Deborah Kelly, Executive Director of Wisdom House Featured in Litchfield.bz

(From Litchfirld.bz)

CATCHING UP WITH…DEBORAH KELLY

Posted by John McKenna | Feb 21, 2022 | News

Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center was rolling along as its successful self two years into Deborah Kelly’s stint as executive director when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, shut the center down for several months, and eventually led to changes in the way it conducts business.

“We went from a completely full schedule with no availability to having nothing,” Kelly said during an interview at her office on Friday. “Everything all of a sudden was canceled.”

Two years later, Wisdom House is once again bustling with activity due to the creative energy of Kelly and the flexibility and resilience demonstrated by staff. The comeback started in the second half of 2020 when Kelly, realizing people needed a break from the psychological grind of the pandemic, began offering Wisdom House as a place of solace and respite.

“We had to pivot by re-imagining and re-inventing our programming so we could return to vibrancy and serving the community,” Kelly said.

That was done through the use of Zoom for programs and by holding writing, cooking, aerobic and swimming programs outside, all to help Wisdom House stay true to its mission of being a beacon for education, spirituality and social justice.

The center’s kitchen played a key role in the revival, too. Led by head chef Margaret Jacobs, kitchen staff prepared hundreds of meals a week for local soup kitchens, homeless shelters and churches serving those who had been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. Staff also made made and delivered meals to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington for frontline workers caring for COVID-19 patients.

By the end of 2020, Wisdom House was again making its accommodations available for overnight stays. Safety precautions were put into place and things seemed to be heading in the right direction, Kelly said, until Covid’s Delta variant appeared and “knocked us off the rails.” Omicron was another blow.

But with spring on the horizon, Wisdom House has regrouped again and filled its calendar.

“As of (Friday), with the exceptions of holidays, we’re booked for the rest of the year,” Kelly said. “We’ve retained many of the groups that have been coming here for years and we have a large number of new groups coming in.”

Safety measures put into place include meals being served in pre-packaged containers and housekeeping carrying out a regimented sanitizing routine in guest rooms and public spaces.

The pandemic resulted in staff being reduced from 22 to 9 at the height of the pandemic, Kelly said. Staff now totals 13.

“Our staff has been amazing,” Kelly said. “They all pitched in and came together.”