March 2021 News Round-Up

by Wakeland Staff
March 29, 2021

Young Residents Return to After School Program
Wakeland’s After-School Program (ASP) has always been a bedrock of our Resident Services, providing young learners with enrichment activities and homework support to help them thrive in school. But the successful program faced challenges during the pandemic, which shut down in-person learning at our properties – until now.
 
A few weeks ago, the first students began returning to our community centers for onsite distance learning and tutoring. More than 40 kids age 6 to 17 who live at our San Diego properties are now participating at least one day a week – and the numbers keep growing.
 
All of this was made possible by the San Diego Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund, which provided a $50,000 grant to help Wakeland transform our learning centers with plexiglass dividers, sanitizing stations and other supplies that enabled in-person interaction between students and onsite Resident Services Coordinators.
 
It’s a move that has brought great relief to both students and parents navigating the difficult path of distance learning and being stuck at home. According to Resident Services Coordinator Daniela Gonzalez, one young participant, “…was so happy to be back that when he had his five-minute break all he wanted to do was talk about his ASP memories from the last two years.”

“It's feels good to see his smile and, most important, that he knows we are here for him,” Daniela added.
 
Wakeland Seniors Get Vaccinated  
A ray of hope is shining for some of our seniors who have been sheltering in place for the past 12 months thanks to our partners at St. Paul’s Senior Services, who have administered COVID-19 vaccinations to Wakeland’s residents who participate in St. Paul’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
 
Since early February, St. Paul’s staff has fully vaccinated 40 people in the program, which provides medical care and other services to seniors who live at Wakeland’s Talmadge Gateway community. Conveniently, the shots were administered to seniors onsite in the community center, eliminating the need for transportation or long waits at a clinic.
 
After getting the shot, "...my outlook is decidedly more positive," said resident Dennis Larkin, 70. "Soon, I will be allowed to get together with other people without the fear of getting or giving someone a terrible disease. I'll be able to give thanks and celebrate having made it through this terrible pandemic and quietly pay respect to those who were not as fortunate as I have been."