The 2017 All Seniors Care Senior games are officially declared open.

Auburn Heights Retirement Residence
At Auburn Heights Retirement Residence we had 107 walkers making the trek, including a group of 42 who completed with walkers and wheelchairs, which is a great example of the tenacity of our residents. They will participate as much as they possibly can! We also had about 25 walking on all floors, including four flights of stairs with one resident, Ross, who climbed all five flights of stairs before the non-competitive walk and roll began and then joined us for a second round! Athletes and Volunteers at Auburn Heights were joined at the Opening Ceremonies by Rick Frazer, MLA Calgary South East; Graham Sucha, MLA Calgary-Shaw; Joshua Kuhl, Seniors Executive VP of Operations for ASC, and; Sandy Lauder, Regional Director of Operations for ASC. The Games are officially open and the residents are so excited! They all continued to practice their games this afternoon in preparation for the Wii Bowling competitions tomorrow – Good Luck! The theme this year is Heroes and “most people think of Friday the 13th as unlucky – but for me it was my lucky day because on Friday April 13th I received 6 bypasses during one open heart surgery. My surgeon and doctors that day are my heroes!” – Moe

Sage Hill Retirement Residence
At Sage Hill Retirement Residence, we had 26 walkers with our Memory Care residents being the most enthusiastic, covering all 4 floors twice, and they loved seeing their My Hero pictures up on the walls! Building pride is sure running high here this week! Athletes and Volunteers were joined by Minister of Seniors and Housing, the Honourable Lori Sigurdson; Anne Heinemeyer; Director of Supportive Living; Ralph Hubele, Manager Health & Housing Initiatives; Asst. to MP Pat Kelly, Kelli Taylor; Joshua Kuhl, Senior Executive Vice President of ASC, and; Sandy Lauder, Regional VP. During her remarks, The Honourable Lori Sigurdson presented Sage Hill Retirement Residence Health and Wellness Director Elizabeth, with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Alberta Legislature. The theme this year is Heroes and Norm Hill chose Elvis Stojko as his hero – very fitting to celebrate a Canadian on our 150th! Stojko quote: “I don’t want to prove anything to anyone. I’d rather just enjoy, and show myself that I am capable of doing it and actually going through the process.”

Lewis Estates Retirement Residence
At Lewis Estates Retirement Residence, we had 65 walkers putting themselves to the test to see what their final distance would be. Resident Kay W. walked all 4 floors twice, and while on her walk she encouraged the other residents to walk with her! “Walking 1 floor from end to end is ½ or a kilometer. Residents were so excited to hear that, because they walked all 4 floors so this equaled to 2 kilometers!” Residents stayed in the dining room listening to the beautiful music played by our pianist Norman Swain, as we lead to the opening ceremonies we had the staff, volunteers, and all the managers gathered. We were very fortunate to have Jon Carson, MP Edmonton West join us today. Resident Marie G. identified her father as her: “He had 10 sons and 5 daughter. He was a wonderful father who was very innovative. He was an engineer who didn’t have a lot of money. But he always came up with new designs to make life easier. He created a device that brought water in quicker for when his kids would shower. And this was back in the olden days!”

Laurel Heights Retirement Residence
At Laurel Heights Retirement Residence, we had 62 walkers making the trek, putting themselves to the test to see what their final distance would be. We had a number of residents start walking early this morning to get warmed up for the warm up, showing their eagerness to get the week going. We were honoured to be joined today by MLA Denise Wollard and City Councillor Moe Banga who help officially open The Games. You can definitely feel the excitement! The theme this year is Heroes and Denise Wollard’s identified her hero as “Volunteers are my hero’s for example those at the food bank, SPCA and those who dedicate their time to help others.” While Councillor Moe Banga “A hero can mean many things to many people as a city councillor I get to work with many heroes that make the world a better place, however, my grandfather is my hero he was a person who taught us to share and not to stay with the status quo, because there is always room for improvement.”
St. Albert Retirement Residence
At St. Albert Retirement Residence, we had 56 walkers participate while CBC News was on site today filming the opening ceremony and the non-competitive walk and roll. When Resident Helen found out there were TV cameras in the building, she exclaimed “I should be walking these halls in my high heels so I look good for the cameras… at least I remembered to put on lipstick!” Participants and Volunteers were congratulated for their efforts at the Opening ceremony by MLA Marie Renard; Mayor Nolan Crouse, and; City Councillor Cathy Heron.

