Add arcade games to the list of entertainment options for residents at a Kentucky nursing home following a donation worth about $13,000 from a regional foundation whose mission is to bring happiness to those in long-term care.
“This partnership and these gifts mean more than anybody will ever know and they’ll be put to good use for many, many years to come,” Mark Bowman, executive director of the Kentucky Veterans Center, said.
His comments came after Opal’s Dream Foundation raised more than $13,000 in total donations for the Carl M. Brashear Veterans Center, an 120-bed state veterans home in Radcliff, KY. The gift — which included a custom arcade game system with 500 classic games, a surround sound system and $500 for the facility to purchase more activities — was presented to the provider during a ceremony earlier this month, local media reported.
The Louisville-based nonprofit organization has partnered with the Veterans Center to help deliver Christmas gifts and other donations to its residents in the past, according to administrator Ed Thompson. This was the largest gift they’ve received from the foundation to date.
“Being a state agency, we have limits on budgets so when we get outside partners who will come in and provide entertainment activities or equipment, it does a great deal for us,” Thompson said.
Opal’s mission is to restore dignity, respect and joy to seniors living in nursing homes across Kentucky and Indiana, according to its website. Paul Thompson, a foundation’s COO, said the $13,000 gift is just part of its daily work.
“This is something we’re at every day. We’ll take requests from any qualifying nursing home,” he added.
Consider the mission accomplished.
