Art, Conversation, and Connection with Senior Residents in South Vancouver

The Volunteer Wave community kicked off the new year with an Arts and Crafts Party at Southview and Terrace Seniors Residence on January 3, 2026.

To make sure there was something for everyone, our volunteers hosted five different activity stations, allowing residents to participate at their own pace and comfort level. The stations included glass bottle painting, paper quilting, pointillism-inspired painting, a conversation table for non-crafty participants, and a live doodle portrait booth.

The glass bottle painting station quickly became a favourite. L’Occitane at Coquitlam Centre generously donated the glass bottles, and one of our volunteers donated the glass paint. As more residents arrived, others gravitated toward the paper quilting table, cutting out shapes and gluing patterns onto mosaic templates to create their own paper “quilts.” At the pointillism station, residents learned about the late-1800s art style and practiced mindful dot-painting using Q-tips on colouring pages inspired by historical artworks.

Not everyone was in the mood to create art, however, and that was perfectly okay. Some residents (and volunteers!) chose to gather at the conversation station instead, where they played a Roll-and-Share dice game designed to spark meaningful dialogue. Both residents and volunteers took turns answering the prompts, some of which were labeled “hard-hitting,” leading to thoughtful, intergenerational conversations.

Another highlight of the afternoon was the live doodle portrait booth. Residents posed at a DIY photo-style station while volunteers sketched three portraits of each guest: a candid pose, a smiling pose, and a silly pose. A special shout-out goes to Jenny and Han, who ran this station with creativity, patience, and confidence. Their leadership and artistic talent brought so much joy to the seniors lining up for portraits.

Throughout the two-hour event, the room was filled with laughter, conversation, and the excitement of residents sharing their artwork and portraits with one another. A steady stream of seniors joined us over the afternoon, and it was heartwarming for volunteers to reconnect with familiar faces and continue conversations from previous visits to Southview and Terrace.

It was a heartwarming and joyful start to the year! Both residents and volunteers left smiling, already looking forward to our next visit. Every time we visit this seniors residence, we come up with a new idea for an event. What event should we do next?