Senior Services employee Mina Fernanders was named the recipient of the Hearts Award at the Third Annual CNA Challenges and Rewards Conference: Reaching Your Potential in Patient Care, which was sponsored by the Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC), of the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Mina, who has been a certified nursing assistant with the Home Care program of Senior Services since 2007, was nominated by a family member of a senior for whom she had provided care, as well as by the Senior Services, Inc., Home Care staff.
The Hearts Award is presented by Northwest AHEC to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding support and compassion to others.
In nominating Mina, Senior Services described her as a “wonderful and caring person” who is constantly thinking of ways to improve the quality of life of those for whom she provides care. She was also described by the Home Care staff as someone “who goes the extra mile to make sure our clients have excellent care.”
The individual who also nominated Fernanders for this honor noted, “I realize that a lot of other caregivers have done the things Mina did . . ., but I soon learned that all she did was with a sense of calling. It was what she enjoyed and wanted to do above all else with her life and talents.” In addition, he cited her “integrity, trustworthiness and good common sense.”
Congratulations, Mina!
Previous Spotlight Stories
Retiring VP Given Special Recognition at Board Meeting
Jean Small, Senior Services’ vice president of adult day services and director of the Elizabeth and Tab Williams Adult Day Center, will be retiring next month, and the Senior Services, Inc., and Senior Services Foundation, Inc., boards of directors took the occasion of their May 9 joint meeting to recognize Jean and her 12 years of service to the agency and the community. Senior Services, Inc., Board Chair Jim Brewer presented Jean with a spring floral arrangement from the agency, commending her dedication, leadership and accomplishments and saying, “We’re so proud of what you do.”
During her tenure at the Williams Center, Jean has led and inspired a dedicated and caring staff to provide an exceptional level of care to program participants, most of whom suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia, and to their families, who often need respite and emotional support. Owing in large part to Jean’s leadership, the Williams Center was named the best adult day program in the U.S. in 2010! Jean herself received the Supervisor of the Year Award, which was presented to her last month in Raleigh by the North Carolina Association on Aging.
In recognition of this incredible lady, a number of her friends have established the Jean Small Fund for the Williams Center. Jean has requested that any gifts in her honor be made to this fund to help individuals with memory loss who need financial assistance to attend the Williams Day Center.
Messages of support and thanks to Jean, as well as contributions to the Jean Small Fund, can be sent to
Jean Small, c/o Martha Thomas
The Williams Adult Day Center
231 Melrose Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Program Combines Food, Fellowship and Fun
Last week participants from all of Senior Services’ Senior Lunch sites—Belview Community Center, Sunrise Towers, Koerner Place Apartments and Brown & Douglas Recreation Center—gathered at the Senior Services Center on Shorefair for a springtime picnic.
Food, fellowship and fun are hallmarks of the program, which last year served more than 14,700 hot, nutritious meals. Part of Senior Services’ Nutrition Services program, Senior Lunch sites are open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 A.M. until 1:00 P.M., and lunch is served at 12:00 noon. The program serves Forsyth County residents over the age of 60.
Senior Services Has Two NCAOA Award Winners!
Jean Small and Sandy Bellefeuil, staff members of Senior Services, Inc., were the winners of two of only three awards given out annually by the North Carolina Association on Aging (NCAOA). The awards were presented by Dennis Streets, Division Director of the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services at the NCAOA’s annual luncheon, held in Raleigh on April 18.
Small, vice president of Senior Services’ Williams Adult Day Center, received the Supervisor of the Year–Management Excellence Award, which recognizes superior supervisory skills in the management of programs and staff benefiting older adults. The award recognizes the honoree’s ability to supervise and motivate people as they provide quality work in their community.
Bellefeuil, RN assessor and nurse case manager for the agency’s Home Care and Living-at-Home divisions, won the Direct Service Employee of the Year–Service Excellence Award. This award recognizes a frontline-service candidate for the quality of direct service provided to older adults in their community.
Richard Gottlieb, president and CEO of Senior Services, praised the winners, saying, “There are only three awards given out each year by the North Carolina Association on Aging and TWO employees of Senior Services were honored yesterday for two of the three awards. Both honors are so well deserved and we are very proud of Jean and Sandy.”
"Then You Are Wonderful"!
Gladys Doub, age 105, is proof positive of the assertion once made by Lady Diana Cooper: "First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful!"
There are, in fact, 10 seniors participating in Senior Services' programs who have passed that milestone birthday of 100 years. Congratulations to each!
Mondays Mean "Welcome to Medicare"!
Senior Services is now offering “Welcome to Medicare,” a two-hour class that provides a comprehensive introduction to the ins and outs of Medicare, every Monday at the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive, from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. Andi Reese, a trained Seniors’ Health Insurance Program (SHIIP) counselor and member of Senior Services Help Line department, is conducting the weekly sessions. A reservation is required, and participants are welcome to bring their lunches. For more information or to reserve a spot for one of these “Medicare Mondays,” call Andi at 721-6957.
