BARBERTON, Ohio — Residents of Pleasant Pointe Assisted Living Center in Barberton bared it all for a good cause in the center’s 2023 "nude" calendar.
It has become quite the tradition for the Barberton community. This is the fifth annual calendar the facility has put out.
The residents at Pleasant Pointe have seen a lot of calendar years come and go, and with those decades past, comes a newfound freedom in the present: The freedom of not taking yourself too seriously.
So, when Teresa Bachtel, Pleasant Pointe’s activity director, asked several of them to be a part of the 2023 calendar shoot, they jumped at the opportunity.
“At first I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to look like we are nude,’ but then I thought well, why not try it. You never know if you don’t try it. Just jump in the water,” said 87-year-old resident Dolly Emerson-Bean.
Jean Genet, 98, said she has been in the previous calendars.
“I was a little bit younger the first time and I just thought it would be a lot of fun,” she said. “When you’re older you realize you should do anything you want.”
Keen Rakoci, 93, said she jumped at the opportunity to do something she’s never done before—pose, almost nude, for a calendar.
“We were captives during the pandemic and anything that brings the outside in and fun, we are for it,” she said. “It does look like it [nude] doesn’t it? The men, of course, can take their shirts off. I won’t go into the details how she got us to do what she did, but the answer is spaghetti straps were pulled down.”
Bachtel said they worked with photographer, Josh Bowman, over several days to get the shots they needed.
They chose to create a scholarship fund for 2023 Barberton High School seniors that the proceeds from this year’s calendar would benefit, so she figured it would be great to highlight the local community in the pictures.
The shoot locations feature hotspots like the Magical Theatre Company, Leach’s Meats and Sweets, Hopocan Gardens, Belgrade Gardens and Ignite Brewing Company.
“They asked me if I would mind going to a brewery, I said ‘Are you kidding me? I’m half Irish,'” said 85-year-old Ron Graner.
Some of the locations were also a nod to residents’ past, like the mayor’s office for former mayor Kenneth Cox.
“I was thinking of the good cause it was going for, and what the heck I’m not running for office anymore, it’s a good thing,” he said.
Charlotte Smart, 90, posed in front of Skoops Ice Cream, a business she and her husband opened decades ago.
And while the calendars, ultimately, are for a good cause, residents said it is really about capturing the secret to longevity: a sense of humor and staying young at heart.
Bachtel said they’ve already sold 300 copies of the 2023 calendar, but if you’d like a copy you can get one for $13 by stopping by Pleasant Pointe at 220 3rd Street SE, Barberton, or you can call 330-848-5028 and have one sent to your home for $15.
