Ralston Grange shares the love

RITZVILLE – Rose Garden Estates residents were in for a sweet surprise when members of the Ralston Grange sent heart-felt gifts to the assisted living facility Thursday, Sept. 10.

"We wanted to let them know that others are thinking about them and care about how they are doing through this virus situation," said Grange member Randy Roth, who delivered the gifts from the Grange and Junior Grange members. Bags marked with individual residents' names included personalized gifts, with colorful bouquets of flowers and eight boxes of books donated by the East Adams Library District.

Roth said grant funds from the Inovia Foundation as well as donations from the Grange itself were used to purchase the gifts and complete the community service.

"You'd think it was Christmas, they are so excited," Dyan Coakley said as residents exclaimed over the treats. Coakley is a cook at the Rose Garden Estates.

"The Ralston Grange got a grant, and they called and asked, 'How are the residents doing? Are they getting bored or depressed?' We decided it would be nice to get them a little something," Rose Garden Estates owner Alice Semingson said. "They went all out with getting gifts for everyone, including the caregivers."

Caregivers were presented coffee mugs with gift cards tucked inside.

"We wanted to thank them for their hard work taking care of those most vulnerable and isolated in our community," Roth said.

Semingson said librarians at the Ritzville Public Library selected books they thought residents would enjoy.

"We talked about what each person likes. A couple of my guys like Westerns, and Joan just devours anything she can get her hands on," Semingson said. "Margaret likes history."

While other residents showed off gifts from their bags, Joan Plager was found in front of the stacked boxes of books, eagerly looking through the new treasures.

Asked her favorite genre, she replied, "The whole spectrum. I love books."

Darlene Kagele, who said she went to school in Odessa, was found looking over a tag on a bouquet of flowers to see if it included the name of the gift-giver.

"How will we send them a thank-you note?" she asked when she saw the gift was anonymous.

"They gave us so many beautiful goodies," Janice Sullivan said. "Books, and pretties."

"This day really worked out nice for them," Sharon Reeve said. Reeve is the Activities Director and the hairdresser at Rose Garden Estates.

Roth was happy to see how well the residents responded.

"Everyone seemed to be excited when they found out they got a gift or a flower," Roth said. "It was very rewarding on this end, too."

The Ralston Grange is made up of about 100 members, with an additional dozen Junior Grange members.