| Chi Omega brings Homecoming to the nursing home |
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| Written by Kristen Bahler, Daily Vidette Senior Staff |
| Monday, 26 October 2009 02:50 |
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For the past few weekends, high school students from across the country have been spray tanning, limousine renting and awkwardly slow dancing their way to a perfect homecoming. On Friday, Oct. 23, however, members of both the ISU and Bloomington community were participating in a unique kind of homecoming. A homecoming where the attendees have several more years of dating and dancing experience than five high school students combined. Illinois State’s Chi Omega Rho Kappa sorority threw their second annual homecoming dance at an unusual, yet clever location ... the Heritage Manor Nursing Home.  The outfits might not have been as fancy as typical homecoming attire, and there were only a few cameras flashing, but the white streamers, table of refreshments and 40’s era jazz music made for a traditional homecoming atmosphere nonetheless. Mercedes Defano, a Heritage Manor employee and recent ISU graduate who is the chapter advisor for Chi Omega, gazed keenly at the fusion of sorority girls and entranced residents. “I ran bingo today and all the residents were so excited,” she said. “Some of them even asked when they were going to be able to dance.” Defano had a major role in implementing the dance both this year and last semester, when the idea first transpired. “Do you see the two residents dancing?” she says to a nearby sorority member. “This makes my job so worth it.” The two residents Defano is referring to are Melba and Glenn, who sway back and forth, ever so softly, as a circle of their peers (some seated and some lying down) crowd around them.  To an onlooker, it might appear as if Melba and Glenn are sweethearts, but according to Defano, this is far from the case. “Glenn is the home flirt,” she said. Glenn had, in fact, been switching dance partners for the entire night, Defano commented. Other residents and the women of Chi Omega served as  companions as the sweet, humorous old man danced the night away. You know the suave smooth talker every high school girl, freshman through senior, wants to take to homecoming? At Heritage Manor, that dreamboat is Glenn Goodwin.“I live to dance,” he said, taking a much-need break from the floor as the night began to wind down and residents slowly began to taper back to their rooms. Raised in Palestine, Illinois, Goodwin went to college at the University of Illinois, and graduated with a business degree. A fan of all music (country, waltz and swing especially, he said) he even took a few dance lessons before moving to Bloomington. “I had a stroke,” he says softly as the music lingers. “I still have mild shakes, but I can still dance. I can still hold onto my partner.” A true charmer, Goodwin had been looking forward to the dance all day long. “He told me he was excited to see all the pretty girls,” Defano said. Rebecca Keane, an ISU junior marketing major and president of Chi Omega, said she truly enjoyed being a part of the unusual, albeit heartwarming event. “I think this is a lot of fun,” she said. “It is really good to get into philanthropy with some actual community involvement. March Madness [a hugely popular yearly fundraiser for ISU sorority and fraternity members] is really big in the Greek community, but there isn’t much direct involvement with the [Bloomington/Normal] community. This is really great.” While those living at Heritage Manor had likely not participated in a football game or marched in a homecoming parade in many years, the ear to ear smiles of college students, staff and residents alike proved you don’t have to be in your teens to have a ton of fun. As the voice of Frank Sinatra drifted through the crowd, Glenn commented on the timelessness of ole’ blue eyes. “Oh, I love him,” Goodwin said. “He must be around 90 years old now.” |