The SHIIP counselors in Senior Services’ Help Line department can assist you one on one in understanding your options, when you are faced with making choices regarding your Medicare coverage. They are trained to answer questions and advise Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers about Medicare, Medicare supplements, Medicare Advantage, Medicare prescription drug plans, long-term care insurance and other health insurance concerns.
Before requesting a face-to-face appointment with a Senior Services SHIIP counselor to discuss your Medicare options, however, it is advised that you attend the two-hour “Welcome to Medicare” class. It may provide the answers to all your questions.
2013 Help Line Resource Directory Now Available
Senior Services’ 2013 “Directory of Services for Older Adults in Forsyth County” is now available. The newly updated directory includes a wide variety of telephone numbers and website addresses for nonprofit human service organizations that offer help and information to older adults in Forsyth County.
Copies of the directory can be obtained free of charge by calling the Senior Services Help Line at 724-2040. The Help Line staff can also answer questions regarding community resources available to seniors in Forsyth County. All calls to the Help Line are confidential, and there is no charge for the service. Help Line counselors are available weekdays from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
An online edition of the 2013 directory is available on this website. You can also look for it under the “Resources” tab.
2013 Art Show and Sale a Success Thanks to Artists, Sponsors and Community!
Saturday morning outside the Meals-on-Wheels entry at the Senior Services Center a crowd of art lovers and Meals-on-Wheels supporters waited patiently for the doors to open at 10:00 A.M. for the agency's third annual Art Show and Sale Benefiting Meals-on-Wheels. As a result of the great turnout, lots of wonderful art―oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolors, wood carvings, pottery, jewelry, scarves, floor cloths, and wall hangings―found new homes. And, thanks to sponsorships, sales and donations, proceeds from the event will fund more than 9,200 hot, nutritious meals for the community's homebound at-risk seniors.
Wells Fargo presented the event in honor of the Medlin family and in memory of John G. Medlin, Jr., who served as a member of the board of directors of Senior Services, Inc. Artist and Senior Services board member Dell James and her husband, Dr. Frank James, a former director of the Senior Services Foundation, Inc., were the event’s honorary chairs.
Sincere thanks go not only to the Medlin family, Wells Fargo and the Jameses but also to corporate sponsors Bell, Davis and Pitt; Arbor Acres; Triad Commercial Properties; Parkway Ford Lincoln; Lowes Foods; Modern Automotive; T.W. Garner Foods; and Salemtowne; to all the volunteers (with a special shout-out to the hard-working group from Winston-Salem State); and to the 46 caring artists who came together to feed seniors in need.
The core group of artists who launched this Meals-on-Wheels fundraiser in 2010―Bonnie Dempster, Dell James, Mary Martha McKinley, Justine Linville, Gerri Spach and Melrose Buchanan―worked as the Exhibit Committee again this year and put in lots of time organizing and setting up the show, with Justine serving as curator. The other participating artists generously sharing their time, talent and treasure with Meals-on-Wheels in 2013 were Cynthia Anderson, Lucy Armfield, Karen Barnhill, Tony Bledsoe, Nick Bragg, Sandra Cieszewski, Ann Connelly, Becky Connelly, Joyce Corns, Karen Evans, Carol Fitzgerald, Bill Gramley, Lisa Hammon, Beverly Isley, Susan Lautemann, Mark Leach, Barbara Lister-Sink, Cara Merritt, Gail Morris, Luanne Newsome, Richard Peterson, Shannon Rainey, Andi Reese, Donald Reeser, Elizabeth Repetti, Robin Rowe, Fowler Ruffin, John Schultz, Patty Bailey Sheets, Charlie Stott, George Suderman, Elizabeth Tatum, Peggy Taylor, Marsha Thrift, Ann Van Every, Sara Swann Watson, Joanna White, Carol Willis, Mona Wu, and Jim Yarbrough.
Again, many, many thanks to everyone who made Saturday's success possible!
DON'T MISS IT! ART SHOW AND SALE TODAY!
The doors have opened! Be sure to stop in at the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive, today, March 2, for the third annual Art Show and Sale Benefiting Meals-on-Wheels! The event runs for this one day only, from 10 A.M. 'til 5 P.M. More than 45 well-known Piedmont artists will be selling their work with proceeds providing nutritious meals for the community’s homebound elderly. The show will feature a wide variety of original art at affordable prices with paintings, textiles and jewelry, as well as wood, pottery and stained glass included.
The 2013 Art Show and Sale Benefiting Meals-on-Wheels is being presented by Wells Fargo in honor of the Medlin family and in memory of John G. Medlin, Jr., who served as a member of the board of directors of Senior Services, Inc. Artist and Senior Services board member Dell James and her husband, Dr. Frank James, a past director of the Senior Services Foundation, are serving as honorary chairs for the 2013 show and sale.
