Julia Guerin, Chris McCune, Amanda Nolan, Mary Walsh
Amidst a sea of rambunctious university students exists an entirely different
community. Right in Loyola University’s own backyard inhabits Gallagher Mansion,
a residential facility for the low-income elderly. It was once a home for an
affluent Baltimore family, then, once abandoned, became a decrepit place for
neighborhood children to ransack. However, in 1996, the Govans Ecumenical Development
Corporation, referred to as GEDCO, remodeled the entire facility.
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“Gallagher Mansion – Senior Community.” Habitat America. 09 Dec. 2009 <http://www.habitatamerica.com/apt_gallagher.html>. |
GEDCO’s goal is to “provide affordable housing with supportive services” (1) in the local community, and they succeeded in doing just that with the refurbishing of Gallagher Mansion. Officially renamed the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Senior Housing at the Gallagher Mansion, Gallagher Mansion provides housing for up to forty low-income senior citizens who are aged sixty-two or older. Each housing unit at Gallagher Mansion provides each resident with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, all for a fee of whatever the individual resident can afford (2). Along with these amenities, the residents are also provided with a sense of community. Many activities are planned weekly by a social coordinator that range from shopping trips to yoga to carols and decoration with the Girl Scouts. Some residents at Gallagher Mansion may not have much family or any family at all; however, many precious memories are shared with other residents, students from Loyola University and other local volunteers.
Four students from Loyola University were assigned
to work with the residents of Gallagher Mansion and implement some type of reading
with the residents there. At first, the student’s journey was challenging and
frustrating--in part, because it turned out that novels did not make up a significant
part of the residents' reading. But in the end, the four students were able
to effectively start a book club with Flora and Rosa, two reading aficionados
residing at Gallagher Mansion. Not only were books, poems and short stories
read aloud and discussed, but also a family between these six people was formed.
Reading as a bridge between generations