/120512_jj_mayfair_02 copy.jpg;w=400)
Hundreds of people toured Finlandia Village May 12 during Mayfair, as they wandered through the tables of vendors, crafters, artists and the ever-famous pulla makers.
According to Kaija Mailloux, the village was bustling all day — from the assisted living apartment wing, to the nursing home section, people filed their way throughout the facility.
“People are surprised how big Finlandia Village is,” the volunteer said.
No one was surprised, however, when the pulla, also known as Finnish coffee bread, sold out within an hour-and-a-half.
“A lot of people come here for that,” Mailloux said.
Funds raised from pulla sales and other events at the springtime celebration will be put towards Finlandia Village's SISU Campaign, which will fund the building of 82 assisted living apartments on the grounds of the senior's centre.
In previous years, Mayfair has raised between $6,000 and $7,000.
Once the SISU campaign is complete, close to 400 people will call the Fourth Avenue community home.
Having a place like Finlandia Village to call home is quite a luxury, Rauha Kytola said. For Finns who aren't particularly fluent in English, it's a place to communicate in their own language; for those who are, it's a place to be surrounded by friends.
Finlandia Village is a model for the rest of Canada in providing a continuum of care for our aging population. It offers independent living residences, assisted living housing, and long-term care.
Historically, North Americans have developed senior-care models that put people “away” in institutions. Finlandia Village borrows from the Scandinavian model, and offers thoughtfully-designed senior accommodation with access to services and care residents require as they age in a village-like setting. It is a community, not an institution.
While the village was developed by the Sudbury Finnish Home Society and celebrates Finnish culture, it welcomes people of all nationalities.
- Posted by Jenny Jelen
