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March 22, 2002/Nisan 9, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 27
Dancing volunteer
Ballet Arizona dancer donates time to Kivel
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
Ballet Arizona dancer Bonnie Rich, right, visits with Dorothy Seiffert at Kivel Campus of Care.
Photo by Leisah Namm
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For the past 10 years, between pirouettes and plies, Ballet Arizona dancer Bonnie Rich regularly travels less than a mile away from the dance studio to visit residents of Kivel Campus of Care.
As part of Kivel's "Friendly Visitors" program, Rich visits with the residents of Kivel's skilled nursing facility - sometimes she reads to the residents, often she just talks to them.
"It is fascinating talking to older people," Rich says. "They have been through a lot in their lives."
In the past, she has taken residents grocery shopping, given manicures and even took one woman to visit her son's grave. Her volunteer schedule depends greatly on her dance schedule; the flexibility of the "Friendly Visitors" program allows Rich to stop by if she has a break in her rehearsal schedule or after work.
When she arrives at Kivel, she is assigned "to someone who's feeling a little lonely or down," she says. "So many of the residents at Kivel don't have friends or family, or if they do, they don't visit very often."
She calls the volunteer work gratifying. "Something as simple as passing people in the hallway and saying hello brightens their day," she says.
Rich, 30, began dancing at age 3, professionally since 18, and has danced with Ballet Arizona since 1992. She lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Mike.
She will perform March 29-31 in the Ballet Arizona performance of "Swan Lake." Considered the ultimate love story, Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" tells the story of Prince Siegfried's love for Princess Odette and how his undying devotion triumphs over evil. Ballet Arizona has donated about 20 tickets to Kivel independent apartment residents for the "Swan Lake" performance.
"Swan Lake" tickets are $24-$44. Call Ballet Arizona at 602-381-1096 or visit www.balletaz.org.
For more information about the "Friendly Visitors" program, call Hank Arens at Kivel, 602-956-3110, ext. 176.
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