Lowrie Place residents get ready for animal visit
Residents of Lowrie Place, 100 Stirling Village Drive, were busy last week doing their part to help improve animals’ brains.
Six residents worked to paint empty tissue boxes in anticipation of a visit from personnel of Keystone Park, an animal park near Grove City, and an animal visitor, possibly a kangaroo, to the senior living facility Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Carolyn Warner, life enrichment coordinator at Lowrie Place, said in three weeks residents have painted 73 boxes, which will be given to Keystone Park during its visit.
Warner said the park personnel put food in the boxes and hide them in the animals’ habitat. Finding and getting at the food inside is believed to sharpen the animals’ brains.
Hailey Vey, animal care manager at Keystone Safari, said of the boxes the Lowrie Place residents are preparing, “We use them for enrichment. And what we mean by enrichment is, we will place a different toy or a different treat in the box. We make them use their brains to get the treat.”
Vey said the boxes are a way to get the park’s animals to use their problem-solving abilities.
Judi Aumick, a four-year resident of Lowrie Place, sat at a table with five of her friends brightening the boxes with paint. A collection of already-painted containers were stacked on side table behind her.
“We’re painting the boxes to give to the safari,” Aumick said. “They are going to feed the animals out of the boxes. The colors we’re painting on the boxes will be teaching the animals something.”
Her neighbor at the paint table, Joanne Sergeant, who’s been a resident since August 2020, said, “The paints are nontoxic for the animals. We wouldn’t want to hurt the animals.”
Sergeant said she paints a few boxes whenever she gets the chance.
“It’s whenever we are needed, whenever people drop off empty boxes, that I do this. It’s nice to do. It’s for a good cause,” she said.
For John Hughes, a 1955 graduate of Slippery Rock, there were only two colors he was using to paint his boxes.
Hughes said, “I went to Slippery Rock University and the colors were green and white, and I just used the colors to make the boxes. I’ve made close to 10.”
“I’ve made just one so far,” said fellow painter, Lorraine Worsley, who’s lived at Lowrie Place just under a year and a half. “It takes about 10 minutes to do a box. I’m pretty sloppy.
“I’m looking forward to the animal visit next week. I love animals,” Worsley said.
Warner said, “We’ve had this activity before COVID, but not on this scale. I wanted it to be a purposeful event to help out the community.
“Residents are to present their painted boxes Feb. 22, which is also World Wildlife Day.”
Warner said she contacted Keystone Safari who will visit Lowrie Place with a kangaroo for the residents to view and to pick up the boxes.
Vey said she will be bringing an 8-month-old kangaroo on her visit to Lowrie Place.
Phyllis Toothman said she volunteered to paint to help the animals.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a kangaroo next week,” she said Thursday.
So was fellow painter Margie Vangorden. “I’ve never been that close to one before. Maybe it will have a baby in its pouch.”