Rutherford Heights Retirement Residence
At Rutherford Heights we had 67 walk and rollers participating in the event. Our Chef du Mission, Jean, walked the floors twice ensuring that no one finished alone and the cheered on the last person as they crossed the finish line in the games room. Ed DeGuzman, our Executive Director, along with Health and Wellness Director, Jessica Jasper, lead the opening ceremony.
Once the walk was completed resident Dennis exclaimed “Now that we are done the walk, let’s get to the good stuff and start the games.”

Summerwood Village Retirement Residence
At Summerwood Village, we had 30+ walk and rollers participating while performer Jackson Mackenzie had some funny stories and jokes to keep out over 30 participants in the non-competitive walk and roll entertained during their trek. Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by Deputy Mayor Carla Howatt; City Councillor Linton Delainey Ward 6, and; City Councillor Vic Bidinski Ward 1 who participated in congratulating the winning athletes on their performances. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Joseph Campbell

Preston Park I Retirement Residence
At Preston Park I Retirement Residence, we had 60 walkers making the trek, and were joined by Saskatoon City Police to hand out water, stickers and cheering on our residents! They brought in some extra special Police stickers for those who made multiple trips on each floor. This year we had 2 different residents show up with a heavy load of past won medals weighing them down but very proud to show them off! Athletes were joined at the Opening ceremony by MP Kevin Waugh; Mayor Charlie Clark; MLA Lisa Lambert, and; the Saskatoon City Police and with the Games officially open everyone at Preston Park I Retirement Residence is looking forward to the week ahead of competition. The theme this year is Heroes and as we engage in a week of active living we will celebrate our residents who are heroes building the foundation of Canada, and their heroes – We had 3 different residents put down that their Hero is another resident: 101year old Betty H. who still has her daily walks often outdoors, plays in Bridge twice a week and is still as sharp as ever. Fellow resident, Eileen A. exclaimed, “I cannot wait to show off all of my walking and rolling stickers!”
Preston Park II Retirement Residence
While at Preston Park II, we had 45 walkers including resident Dick S. who walked all 6 floors 3 times. A great display of the enthusiasm the residents here at Preston Park 2 have towards the Games. Building pride is running high here this week. We had our residents dancing along to the entertainment after the walk and roll and before the opening ceremony. Spirits were flying high here as participant were joined at the Opening ceremony by MP Kevin Waugh, MLA Lisa Lambert, and; Saskatoon Police Inspector Lafreniere. Resident Keith B. identified his Hero as “My dad is my hero because of his open mindedness and hard work ethic.”

College Park I Retirement residence
At College Park Retirement Residence, most of our 52 walkers walked every floor! Before the Opening Ceremonies, everyone was proudly displaying their stickers and telling friends how many times they had walked each floor. There was some congestion on the fourth floor, with many residents joking that they needed a traffic light. MLA Gene Makowsky joined us today at the Opening ceremony to officially open The Games. The excitement in the air was best summed up by resident Ms. M. saying, “Head up, Shoulders back, Straight Forward.”

College Park II Retirement residence
At College Park II, Walking Assistant Chefs du Mission, Fawzia Makar & Roger Kiendl took their job seriously as they walked the building numerous times and directed the elevators so each of our 50 walkers residents knew where to go. We could not have done it without them! Not only did we have a large group of walkers, we had many rollers as well! I was fantastic to see our walking residents helping push our rollers what a great team a team effort! During Opening Ceremony resident Hazel H. was heard saying in response to the bagpiper: “I love seeing men wear skirts. I wish I had worn mine. More men need to wear skirts.”

