Atria Senior Living Honors Residents, Observes National Day of Remembrance in Partnership with Spirit of '45 Organization

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, August 12, Atria Senior Living communities nationwide will observe Spirit of '45 day, a congressionally-recognized national day of remembrance held annually on the second Sunday in August. As part of the company's partnership with non-profit organization Spirit of '45, events are scheduled in each of the company's 125 locations.

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The national day of remembrance, supported by the Spirit of '45 organization, was passed by Congress in 2010 as a way to to honor the men and women of America's "Greatest Generation." All Atria communities are involved in this national grassroots effort to remind people of the courage and shared sacrifice of the WWII generation.

"We are proud supporters of the Spirit of '45 organization and their efforts to bring attention to some of the bravest men and women our country has ever known," said Ronda Watson, Vice President of Active Aging and Culinary Services for Atria Senior Living. "We have been involved with this campaign on the local and national level since the beginning of the year, and all aspects of our support are focused on honoring our residents and all members of the Greatest Generation. We're extremely proud to help this organization bring attention to our resident veterans and home front workers, and all those who contributed so much to our country during such an uncertain time."

As part of the partnership with the Spirit of '45 organization, Atria residents and staff will also attend the official Spirit of '45 event in New York on Tuesday, August 14 at 12 pm EDT, 67 years after President Truman announced the end of World War II. Notable members of Congress, The New York Historical Society, Tuskegee Airmen, Girl Scouts of America and Atria residents will be among those in Times Square to participate in the event. A mural depicting the "Times Square Kiss," the iconic photograph of a nurse and a sailor celebrating the end of World War II with a passionate embrace, will be displayed in Times Square. An animation of the mosaic image will be displayed on Walgreens' jumbo screens intermittently between 10 am and 2 pm.

The mosaic is comprised of photos of real WWII-era couples collected from Americans across the nation over the past six months. Better known as the "Couples in WWII" project, it officially began on Valentine's Day with a New York Historical Society event featuring Atria resident Anita Finkleson, who married her husband Seymour on February 14, 1943 before he went into the Army to serve in Europe during WWII.  More than 200 other images of Atria residents are included in the mosaic.

Atria Senior Living is one of the many organizations supporting this collaborative nationwide effort, along with U-Haul International, the HISTORY Channel, VITAS Innovative Hospice, Walgreens, the New York Historical Society, the America Society on Aging, Ancestry.com, Fold 3, Hewlett Packard and others.

For more information about the Spirit of '45 Day public awareness campaign, visit www.Spiritof45.org or visit Spirit of '45 on Facebook. 

Atria Senior Living is one of the nation's leading providers of independent living, assisted living and memory care services. Home to more than 13,000 older Americans in 27 states, Atria communities provide respectful, quality services designed to promote independence and help seniors enjoy a fulfilling lifestyle. Atria's goal is to provide environments where older people thrive, where loneliness and isolation are forgotten and where families have confidence that their loved ones are secure and fulfilled. To learn more about Atria's innovative programming or to find an Atria community near you, please visit www.atriaseniorliving.com.

SOURCE Atria Senior Living