Featuring Everything from Wheelchairs to Roller Skates, Parade Celebrates Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle

Proving you’re never too old for something new, Marge Nystrom, 72, and Pierre Croissant, 86, hopped on the back deck of a convertible and led a parade. 

Neither had ever been a grand marshal, but both were delighted to give it a try if it meant celebrating the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. From their open-air perch, they led a parade of 14 Batavia-area organizations as the culminating event of Active Aging Week at The Holmstad, a Covenant Retirement Community in Batavia. 

Earlier in the week, Croissant and Nystrom were crowned king and queen of The Holmstad in recognition of their participation in multiple exercise classes, involvement on campus and leadership skills. “We selected them as champions of a healthy lifestyle,” says Ellyn Limbaugh, Holmstad fitness coordinator.

The 300 folks along the parade route through the retirement community were treated to a diverse group of entries selected to highlight the many aspects of healthy living. Participants included the Aurora 88s roller derby league on skates, Marklund clients in wheelchairs celebrating the possibilities of life for those with disabilities, collector cars from the Fox Valley Corvette Club, the Tunes of Glory bagpipe band and more.

To spread the possibilities of healthy living, spectators donated canned goods for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry. “We’re not sure how much we collected,” says Catherine Reese, Holmstad resident services director, “but we delivered a whole van full of nonperishable food.”

About The Holmstad
The Holmstad is a faith-based, nationally accredited, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located at 700 W. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, Ill. It is administered by Covenant Retirement Communities Inc., which is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. For more information on The Holmstad, call (630) 870-4100 or visit www.TheHolmstad.org.