T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Glenwood Place Life Engagement Coordinator Melinda Beard, left, pictured with resident Joyce Adkisson, was recently recognized with the Dare to Dream Star Award from the Iowa Assisted Living Association.

The staff at Glenwood Place in Marshalltown does its best to keep residents engaged with a wide variety of fulfilling activities, and the “Dare to Dream” initiative is perhaps the ultimate encapsulation of those efforts.

During the Iowa Assisted Living Association’s (IALA’s) annual conference on Oct. 23 and 24, Glenwood Life Engagement Coordinator Melinda Beard was honored with the Dare to Dream Star Award, which recognizes individuals who “exemplify exceptional service, compassion, and commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents.”

“This award is a testament to Melinda’s unwavering dedication and passion for enhancing the lives of our residents,” Glenwood Place Director Lisa Hall said. “Her joy is infectious when she speaks about our residents and what she does for a living. She is a wonderful life enrichment coordinator, and Glenwood Place is lucky to have her.”

During a recent interview, Beard said the facility arranges one Dare to Dream activity per month, and the one that garnered special recognition this year was a flight for 91-year-old resident Joyce Adkisson courtesy of none other than Outdoors Today columnist and pilot extraordinaire Garry Brandenburg.

“We choose one resident based on, just by (them) telling me things when I do their life story when they move in. I kind of go by experiences that they’ve only dreamed about or something they say they wish they would’ve done,” Beard said. “We really try to come together as a community and make that happen while they’re here with us.”

Brandenburg reflected on the experience in his own words.

“I like to fly. I like giving a plane ride to young people. And sometimes the not-so-young-anymore people who have flown previously, or were a former pilot themselves, becomes an opportunity to hit the airwaves again,” he said. “Such was the case this past summer on July 16, when I was notified that Joyce had long ago been a private pilot. Would I take her for another flight? Yes was the answer. We made a 15 minute long flyover to allow Joyce another chance to see the City of Marshalltown and the surrounding landscapes from an eagle’s eye perspective. She seemed to enjoy the ride, and when we landed, her simple ‘thank you’ was a perfect response from her. It made my day to help recharge the memories of an elderly person in their twilight years.”

Other recent Dare to Dream highlights included taking a resident to see Mannheim Steamroller live, a cabin getaway in Newton and a Sunday meal for a resident who had moved off of her farm and wanted to get her family back together for the occasion.

“We prepared the meal here, exactly the same meal that she had every Sunday. All of her family came and surprised her, and three of us actually served the meal at her home, and so that one will always be memorable for me,” Beard said. “We actually delivered the food to her home and served it, and we served it on her China in her home, so that one was super special — all her recipes.”

The overall goal, she added, is to bring as many people on board as possible to help realize these dreams and allow residents to do something they’ve never done before.

“We keep them happy every day, of course, with things that we do as far as activities and things like that. We really tend to their likes (and) their wants,” Beard said.

And there are more to come, including an upcoming event at the Binford House in December for a resident who was involved with that organization for decades.

“Just know that here at Glenwood, we really strive to fulfill their dreams. With the time they have when they come here, we make every day special, and we just want them to stay active (and) stay healthy. We engage with them all day long, and we really pay attention and focus on each individual resident to meet those needs.”

Glenwood Place is located at 2907 S. 6th St. in Marshalltown. Award recipients are chosen based on nominations from peers, residents, and community members.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.