ROCHESTER, N.Y. — One of the hard parts about a show-and-tell is choosing the one important belonging that’s worth talking about. But for residents at Evergreen Place in Brockport, who have moved well past childhood, they have accumulated a few more mementos along the way. 

Like Pete Yochim, sharing his fondest memories of his time with the Monroe County Ski Club and Bev Newsome, reflecting on the past with her new friends. 

“I found a new cause in my life that I didn't have before,” resident Bev Newsome said. “Making new friends and talking to people I never knew and finding out who I thought they were, but who they really were. It's an experience that I am glad I am ending my life with and not sickly in the nursing home part.”

The program, Share a Memory, encourages residents to share their experiences, creating a sense of community and connection.

“The residents when they come in here and they, they move in,” life enrichment director Kathryn Gardner said. “They give up their homes. They give up, you know, a lot of their control. And, this kind of helps bring that back. You keep the things that make you, you.”

And despite the program being new to the facility, its group has steadily grown in size.

Gardner says she created the program to not only provide a sense of connection to the past. But also gaining connections to help their future.

"I feel God's given me a second chance to be helpful to the next group of people he sort of placed in front of me to listen to. Just all I gotta do is just sit there and listen to them if they'll talk to you,” Newsome said. “And I enjoy that.”

The facility has stated programs, like Share a Memory, are just one part of many vibrant activities designed to spark connection and conversation.

Whether it’s sharing stories, exploring new hobbies, or simply spending time with neighbors, the residents at Evergreen Place thrive through meaningful engagement and a strong sense of belonging.