Saturday, January 15, 2000
Program a hoot for all ages
Kids, older folks delighted by owl
BY ANNA GUIDO
Enquirer Contributor
SHARONVILLE — Ruth Snively's interest in nature spans many decades — from the day she shook Teddy Roosevelt's hand at a park in Worcester, Mass.
She was 5 years old when the former president, who was on a tour, bent down and shook her hand and said, “Little girl, I hope you will always be interested in nature and the outdoors.”
More than 80 years have passed since then, and Mrs. Snively is still interested in nature and the outdoors.
On a recent morning at Cottingham Retirement Community, where she lives, the former schoolteacher said she was “delighted and intrigued” by a wildlife program presented by Mary Raffel, naturalist for the Union Township Parks Department in Butler County. Mrs. Raffel brought in a 10-year-old barred owl to visit with Cottingham residents and a group of children from nearby Northbrook Cooperative Preschool.
The residents smiled and the preschoolers giggled during the one-hour program, particularly when Hoo Dey the owl stirred and flapped his wings.
Mrs. Raffel has been conducting nature outreach programs with children and senior citizens for nearly 10 years.
“A lot of the little things (Mrs. Raffel) spoke about appealed to the youngsters,” Mrs. Snively said. “She talked to them on their level.”
Hoo Dey came to be a star in the outreach program be cause he couldn't survive in the wild after being struck by a car. He lost a lung and was blinded in one eye.
The benefits of Mrs. Raffel's outreach programs are numerous. The children and adults get to spend time with each other, and with animals, which is therapeutic, studies show.
At the same time, some of the children gain role models.
“Many of these children — who are mostly from Sharonville and West Chester — are removed from their extended families,” Northbrook teacher Mary Shay said. “The residents can be their surrogate grandparents.”
The preschoolers at Northbrook, which leases space on Cottingham's campus, interact with residents at the retirement community weekly.
“It makes the children more accepting of people in wheelchairs and walkers, something they're not normally exposed to,” Ms. Shay said.
Director of Nursing Pamela Clayborn said the interaction residents have with children and animals is good for their health. “It improves their quality of life,” she said.
For information on the Union Township Parks Department's outreach program, call Mrs. Raffel as 759-7311.
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