27 June 2025
After a career spanning nearly four decades, Christine Payne, a Life, Learning and Leisure facilitator, said happy trails to Silvera today on her final day of work.
Christine has been part of the evolution of many of Silvera’s arts and activity programs through the years. She joined the Metropolitan Calgary Foundation as an assistant cook in 1981. After a brief hiatus to raise her children, Christine returned to Silvera in 1986, where she transitioned from dining services to a kitchen service manager and then was re-trained in recreation when an injury no longer made her able to continue with cooking.
“I started at Spruce as an activity coordinator when it was a new building,” she recalls. Over the years, she has seen significant changes in how activity programming is conducted at Silvera. “When I first started, the activity department had to raise their own funds for programs. We held fundraisers like book sales, garage sales, and bake sales to pay for materials and the things we needed to operate resident programs.”
One of the most significant changes Christine has seen in her time is the shift in programming to meet the diverse interests of residents. “When I started, the programming was not as well rounded as it is today. We now operate Silvera based programs of Athlete, Artist, and Scholar to keep residents learning, moving and challenging themselves,” she says.
When Christine was a child, she used to visit her parent’s friends in care homes. “At that time, it was a bit scary for me to be around older people in that environment, but eventually I joined this organization and found my niche working with older people. Everyone is the same inside, their heart and soul, no matter their age,” she says.
Her empathy and understanding have allowed Christine to form meaningful connections with the residents. “The best part of my career has been talking with residents, learning from them, and becoming friends. They’re not just people I work with; I come to work for each of them. I have aimed to offer residents opportunities they may not have had otherwise,” she says.
Hanan Ghoneim, Community Manager at Shawnessy, says staff and residents alike will miss Christine dearly.
“Christine’s creativity, passion, artistic talent, and exceptional work ethic have made a meaningful difference in the lives of both Silvera residents and staff. Residents especially appreciated her art classes—she had a remarkable ability to make everyone feel confident and capable, even those who didn’t consider themselves artistic.
“Christine also fostered strong relationships with her colleagues and was always willing to collaborate We will all miss her, but we are so happy for her as she begins this exciting new chapter!”
As Christine prepares for retirement, she reflects on the valuable lessons she has learned from older people. “A centenarian resident once told me the trick is to take things more lightly, always look at the lighter side, and laugh a lot. And don’t be so hard on yourself,” she recalls. “Oh, and she always told me to dance when you could!”
Christine’s advice to others is to keep learning and stay fresh. “When you feel Groundhog Day moments, stop and think that you may need to learn something new or share something new with others. That’s why I’ve never been bored in my career.”
In retirement, Christine plans to take art lessons, reacquaint herself with interests from her youth such as piano lessons, learn Portuguese, and travel in Canada, Europe and South America.
“I will truly miss all the residents and the people I have worked with over the past 39 years. I have learned a lot from each and every one of you. Thank you. Retirement really is bittersweet.”