Avila Events in Anne Arundel County

Avila Home Care has been delighted to partner with Brightview Severna Park for our Avila Music MakersAvila Art Makers and Avila Adventures programming debut in Anne Arundel County! We were also honored to host an Avila information table at the Health Fair at Heritage Harbour, Annapolis: The Ideal Place to Retire. We are looking forward to hosting even more arts and music programming events, and participating in health fairs and community events in Anne Arundel County in the coming year.

Avila Music Makers

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The wonderful staff and residents at Brightview Senior Living Severna Park have warmly welcomed Maria Geronimo, Regional Manager of Avila's Annapolis office, and the world-renowned Borowsky cello and violin duet for two enchanting Avila Music Makers concert! Their performances were simply sublime. "Magnificent"! "Breathtaking!" "We are in awe!" were just a few of the comments overheard at the concerts. Emmanuel and Frances Borowsky, the sister and brother cello and violin duo, played to a packed house for both performances. CLICK HERE to listen to how brilliantly they performed! The Borowskys have played over 400 concerts in 37 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We are grateful to the Brightview Severna Park community for hosting Avila Music Makers, and for being so enthusiastic welcoming these exceptional classical musicians!

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Jazz musicians Ed Hrybyk Music on upright bass and Charlie Ballantine on electric guitar gave an absolutely fabulous Avila Music Makers performance at Brightview Senior Living Severna Park! Brightview residents and their guests were truly inspired: "I've never heard a bass played so incredibly in my entire life, and my husband was in 6 bands!", "Remarkable, I can't believe we get to listen to this caliber of musicians here at Brightview- that guitar just sang!" and "This is the best concert I've heard in all the years I've lived at Brightview!" One of the residents and a staff member were moved to spontaneously dance to the Bossa Nova, and even a BIRD outside in the courtyard sang along to one of the tunes! Ed regaled the audience with a story about how jazz greats Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington met. And three generations- a grandmother, mother and 15 year old grandson- who were in the audience were beaming when Ed invited the grandson to play his saxophone at a weekly jam session! It's beautiful how music brings people together.

Avila Art Makers

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Brightview Senior Living Severna Park shines! Brightview’s new Avila Art Makers exhibit space received many accolades with the debut of Gretchen Maneval’s lovely post-impressionist oil paintings. “Gretchen has cultivated a vibrant painterly approach- landscapes dance with light, figures convey a sense of depth and spirit, and interiors vibrate with rich color and form.” Gretchen’s artist talk was inspiring, and Avila was delighted that many of the Brightview residents shared their own artistic experiences and insight. After receiving the prestigious United States Congressional Award for Creative Merit for a self-portrait which was exhibited in the U.S. Capitol Building, and painting a mural at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Gretchen studied painting at the University of Virginia. She then studied at The Washington Studio School and The Torpedo Factory in Washington, D.C. After receiving a Masters in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture, she continued painting with the ateliers of Andrew Reiss in Brooklyn, New York and Zoll Studio in Baltimore.

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Steve Bleinberger paints “with sweeping strokes that role and undulate…a hopeful luminous sky moves easily from color to color, as the well-rendered boat attracts the viewer to the focal point.” Steve’s exquisite watercolor paintings on exhibit at Brightview Severna Park were complimented by his insightful artist talk, as well as his incredible painting demonstration for residents. An acclaimed artist, Steve is a prolific exhibiter and has won numerous prestigious creative and fine art awards, including numerous awards from The Maryland Federation of Arts. His pieces can be found in galleries and private collections throughout Maryland and the east coast.

Avila Adventures

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The debut of "Avila Adventures" travel presentations at Brightview Severna Park with Avila's Director of External Affairs, Gretchen Maneval, was a huge success! Brightview's residents raved about the "Moroccan Treasures" presentation, including photos and videos from Gretchen's travels with her family, as well as Moroccan food and tea. There was also a spectacular "show and tell" featuring Moroccan musical instruments, jewelry, textiles, clothing and fossils. Several Brightview residents had travelled to Morocco and other African countries, and we were thrilled that they shared their experiences during the presentation. Our new friend Sharel (Brightview resident) even came adorned in beautiful clothing that she bought in Morocco many years ago! And yet another adventurous Brightview resident volunteered to model a traditional Berber head scarf- she even requested to wear it for Gretchen's entire presentation! We are in awe of the adventurous and kind spirit of the Brightview Severna Park community, and we absolutely loved celebrating their World Wide Wednesday with them. Check out more photos at https://www.facebook.com/reel/4014663132095317

Heritage Harbour Health Fair

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A tremendous thank you to Heritage Harbour, Annapolis: The Ideal Place to Retire for inviting Avila Home Care to host a table at Heritage Harbour's Health Fair! Maria and Vickie from Avila's Anne Arundel office met so many wonderful people during the fair. Avila is thrilled to be able to serve Annapolis and the surrounding communities. During the Heritage Harbour Health Fair, Maria and Vickie were showing a video of Avila's 2nd Annual Senior Citizens' Prom (https://vimeo.com/935464391?share=copy). Well, guess who came strolling by Avila's table when the video caught his eye? The gentleman who is featured with his daughter in the opening shot of the video! He was at the fair with his wife. They attended Avila's 2nd Annual Senior Citizens' Prom at Loyola Blakefield in spring 2024, their daughter volunteered at the Prom, and they are proud Loyola Blakefield grandparents. They were thrilled to see themselves in the video, and said they had such an amazing time at the Prom! We love when these "serendipitous" connections happen- such a rewarding part of our work here at Avila is building and nurturing relationships with and among our clients, their families, and seniors in the community. Thanks again to Heritage Harbour, and to this lovely couple and their family for making our day so special!