Victoria Landing Retirement Residence
At Victoria Landing Retirement Residents we had 88 walking heroes walking the four floors and being encouraged and cheered on by volunteer heroes! Excitement was in the air as all walkers were determined to complete all four floors at least once! Tenant Mrs. Carol L. stated ”I was told to take it easy, but today is a special day”, as she pedaled the hallways in her wheelchair to collect all 4 colored stickers. While fellow tenant, Mrs. Pauline P. exclaimed: “Let’s get active and get moving everyone!” We were honoured to be joined today at Opening Ceremony by
Brandon East MLA Len Islefson; Mayor City of Brandon Rick Crest, and; Police Chief Ian Grant.
With our theme this year being “Heroes”, tenant Mrs. Harriett L. identified “my parents are my hero’s, they struggled to make ends meet but I always felt that I was the luckiest, best dressed kid in school – my mother made my clothes from hand me down’s from others.”

Sturgeon Creek I Retirement residence
At Sturgeon Creek 1 our 78 walkers were ready to go bright and early this morning with our Opening Ceremony starting at 9:00am. Following the ceremony, residents walked all four floors as part of our “Walk and Roll”. With the Winnipeg Police, Siloam Mission, Jamie Doherty from the Winnipeg Military Family Resource Centre and Jon Einarson from the Grace Hospital Foundation handing out stickers at our water tables, residents were highly motivated by such great guests! We later filled the theatre this afternoon to watch our Spirit Week hero video for the first time; there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Athletes and Volunteers were then joined at the Opening ceremony Colonel Andy Cook, Wing Commander 17 Wing Winnipeg; Chief Warrant Officer Douglas Clark; City Councillor Shawn Dobson; COO and Principal of All Seniors Care, Lily Goodman, and; Regional VP Tricia Charles. Tenant Thelma B. said her Hero is the Captain of the Winnipeg Jets, Blake Wheeler, exclaiming “he displays such great leadership qualities and does a great job representing our city. Oh and he’s handsome too!”

Seine River Retirement Residence
At Seine River Retirement Residence, we had 75 walkers making for an amazing feeling today brought to our building! We had so many smiling faces, jokes being told and tenants motivating others! From singing and dancing down the halls in our walk and roll, to the opening ceremonies inspiring those last-minute tenants to sign up for more events! Although it was not a competition, tenants were SO proud to show off all their colored stickers, laughing and joking about how many they had. Tenants explained that our walk took them a little longer this year, as they had to stop and read all the amazing posters of their fellow tenant’s heroes! The Games were officially opened with the help of MLA Janice Morley Lacomte; City Councillor Brian Mayes; COO and Principal of All Seniors Care, Lily Goodman, and; Regional VP Tricia Charles. Denise President of MADD came to cheer on our walkers and hand out stickers for each lap was touched: “‘I am overjoyed to see the tenants walking and having fun! I am so glad to be a part of this! What an inspiration!”

River Ridge I Retirement Residence
At River Ridge I we had 113 Residents at River Ridge 1 literally walked a mile in their shoes today with the kickoff of the Hallway Rock n Roll! Covering all 6 floors, the residents walked a full mile collecting color coded stickers, arriving for opening ceremonies with a rainbow of achievement! Cheers erupted at the close of the ASC Games Heroes video which played to a packed house this morning in the theatre! After watching the video, resident Janet B. stated to the River Ridge team: “you’re all my heroes – you’re always smiling no matter what you’re doing!” A very long list of dignitaries helped us officially open The Games today Recap of Opening Ceremony, including: Lily Goodman, COO, Principal, All Seniors Care; Tricia Charles, Vice President, MB, All Seniors Care; The Right Honorable Mr Ed Schreyer, former Premier Manitoba and his wife Mrs. Lily Schreyer; Nic Curry, MLA, Kildonan; Cindy Lamoureux, MLA, Burrows; Devi Sharma, Winnipeg City Councillor, Old Kildonan; Winnipeg Police Chief, Danny Smyth; Ace Burpee,103.1 Virgin Radio; Mike McIntyre, CJOB host of Mike on Crime and Winnipeg Free Press sports reporter, and; Daria Zmiyiwsky, Postmedia/ Winnipeg Sun. New tenant Oveen K, on entering the dining room and receiving her red sticker stated: ”now I understand what all the fuss is about!!”

