Movie Theaters

Do we take our residents to them or not? Surely, we can always wait a bit and see the film as a new release on the community subscription channels, but what about the environment, memories and engagement levels we achieve when attending in person at the real movie theater like everyone else does?  Going to the movies brings back all the feels and excitement of seeing a much anticipated new release and the olfactory stimulation of that popcorn!  It just can’t be replicated by microwave popcorn!

I have found myself at the movies the past several weekends.  It seems when the weather turns chilly, all the good movies are released. Maybe it’s just timing, but it feels that way to me.  It did get me to think about our residents and which of them enjoy and miss going to the movie theater.

A trip to the movies can be expensive and many of our residents may be living with a fixed or little income.  The price of the ticket plus the snacks (because who can pass up the freshly popped corn), can be pricey.

What can we do to help our residents to get to the actual movie theater?  Here are my tips:

Ask for donations of movie gift cards or cash to the movie theatre fund, ask for sponsors for certain trips, i.e., “trip to see (name of movie) and looking for a business or kindhearted person to sponsor the trip, advertise it with permission on your social media and monthly newsletter.

Host a fundraiser specifically for this fund, bake sales are the best!

Call the local movie theater manager and ask about specials they may be able to offer you for your residents.  Sometimes, they may even sponsor a trip with snacks, all you need to do is mention them as a sponsor in your social media, newsletter and send a thank you card from the residents.

Reach out to the family members of the resident.  Would they be able to sponsor their resident in attending the movie or better yet, ask them to meet you at the theater, they can sit with and enjoy their resident as a family outing together and you have provided them the much-needed transportation in your bus.

Matinees are always the least expensive and the best time to bring a group of residents as this time of day is usually not very crowded.

I hope these tips get you thinking about how you can assist your residents in enjoying the local movie theater and all the “feels” that comes with going to a show!

-Kim Mead NAAP Leadership Team