Our week began with a meaningful program about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recognizing the day set aside in his honor.  A large crowd of residents gathered in the Wilbur and Mary Jean Cohen Religious and Cultural Center to watch a very moving video.  The film showed several of Dr. King's final speeches and we were all struck by the power of his words and his gifts as an orator. The final speech was one some of us had not seen before.  It was Robert Kennedy who was, at that time, on the campaign trail.  He was at a campaign stop, about to speak, when he was notified of Dr. King's assassination and he gave a moving, impromptu speech about Dr. King's legacy, about the ways in which one can respond when faced with this kind of brutal and traumatic loss.  It was moving and powerful.  That was followed by a musical program and lots of audience participation-a fitting tribute to the late Dr. King.
 
Tuesday evening, we mixed things up a bit and had a musical performance in the Deli.  It's nice to have some variety in venues and this made it fun for residents to sit and listen to a pianist in a setting that felt a little more like "cabaret" than "concert hall."
 
If you have not seen our OMA (Opening Minds through Art) exhibit, it is worth a trip to Cedar Village to do so!  We have just hung the second "semester" of OMA art and it is breathtaking.  As you may remember, OMA is a program that takes place through our partnership with the Scripps Gerontology Center and Miami University.  OMA is done weekly, in 12-week sessions, and is focused on residents with dementia.  Built on principles of adult education, art and gerontology, OMA gives these individuals a chance to express themselves and make choices through art.  If you look at the exhibit, you might think that all of the participants are artists.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But what you will see is self expression from people who may not have any other means to express themselves.  The art work is powerful as are the photos of the participants and volunteers.  There are also statements from some of the student volunteers included in the exhibit.  I hope you will read those as well and understand the impact OMA has on both our residents and the young people who have been a part of the program.
 
Coming soon:  the Israeli film festival will be in Cincinnati beginning the last weekend in January.  On Tuesday, February 1, we will screen one of the films here, "Noodle", which has gotten rave reviews from those who have previewed it.  The film will be shown at 7 p.m. and, while we have limited seats available, we would love to have you join us!  Check out the rest of the schedule too, it looks great!