River Ridge II Retirement Residence
At River Ridge II, the majority of our walkers did at least one floor twice, just another example of the enthusiasm the residents here at River Ridge II have towards the Games. Building excitement for our first Games is starting off today! We also posted local heroes along our walk to show some examples of heroes in our community. Huge shout out to RRI for letting us join in the opening ceremonies.

Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence
At Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence, our residents packed the lobby on the main floor waiting to take off on the Non-Competitive Walk & Roll the Hallways! They couldn’t wait to get going and collect their different colored stickers. It upped the excitement when residents spotted The Duchess of Shaftesbury, our Therapy Dog, leading the pack in her All Seniors Care Games T-shirt. Following the Opening Ceremonies, resident Mr. M. was more than happy to come over and share how proud he was that a student he taught in Grade 8 grew up to become the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba! Her Honour, The Honourable, Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon definitely recognized one of her favorite teachers by his “piercing blue eyes”. They shared a great moment! Joining Her Honour to help open The Games were MLA Cliff Graydon; City Councillor Marty Morantz; Major Robert Nesbitt; Joel Roy, Executive Director Military Family Resource Centre; Inspector Barry Kostchuk, Winnipeg Police Service; Lily Goodman, Chief Operating Officer ASC, and; Tricia Charles, VP Operations Manitoba for ASC.
In keeping with this year’s theme, Heroes, Director of Health and Wellness, Brandi identified her hero: “I’d say there’s nothing that makes anyone more of a hero than tenant Betty W. she just turned 100 years old, is a Holocaust survivor and is walking better than the rest of us; now that’s amazing!”

McCarthy Place Retirement Residence
At McCarthy Place we had 27 Residents had a lot of fun, and many laughs were had by all during our walk with the Stratford Police Department. We were honoured to be joined today by Bonnie Henderson, City Councillor; Dan Vito Executive Director, and; Hannah Silver, Director of Resident Programming. With the Games officially open everyone at McCarthy Place is looking forward to the week ahead of competition. You can feel the excitement in the air!

Cedarcroft Place Retirement Residence
At Cedarcroft Place, we had 31 walkers walk all the floors at least one time which is just another example of the enthusiasm the residents here at Cedarcroft Place have towards the Games. Building pride is running high here this week. Once the residents completed their walk and roll, they made their way back to the family room to listen to the amazing entertainer and to rehydrate! After the walk, one resident was handing out the extra water bottles to each resident in the family room while they listened to the entertainer. She didn’t want anyone to get dehydrated.
Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by Bonnie Henderson, City Councillor; Hannah Silver, ASC Director of Resident Programming, and; Dan Vito, Executive Director. With the theme this of Heroes, resident Mrs. D exclaimed: “I don’t have a specific hero. Everyone is a hero!”

Beacon Heights Retirement Residence
At Beacon Heights Retirement Residence, all the residents who could do stairs were started on the 7th floor and started walking their way down. All the residents using walkers and wheelchairs did the walk on the first floor. Many residents, including Jessie B.; Nikki T.; and Jean M. walked 5 or 6 times the length of the first floor… Lots of smiles and laughter could be heard during the walk. Rick Crepin, our entertainer, had all of us singing. Beacon Heights Residents were proud to welcome Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson; City Councillor Tim Tierney; Lt. Colonel David Gowdy, and; ASC VP Mrs. Jackie Dusome. Some of our volunteers were and are heroes themselves; Constable Stephanie Lemieux, from the Centertown Community Police Officer, Mr. Réjean Ouellette and Gérard Dupuis both from the RCMP Veterans Association – Ottawa District. Many of the residents had some difficulty to identify a hero. Veteran John H. first said that he didn’t have a hero and then he said: “Every time I look in the mirror I see my hero”. I thought it was really appropriate.

