I’m Myrna Koonce and I’ve been working here as a Chaplain since March of 2017 and I come once a week. Sometimes I work with the residents in a group situation and sometimes I work with them on a one-on-one basis depending on what the needs are that day.

Some of the group activities I’ve engaged in with them have involved singing with me playing the guitar. We’ve also done a lot of poetry. Another thing that we’ve recently been doing involves working with clay with folks.

I really enjoy the fact that people go outside on a regular basis. It gives them an opportunity for them to engage in a really meaningful task, a nurturing kind of task. And at the same time be connected to other people who are doing that task with them. So I think the whole outdoor component of The Vicarage is exceptional.

I believe that Johanna and Cheryl created The Vicarage out of a very strong sense of mission to have a very unique place where people can form a community. And from what I’ve seen here, there’s a great deal of community that forms among the residents and it’s really beautiful to watch.