Five Hills Royalty hold Father's Day ice cream social at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

Residents of the Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on W. Avenue B enjoyed an ice cream sundae served by members of the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant royalty at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social held Saturday afternoon.

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale organized the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social as part of her platform of service, which is helping the senior citizens of Copperas Cove. She makes peaceful mats, which are fidget mats for the nursing home residents. These mats are especially calming for the residents who have Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia.

Hale has also dropped off Valentine’s Day cards and set up a pen pal effort with the residents, but “actually being here and spending time with them is what we want to do,” she said.

“The royalty has always come to the nursing homes and visited with the seniors before COVID, and during COVID, we’ve been doing pen pals and dropping things off,” Hale said. “This year, when things started to open, we reached out to Denise here at the Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center to see if we could have events again, could we come inside to visit them, so we planned the Mother’s Day tea and of course, we’ve got to include Father’s Day, so we wanted to do a Rock N’ Roll ice cream social.”

Each member of the Five Hills Royalty made five Father’s Day cards for the residents at CCNR. Some of the cards were fish themed, wishing the residents a “Fin-tastic Father’s Day”, while another was planet themed and constellation themed. For Little Miss Five Hills Braelyn Liles, the cards served as an opportunity for her to practice writing her name on each of her cards, while Hale crafted her own shirt and tie-themed cards.

“I know they have not had visitors for a year and a half. I’m not sure who is more excited, us or them,” Hale said.

Denise Dabney, Activities Director with Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab, said that the residents were very happy to see the royalty members.

“The royalty have always remembered our residents, and that’s a good thing that they’re remembered,” Dabney said.

Hale and her husband, John, served the ice cream while the other titleholders took the orders from the residents seated in the dining area. Residents could choose vanilla, chocolate, strawberry swirl or a little bit of all three, plus toppings such as nuts, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, caramel syrup, sprinkles and even a cherry on top.

Many of the residents enjoyed their first bowl and even second and third bowls of ice cream.

“They're a blessing to us, and I'm thankful that we got to have them come in, with COVID and everything, and it’s just awesome to see our men come out,” Dabney said about the royalty visiting. “They were excited. I really didn’t give them enough notice. I just said, ‘Hey, let’s go eat ice cream.’ They’re always ready for ice cream and the kids.”

This is the first group allowed inside since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. The nursing home has been gradually lifting its restrictions on who can enter. For example, only adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are allowed inside.

Essential family members (one per resident) can come in and sit with their resident and help feed them and sit with them as well, or they can visit outside the facility.

“They get depressed, and now they’re getting to come out in the hallways and out visiting their families, and they visit inside or outside,” Dabney said.

Dabney said that the ice cream social definitely brightened the residents’ day.

“They feel like they’re enclosed here, and with people coming in and them being able to go outside a little bit, it helps them,” Dabney said.

For Dawn Hale, visiting the residents is especially meaningful.

“Growing up, the most exciting time for me was going to visit my grandparents, because they stories they told or just how they were that was what I remember, so I think of them, and it’s like coming to see your grandparents,” Hale said. “I know that the kids love it too.”

Hale added that the opposite is true as well, and the residents love seeing the royalty visit, especially the younger titleholders.

“Some of them, maybe they don’t have family close by who can visit regularly, or maybe they don’t have family, so we become their family, and that’s part of the community,” Hale said.

PHOTOS:

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale and her husband scoop ice cream into bowls for the residents at the Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Saturday’s Father’s Day Ice Cream Social.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale and her husband scoop ice cream into bowls for the residents at the Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Saturday’s Father’s Day Ice Cream Social.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Dressed in a red poodle skirt, Little Miss Five Hills Braelyn Liles sits with a resident of Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center and his son during the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social held Saturday afternoon.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale feeds ice cream to a resident at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social organized by the Five Hills Scholarship Program royalty at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center Saturday afternoon.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale shows hand-made cards to a resident at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social organized by the Five Hills Scholarship Program royalty at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center Saturday afternoon.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale shows hand-made cards to a resident at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social organized by the Five Hills Scholarship Program royalty at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center Saturday afternoon.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Teen Miss Five Hills Emily Kimball shows hand-made cards to a resident at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social organized by the Five Hills Scholarship Program royalty at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center Saturday afternoon.

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CCLP/BRITTANY FHOLER

Teen Miss Five Hills Emily Kimball shows hand-made cards to a resident at the Father’s Day Ice Cream Social organized by the Five Hills Scholarship Program royalty at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehab Center Saturday afternoon.