Every Veterans Day on November 11th, we come together to honor and recognize the service and sacrifices of all U.S. veterans. At Kingsway, we are proud to have many veterans among our residents and staff, and we celebrate them each year through meaningful events and tributes.
This year, a few events are taking place before the holiday. Some of our veterans will participate in a ceremony hosted by a local school, Bradt Elementary School. We’ll also be holding a chorus concert on Kingsway campus for our veterans.
On Veterans Day, we will host several different ceremonies to honor our veterans. We start at 9 AM with a wreath laying ceremony in front of the Kingsway Arms Nursing Center main entrance. Members from all parts of our Kingsway Community gather for this ceremony. We also encourage veterans from the outside community to participate and attend. At the ceremony, a wreath is laid in memory for all of the resident veterans who have passed and the ones who never returned from service.
After the wreath laying ceremony, we host four smaller ceremonies for different levels of our continuum of care. Each of these ceremonies is adapted to meet the needs of the residents in their respective buildings. This way, we can honor all of them while maintaining our quality of care.
At all four ceremonies, we recognize each of our veteran’s rank and service. We also recognize any special honors, special stories, and medals they may have. We help our veterans share any memorabilia and pictures they have. There are speakers at each ceremony, each one honoring those who have passed and those who are still living. At three of the four ceremonies, we pin our veterans and play Taps.
Two of our smaller ceremonies take place at two of our Independent Living apartments, Kingsway Village Apartments and Parkland Gardens. There, we will have refreshments after the main ceremony. Residents will be able to spend time with their families and loved ones while taking photos. Our Assisted Living residents at Kingsway Manor will have a luncheon to enjoy with their families. And our Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will have veterans place a star with their name on our service flag, which is stylized like the American flag.
We at Kingsway are profoundly grateful to the men and women who have served our country. We invite the community to join us in honoring our veterans, To learn more about life at Kingsway or to schedule a tour, please reach out to one of our Senior Living Specialists.