Teen enjoys a very sweet 16
Lauren Callan wanted her 16th birthday to be memorable.
She spent weeks planning the perfect party. She settled on a glamorous, old-time Hollywood theme and spent most of the profits from her 4-H hog sale on decorations. She picked out a cake and planned games she thought her guests would enjoy.
On Nov. 3, she arrived at party central: Prestige Assisted Living in Kalispell.
"I didn't want to just have a normal party," Callan explained.
Instead, she decided to throw a party for people whose 16th birthdays had passed decades earlier.
"She's not a selfish person. She didn't really want it to be all about her," Callan's mother, Shelli, said. "She wanted to do something special for somebody else.
"We thought of a 16th birthday party for people in assisted living. Helping them to remember their youth and their 16th birthdays just seemed like a lot of fun."
The facility's residents thought it was a great idea, said Patty Cordell, Prestige's executive director.
"There's been a lot of buzz about the party," she said. "They think it's wonderful."
"It is just such a great intergenerational activity, bringing the young and old together to celebrate together," she said. "It's just a wonderful thing that this young girl has requested to share her 16th birthday with the residents here."
Doing things for other people is almost second nature to Callan.
"I just enjoy doing community service," she said. "I look for ways to be able to do more and more stuff."
Her inspiration for throwing a party for senior citizens was in part the result of missing her own grandmother, who lives in Washington. Until her family moved to Kalispell three years ago, Callan saw her grandmother every week.
"She has an understanding that older people enjoy youth, because she spent a lot of time with her grandma when we lived there," Shelli Callan said. "Grandma always just lit up when the younger kids were around."
Even though she didn't know anyone at the assisted living facility, Callan figured the same principle would apply at Prestige. She invited friends and brought her brothers and sister to the party.
It was a success; the residents were happy to celebrate the young girl's birthday.
"It's very gracious and lovely to have feelings to share her birthday with all these older people," resident Mary Snyder said. "She's a very thoughtful child."
Snyder and the other residents played games that reflected the party's Hollywood theme. When Shelli Callan read the names of Academy Award-winning movies, the partygoers tried to remember when the films had won Oscars.
Snyder couldn't recall the exact year "Gone With the Wind" was released, but she remembered seeing it on the big screen.
"I saw the first run," she said.
The party guests sat at tables decorated with clappers, tiny golden statuettes and gold and silver tinsel. They snacked on popcorn - a moviegoer's staple and one of Callan's favorite foods - and sipped punch and coffee.
Songs from classic films played in the background.
They passed around a scrapbook, the first few pages of which were filled with photos of Callan as a little girl. On the next several pages, guests wished Callan a happy birthday, thanked her for the party and shared memories from their own sweet sixteens.
World War II was looming when Ethel Graves turned 16. Louise Campbell had a party with her twin sister, Lois.
Snyder remembers rolling up the rugs and dancing to records on the Victrola during her 16th birthday party in Southern California.
"I would never have thought of anything like this," she said. "I wish her all the happiness in the world."
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com