Volunteer Kristy Fetyko and Tinkerbell Bring Joy to CRC Residents

Kristy Fetyko of Chelsea and her 6-year-old Papillion, Tinkerbell, are a welcome sight at Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC)! Kristy volunteers weekly, alternating between Independent Living and Assisted Living on the CRC campus, and Tinkerbell loves to go with her, dolled up with a bow in her hair and her Disney® Tinkerbell collar and leash.

“Tinkerbell loves it,” says Kristy, who has been volunteering at CRC since 2021. “When I tell her we’re going to visit friends, she knows we’re coming here.”

Kristy’s husband, Steve Fetyko, President and CEO of Brio Living Services, jokes that more residents know Tinkerbell than know him. CRC residents enjoy seeing Tinkerbell and stop to say hello to her. Kristy calls Tinkerbell, “A princess! She loves to be called beautiful and told how pretty she is. And she will flaunt it! She knows after she greets people she gets a carrot. She loves carrots!”

Martha and Jack Hicks, who live at CRC’s Dancey House, enjoy visits from Kristy and Tinkerbell. “Tinkerbell has a big personality,” says Martha. “She makes herself at home.”

In addition to bringing Tinkerbell on visits, Kristy leads card making activities with residents once a month. Kristy is also a part of the Chelsea Material Girls group which started in 2010. Material Girls has more than 120 members and meets at Chelsea First United Methodist Church to make a variety of crafts from primarily donated materials. One of their annual highlights is the Children’s Christmas Bazaar, offering a chance for kids to do secret Christmas shopping for friends and family. All items are priced between $1 and $5. Kristy says the group makes about 3,000 items a year. Material Girls donates its profits to Faith in Action. Kristy shares that the group doesn’t intend to make money, but they always do. In 2023, the group donated $17,000 to the local Faith in Action mission!

Kristy says the fellowship of Material Girls is one of its many benefits, and began working with Kori Rochefort, Life Enrichment Coordinator at CRC’s Glazier Commons Assisted Living, to bring the fun of Material Girls to the ladies there. “We came up with the idea of Material Girl Sisters,” says Kristy. “We make simple crafts, and they enjoy knowing the items they make are going for a greater good. They have made pet beds, fairy wands, tags and cards, and popcorn snowmen. Some independent living residents will also come to the Material Girl meetings or make items on their own to donate.”

In November, Kori brought a bus of the CRC Material Girl Sisters to join the larger group for their luncheon at Chelsea First and to share in camaraderie over salads and desserts. “It’s a lot of fun,” Kristy says. “The Material Girl Sisters are proving, at any age, you can give back to your community and find purpose in life.”

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Brio Living Services!