http://status.squarespace.com/

Our Hallmark website is hosted by Squarespace, an amazing company in New York City. We like them because they are out-of-the-box thinkers, above-and-beyond people, just like our team here. During the recent storm Sandy and the resulting power outage, our website could have been down - but it wasn't, because Squarespace staff carried gas up 17 flights of stairs for 3 days to keep their generators going - and our site. That is a team to be proud of! Thanks Squarespace!

The Diamond Jubilee Medal

Our owner, Stan Hindmarsh, (third from left) received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service on Friday night.  We think he’s a pretty deserving winner.

Train Day!

Today was model train day at Hallmark, prompted by a discussion with Jack, one of our residents, who used to drive the Royal Hudson steam train. Some of our staff kids brought in their trains to show Jack!

Origami Afternoon

Our friendly Japanese exchange students helped us learn to make origami today!

Christmas Gala Dinner

We had a splendid evening at our gala tonight at Hallmark on the Lake.  More photos to come!  You’ll find them soon on a slideshow on the home page.

 

Thunderbird Elementary

Yesterday, Global News ran a story about Thunderbird Elementary, an East Vancouver school that needed help to rebuild their playground.  Today, Hallmark stepped up to help fund it.  Our seniors want kids to have a future.  We hope that perhaps you may be inspired to make a difference in your neighbourhood too.

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Helping

After seeing a Global News story last night about an East Vancouver school that needed help to replace their broken playground, Hallmark stepped up to help fund its installation. You can see the news story on Global tonight (Thursday, November 17)! Great to be able to help.

95!

Turning 95 doesn’t happen every day - even at Hallmark.  Happy Birthday Peggy!

Grandmas

Grandmothers love holding little pumpkins.

Shark!

Hallmark staff members often bring their children for Halloween, since residents enjoy it so much.

Candy Bags

Every year, Hallmark residents put together dozens of candy bags, then enjoy handing them out to trick-or-treaters.

missing a chicken?

Happy Halloween to everyone!  Our staff and residents come up with amazing get-ups.  So far this morning we have ladybugs, Little Red Riding Hood, an M&M, and this chicken…

 

Life Is About Attitude

Stan, our owner, is sharing about attitude and dealing with the curveballs that life throws us. We often discuss aspects of healthy living. What would you like to discuss?

Brain Fitness

There are lots of different ways to improve your brain fitness.

For more ideas, check out www.playwithyourmind.com.

  • Try something new - learn something because it’s fun.
  • Brain games make you sharper, but so does eating dirt? Some studies are showing that common soil bacteria may improve your cognitive abilities, stimulating neurons in our brains, and lowering anxiety.  Does that mean that gardening is good for your mind?
  • Try learning a language: exercising your memory and using your newly-developed skills give you a mental workout.
  • Take notice: pick a familiar environment, then see what new details you can notice that you haven’t noticed before.  This is a general mental fitness tip: don’t be lazy and complacent with your mind.
  • Join a group: socializing pushes our higher cognitive functions.

Most importantly, keep thinking about things you enjoy thinking about.  That’s the best brain game.