LAKELAND, Fla. — Residents are coming out of the woodwork to do some woodworking at a senior living community in Lakeland. The new hobby is run by residents for residents.
“I said, ‘oh that's interesting,’ I need something new to do, to expand my horizons,” said Phyllis Gabler.
Gabler is among dozens of seniors to participate in The Estates at Carpenters woodworking class, led by fellow resident Chuck Nash.
“Woodworking has been something that I have been involved with as a hobby for 60 years,” said Nash. “One of the things that I didn’t want to do is when I moved out of my single-family residence is give up my tools.”
So Nash decided why not bring his tools with him, helping to create a brand new 1,200-square-foot community woodshop.
“A lot of residents here have very limited experience so to introduce them to woodworking in general we decided that we’re doing different classes,” said Nash.
The response as been overwhelming. The residents have been anything but bored.
“I haven’t been doing it that long but I really love it and you can do a scroll saw project really easy, very fast, and have a beautiful outcome,” said Gabler.
She even made her grandson’s wedding gift using her new favorite tool.
“I'm going to get emotional now, he really loved it,” said Gabler fighting back the tears.
The Estates at Carpenters said no matter what the project, just the act of making something from scratch can have a huge impact on a senior.
“The bottom line is the more active they are mentally, physically, and spiritually not only the longer they are going to live, but live well,” said Jeanie Tini, Marketing and Sales Director with The Estates at Carpenters.
For more information go to www.estatesatcarpenters.com.
