As many of you know, the holidays are a big deal at Hi-Hope. The individuals, staff and volunteers bring the season to life with holiday-themed activities, crafts, music, decorations and the much anticipated Holiday Party. This year was no exception as Hi-Hope transformed into a holiday wonderland overnight on November 29th. The Wonderful Westbrooks (a volunteer family that comes to us by way of Perimeter Church) visited Hi-Hope after hours and decorated the entirety of the original building (the Lifelong Learning Center was decorated by Hi-Hope staff and included an enormous tree to fill the new space). In a matter of hours they plastered the building with holiday cheer, including not one, but SEVEN trees.
The following weeks were filled with holiday activities, from a group home decorating contest to gingerbread house making. Molnlycke Health Care hosted their annual Christmas cookie and card party and we even adapted the weekly Bingo game to focus on the holidays. Even our improv comedy class got in the spirit with some holiday-themed skits. This all culminated in the annual Holiday Party on December 21st.
The morning kicked off with a caroling/sing-along session led by members of the Rivord family. Grace Rivord was the third place finisher in Gwinnett's Got Talent 2017 and she was joined by her musically inclined younger brother and mother for this activity that got many of our folks singing holiday classics. Pat Satterfield used visual aids to assist with singing and comprehension. As the singing was winding down, groups started to filter through the cafeteria to have a fantastic lunch, graciously provided by our friends at Longhorn Steakhouse (the Mall of Georgia location). After lunch, folks visited Santa Claus for a photo op and to receive their gift of a cozy polar fleece blanket. Hi-Hope's Santa is special for two reasons: 1) he is the tallest Santa in the state of Georgia and 2) he is the brother of one of Hi-Hope's individuals - Howard. The day wound down with some holiday themed crafts and music. All-in-all, everyone had a blast and went into the break filled with the holiday spirit and an abundance of cheer!