Glen Ivy's very own celebrity

If you have been to Glen Ivy in the last few days, you probably saw more than a few colorful blankets wrapped snuggly around Glen Ivy team members. These hand-woven wool blankets were lovingly made by the Chule family and given as gifts to Glen Ivy staff members that Chule has come to know and love (which, to say the least, is a lot of people!). There were quite a few blankets around the spa today to show Chule, who was here to visit, how much everyone loves them.

In his honor, we had a small gathering in the Tiempo Lounge for team members and guests who wanted to meet and greet Chule, Glen Ivy’s very own celebrity, and we all enjoyed Chule’s presence, yummy cookies and delicious lemonade made by Chef Bill Wavrin. (I will admit, the cookie tray closest to me went fast so I apologize if you didn’t get a cookie) :-)

I was so happy to spend time with Chule and see how genuinely happy he is to meet new people and his sincere ability to make everyone feel significant. Each person that walked in - friend or stranger (not for long!) - was greeted with a hug and a kiss by Chule!

We have a massage therapist, Karla, who learned to knit from her grandmother and wanted to share her gift with Chule and presented him today with a blanket – a bit of a role reversal as he was the receiver instead of the giver for a change.

I also got some great personal notes for Chule from some Glen Ivy team members:

“Chule is so lovable and the blanket he made me is just incredible! I love it and I love him!” -Leigh-Ann Davidson

“Chule personifies the spirit of generosity. He has always lived his life with a giving philosophy. In his late 80's, he is still our Macedonian Zorba, a dancing delight in many people's lives.” -John Gray

“In 2005, I wrote this Contemporary English haiku for Chule. He had given me the most perfect pink blanket and the words just came to me. Chule and Vera have that gift of giving that finds the best in a person – you can't help but feel thankful.”

Generosity
wraps a warm pink wool blanket
round my grateful heart
-Anne Fees

You know the saying, “There are some people out there who just light up the world with their smile”? – well, that’s Chule. We are honored to know him and if you’d like to learn more about Chule and the family blanket business, please visit their website. You can even purchase a Chule blanket for yourself!

As well, we’d like to sincerely thank our guests today who, in the spirit of Chule’s kindness and generosity, donated food in an overwhelming way. We’ve filled barrels and barrels full of food that will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank in Riverside – we’re so excited to show up with a truck full of food!

Here are some photos of some our guests and Chule– enjoy!