Chapel Hill Retirement Residence
At Chapel Hill our event was so well attended we had a Resident who lost her Husband in the excitement of the Walk so she ended up having to walk the floors twice over to find him! (We had to cover her in stickers to compensate for all her hard work!) Our Athletes were joined at the Opening Ceremony by Hon Marie-France Lalonde, MPP (Ottawa—Orléans), Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs;
Jackie Dusome VP of Compliance All Seniors Care, and; Constable JP Vincelette
Ottawa Police Service. Our Chef de Mission Yvette Rousseau on having to read aloud the letters from The Governor General and Prime Minister Trudeau – “I was so nervous my heart was beating so fast! I hope I am not this nervous during the Bowling Playoffs!”

Cite Parkway Retirement Residence
At Cité Parkway, we had 30 walkers and 20 music lovers choosing to enjoy our in-house entertainment instead. Following our first Opening Ceremony, we began our walk and Roll. We had many residents walk all 7 floors 3 times which is just another example of the enthusiasm the residents here at Cité Parkway have towards the Games. Our lovely entertainer Guy Lalonde performed some sing-a-longs, allowing all residents to enjoy the celebration. It was a fun, and memorable event! When a member of the Ottawa Police stopped by to give out water during the walk and roll, he took a bit of extra time to remind Mr. Roger P. to follow the rules. He jokingly cuffed Mr. P and everyone in the dining room had a good laugh. Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by MLA, Nathalie Desrosiers. With the Games officially open everyone at Cité Parkway, and we are looking forward to the week ahead of competition. With this year’s theme, Heroes, Resident Peter C. exclaimed: “My hero is my 5th, 6th, and 7th grade teacher Mr. Proulx. I was the first English student at that French school. He took me under his wing and really made me feel at home. I wish I would have had the opportunity to meet him later in life so he could have known the impact he had on my life”.

Residence de la Gappe – Phase 1
At Résidences de la Gappe phase 1, our enthusiastic walkers put themselves to the test to see what their final distance would be and many ended up walking 3 times on the 2nd and 3rd floor which is great to keep healthy! In realizing our non-competitive walk this morning we managed to wake up some residents who were resting with our music and songs. Wheelchair residents rolled with us and they were very proud. Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by Monsieur Gilles Carpentier, Ville de Gatineau and Madame Joanne Charette, Directrice générale phase 1. Our VIP Mister Gilles Carpentier mentioned that his heroes are our residents, he loves to come over! He is inspired by our residents.

Residence de la Gappe – Phase 2
At Résidences de la Gappe phase 2, we had 61 walkers completing the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7th floors. Performing at our non-competitive walk to the great pleasure of our residents this morning were Luc and Ginette. We started singing Oh Canada. Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by Monsieur Gilles Carpentier, Ville de Gatineau and; Madame Joanne Suzie Clavet, Directrice générale phase 2. With the Games officially open our VIP Mister Gilles Carpentier mentioned that his heroes are our residents, he loves to come over! He is inspired by our residents.

Residence de la Gappe – Phase 3&4
At Residence de la Gappe Phase 3 & 4, we had 65-75 walkers making the trek, putting themselves to the test to see what their final distance would be. We had Huguette M., Fleur de Mai L., Mme G. et M. J. walk all 4 floors 3 times which is just another example of the enthusiasm the residents here at La Résidence de la Gappe have towards the Games. Building pride is running high here this week. When the piper was walking down the hallway, our assistant for Pool Rémi P. was holding Lisa’s hand because he was so overwhelmed by the experience! Resident Mme. M. exclaimed: “this is the most amazing experience I will ever experience!

Chateau Symmes Retirement Residence
At Chateau Symmes we had about 40 walkers with all residents dancing and walking on every floors to disco and rock music. Some even did twice the halls, which is just another example of the enthusiasm the residents here at Chateau Symmes have towards the Games. “When residents was flirting with the water boy (nice looking man )” it set the stage for a fun-filled event.” Athletes and Volunteers were joined at the Opening ceremony by M. Greg Fergus and M. Mike Duggan. The theme this year is Heroes and a fan favourite was Carey Price “Because WE ARE CANADIAN !!!”