Sunday, November 24, 2013

31 Days of Thanks Day 5 Working with Senior Citizens and my introduction to a printing press

31 Days of Thanks Insight into who has influenced us, our art, and our business throughout the years.

When I first started college I worked in a restaurant but before long I got the opportunity to work in a Senior Citizen program. I was a social director, I taught some classes, learned all the old standards, learned how to play Bridge and Pinochle, and how to talk in front of 600 people and gained some self confidence.


From there I moved to the Regional Area on Aging Agency running the referral program. One of my jobs was to publish a monthly newsletter. I wrote it, pasted it up, printed it and prepared the 3000 piece mailing. What I took away from this job was the idea that I loved the whole printing process. I should not have been surprised since I was so involved in printmaking in college.

When I first went to the Area on Aging Agency my job was just to write it. I then took it to VoTech School who did the rest. My boss was kind of intrigued with the idea of printing it ourselves so we got a small printer, (remember this was way before computers!) and learned how to run a press He soon lost interest but I never did. Something about the drum going round and round and spitting out sheet after sheet got me.


It gave me the confidence to go after a job in the commercial printing industry.

During my time working with senior citizens I was also drawing pictures of scenes around the area.



So thank you boss for introducing me to the printing process and thank you to all the senior citizens I worked with who taught me so much!

- Jan Francoeur

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