Blog

A Special Thanksgiving from our Villa

A Special Thanksgiving from our Villa

Thanksgiving is very special to us here at IBA. We have so many things to be thankful for; every year our residents and staff come together and take a moment to think about them. It is the perfect occasion to share a delicious meal, enjoy each other’s company, and of course dance to our favorite music: merengue and salsa. This year was no different, over 60 residents came for Thanksgiving lunch on Friday and the same number of staff enjoyed the same the following Monday. As part of our community tradition, the best cooks from Villa Victoria were in charge of making the wonderful feast for the residents. They worked side by side, creating the menu, coming together at each other’s kitchens, with a group of volunteers all helping to make one outstanding lunch complete with several turkeys, pig, chicken, and featuring some of our traditional dishes like rice and beans. 20151120_132705 The decorations were courtesy of our preschoolers who made turkey-themed centerpieces for the tables. The moving gesture was not lost on our residents, many of which took the crafty ornaments home with them. The lunch began with a prayer led by resident and board member Edwin Ceda. After, our residents ate, laughed, danced, and even sung as salsa played in the background. thanksgiving-tableTwo days later the thanksgiving lunch hosted for our staff took place. Since it is important to recognize the good things in our lives every day, everyone told each other why they were thankful to have one another as part of the team. In fact according to an article in the New York Times, “We can actively choose to practice gratitude — and that doing so raises our happiness.” A stellar team of hardworking people that share our mission is definitely one of those things. Everyone, staff and residents alike, left lunch feeling happy giving all the food that was left over to resident services. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has made this possible, IBA wouldn’t be what it is without you. Whether it is attending our events, contributing your time volunteering, or through your donations. It takes a Villa, and you’re part of it. If you’d like to help fund events like these for our residents and improve their quality of life you can make your contribution here. Thank you....