The Olympics may be taking place in Vancouver this year, but south of British Columbia one local senior center is holding its own events for residents to whom gold may refer to their years.

Franklin House Assisted Living Facility in Sumner kicked off two weeks of activities with an opening ceremony Friday after lunch. Residents passed a torch, played a game and had their photograph taken in front of a faux-snow covered banner.

Beijing Olympian Melanie Roach was also in attendance with infant son Charlie in tow to speak to the residents about following their personal Olympic dream. Roach took sixth place in the women’s weight lifting competition in Beijing, a new American record.

“It was such a privilege to represent the U.S. in the Olympics,” she said. “I tried to make the Olympic team in 2000 and I was injured. It took me 14 years to do this and that was after three children.”

Roach touched on the trial of her own father, who recently suffered a stroke. Recovering from the after effects of the stroke has been her father’s own Olympic event, she said.

“We all have our trials, so you have to think what your dream is, even if that dream is breathing on your own again,” she said.

After Roach’s speech, Franklin staff put on Olympic music and the former Olympian began the passing of a paper torch amongst the residents. The torch and a paper banner display in the front hall were donated by Sumner High School students.

From there, Life Enrichment Coordinator Evelyn Danielson organized dining hall tables into teams for a game of dice. Each team was tasked with rolling a die until it came up with the number five, the number of Olympic rings. Each five earned the teams a point.

It was the first game of two weeks of games organized by Danielson and staff. Other games include an ice cube luge, in which Danielson planned to freeze toy cars in cubes and race them down a slide.

Every day of the Olympics, residents will be able to earn stamps for participating in the afternoon games and watching events on television. At the end of the two weeks of games, Franklin House will hold a closing ceremony replete with gold, silver and bronze medals made from can lids by Nurse Kim Morrow Dickins and her husband.

The Olympics is Danielson’s first project as Franklin’s life enrichment coordinator. She credited Stafford Suites’ own Olympic event as an inspiration to begin the same tradition at Franklin House.