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I have had the opportunity on two occasions to enjoy Kareen King’s
life stories “in song.” The first was in March of 2008 at a
professional meeting of life enrichment coordinators and directors
of local senior retirement communities. Kareen’s heartfelt songs
humbled everyone in attendance. During her hour-long presentation,
we were all moved by her devotion and commitment to make a
difference in the lives of everyone she touches; our senior citizens
by the apparent and sincere admiration she has for them, and our
younger attendees by reminding them that all life is precious,
regardless of age.
I so enjoyed her message that I hosted her program for my entire
staff, families of our residents, and other associates in the
retirement industry in our multi-purpose room for an hour-long
social event on June 3, 2008. Her soul-wrenching stories of
residents in nursing homes who had been forgotten or ignored touched
the hearts and minds of my employees, and hopefully they are better
caregivers because of Ms. King. Families shared with me afterwards
they felt a renewed commitment to their loved ones who currently
live in our retirement community.
Kareen’s talent is multi-faceted in that she has a beautiful voice,
is instrumentally accomplished, and writes her songs from life
experiences that honor our senior citizens. Her stories recognize
the many challenges our frail bodies and fragile minds may face as
we grow older, and yet her songs manage without exception to honor
our aging population. May we all be blessed in
our golden years to have a sincere advocate for our personal care,
dignity, and independence who is as profoundly dedicated and
talented as Kareen King.
It is my honor to provide this letter of support and to
unequivocally recommend Ms. Kareen King.
PJ Prusia, Executive Director
Silvercrest Senior Living Community at
Deer Creek
13060 Metcalf
Overland Park, KS 66213
913-681-1101 Office
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I saw Kareen King’s concert of songs and stories on aging at the
National Association for Drama Therapy Conference in 2007 in
Montreal, Canada. It was delightful and enlightening. Some of the
members of the audience were elders of the drama therapy community
who have worked with older adults since they were young adults, and,
therefore, are experts in the field of gerontology and drama
therapy, in addition to having personal experience with aging
themselves. They told me after the concert that they felt Kareen was
a “gem” and a “treasure.” These are women are highly discerning, so
their reaction to Kareen’s work was high praise.
I have also observed Kareen work with older adults in the Brookside
Retirement Community, leading song fests and incorporating drama and
story into her work as an activity director. She has a wonderful
ability to connect with others in groups and one-on-one. I think she
would represent the state of Kansas well on tour and bring new
understanding on the aging process to audiences of all ages.
I hired Kareen to present to my Creative Arts Therapy course one
session last fall on using music in therapy.
She has found a wonderful way to incorporate a mix of drama, music,
movement, interaction, and art into the lives of others. She
will be a wonderful role model in creativity in action for my
graduate students in drama therapy.
Sincerely,
Sally Bailey, MFA, MSW, RDT/BCT
Associate Professor
Director, Drama Therapy Program
Kansas State University
785-532-6875
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1-6-09
Dear Kareen,
I wanted to take a moment to share with you what a
difference you have made in my life as a caregiver of elders. You
have been a model for me of someone who truly sees our confused
elders as “disguised Christs.”
Your persistence, commitment
and unflagging determination to connect intimately with our elders
has been an inspiration to me daily. When I wrote the
Devotion for the paper I thought a lot about you—about making the
edges that define our job softer, more creative, with lots of
spacious room to make wonders happen.
I teased you a lot about your office, but you taught
me that we, ourselves, in every cell, memory and past experience
hold stockpiles of random treasures (just like your office)—that can
be pulled out to uplift, entertain, or inform at just the right
time.
You taught me to play again, to push the boundaries
of myself: I can imitate Johnny Cash, sing “Rubber Duckie,” with all
the words memorized, tremble my lips and shake my hips like
Elvis—you even reminded me that I have a Donald Duck voice that can
be used on just the right Disney day. Most of
all, you taught me that we can and should use ALL of ourselves,
every experience, every bit. Stories, quotes, memories—nothing,
nothing we have gone through is ever wasted on this job.
I appreciated that you made yourself vulnerable
before the elders. I have long thought about myself that the reason
I am in this work is that when I meet someone in the margins, I also
get to minister to an oft-hidden part of myself, a part that I
unwittingly once disclaimed, or set apart, or have been estranged
from: the boy who was last to be picked on the baseball team, the
boy who was extremely shy and quiet and only wanted to be noticed.
When I see you reach out and follow your lead, when I apply focus
and attention to those larger society has discarded, I also send a
message to this disclaimed part of me: “See, just like Jewell, just
like Emilou, like Euleta … together, all of us; we matter. We, each,
are valuable. We, each, are God’s inestimable treasures.”
I hope you spread your songs around the globe. I hope
you know that those songs, and the psalm-songs you so freely shared
at Devotions, shall remain in my memory, enriching me, inspiring me,
long after you have gone. I know God has great things for you. You,
my friend, have been David, the Psalmist’s, “very near presence of
God,” in your time with me at Brookside. May God’s light, love and
peace surround you and yours all your days on.
Dale Beaulieu, Director of
Communications
Brookside Retirement Community
700 W. 7th
Overbrook, KS 66524
636-448-2114
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