the front seat, chatting with the driver the entire way to the venue.
With leftover funds from Dare to Dream, Sara was able to purchase a special t-shirt from the event for Debbie and they all proceeded to have a wonderful night full of singing and dancing. The highlight of the night was when Ringo sang “I want to be your man” which is one of Debbie’s favourite songs. She describes the night as “impressive, very impressive” and the concert t-shirt is her most favourite clothing item that she owns.
“I’m so grateful that we managed to pull this together. Our entire team played a role in bringing this to life, making sure Debbie looked and felt great. It’s magical moments like this that remind us all we picked the right profession,” said Sara.