"A Candid Conversation with John Burress"
John Burress, life trustee of Senior Services, shared his views on leadership to a gathering at Senior Services on February 12. John’s speech was part of the leadership series launched in 2012 by a group of young professionals including Meredith Ahles, Sandlin Douglas, Will Goodson, Kayce King, Kim Stogner and Jason Zaks.
Senior Services President and CEO Richard Gottlieb introduced the evening’s speaker by highlighting the impact of John's leadership at Senior Services and in the community at large. As chair of the Compassionate Steps capital campaign, John helped raise the funds to build the Senior Services Center.
“John’s service to this organization is only a tiny fraction of the good that he has been involved with in our community, state and country,” Richard said. Where John truly excels “is in his personal, generous philanthropy and in his ability to encourage and inspire others to give back to the community as well.”
When John took center stage, he shared some of the insights he gained growing up in Salem, Virginia, receiving an education at Episcopal High School and UNC, rearing a family and pursuing a successful business career. The audience, with its warm applause, expressed its appreciation for having been able to hear about John’s personal journey and the wisdom he gained along the way.
Paintings! And Jewelry! And Scarves! OH MY!
Mark your calendar and don’t miss the third annual Art Show and Sale Benefiting Meals-on-Wheels!
The event runs for one day only, Saturday, March 2 from 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. at the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive. More than 40 well-known regional artists will be selling their work with proceeds providing nutritious meals for the community’s homebound elderly. The show will feature a wide variety of original art at affordable prices with paintings, textiles and jewelry, as well as wood, pottery and stained glass included.
The 2013 Art Show and Sale Benefiting Meals-on-Wheels is being presented by Wells Fargo in honor of the Medlin family and in memory of John G. Medlin, Jr., who served as a member of the board of directors of Senior Services, Inc. Artist and Senior Services board member Dell James and her husband, Dr. Frank James, a past director of the Senior Services Foundation, are serving as honorary chairs for the 2013 show and sale.
At Home with Home Care
Ruth Smith, a certified nursing assistant with Senior Services' Home Care program, brings warmth and cheer on a cold, wintry day to Harold Welch, a stroke victim. Welch says, "Ruth is just like family!" His wife, Geraldine, who was interviewed recently for an AARP article on the effects of possible cuts to the Home and Community Care Block Grants, agrees wholeheartedly. With in-home services like those provided by Home Care, Welch is able to remain at home, which is just what the couple wants.
Pet Project
Sunshine on a rainy day came from Will, 9 (pictured) and his brother Jay Banzet, 11, who got concerned about homebound seniors with dogs or cats, but no money for pet food. They asked their friends to donate bags of pet food instead of bringing them gifts for their birthdays. Our friends at the Humane Society also help with this issue. Thanks everyone!
New Art Show for New Year
The New Year is off to a bright and colorful start with the new art show that has just gone up in our gallery. Fowler Ruffin is the artist, and her paintings of creatures great and small, furry and feathered are the antidote to recent gray and chilly days.
Come visit the show weekdays between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. at the Senior Services Center until February 22. Learn more about the artist and view her work online at PinchMeAcres.com.
Senior Stocking Drive Wrapping Up
Remember to get the wish list items you've picked up for Senior Services' homebound elderly either to the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive, or to a Piedmont Federal Savings Bank office as soon as possible. Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time for Santa to be making some holiday deliveries.
If you're still planning to pick up a few items to contribute, please check out our wish list, which you can print out and refer to as you shop. You can truly make a wonderful difference in the life of an older adult in our community!
Your generosity and kindness will let some local seniors who might otherwise be forgotten at this time of year know that someone thinks they’re special. And they are! Thank you for caring.
Modern Chevy Thinks Big
Representatives from Modern Chevrolet, which has adopted Senior Services' Meals-on-Wheels program this month, arrived at the Senior Services Center today to present a $1,000 check to the program, which delivers food to more than 1,200 seniors in Forsyth County each weekday.
In partnering with Meals-on-Wheels this holiday season, Modern Chevy has been promoting the program on its web site, and has provided Meals-on-Wheels drivers with magnets for their cars highlighting the partnership between business and service program.
Many thanks to all our friends at Modern Chevy for remembering our community's homebound seniors and the Meals-on-Wheels program, which has been serving them for half a century!
NASCAR Legend Richard Petty "Starts Engine" for Meals-on-Wheels
Mary Lee Slawter has seen a lot during the 96 years of her life. However, the Winston-Salem woman had never had NASCAR legend Richard Petty bring her lunch. That was until Thursday, November 29, when Richard Petty and Hellen Prichard, the very first volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels of Senior Services, Inc., delivered Ms. Slawter a lunch consisting of baked chicken and gravy, broccoli, penne pasta, mandarin oranges, wheat bread, milk and a peanut butter cookie.
Petty and Prichard made the meal delivery as part of a special morning of recognition and celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Meals-on-Wheels program of Senior Services, Inc., in Forsyth County. It was in 1962 that Hellen Prichard made the first Meals-on-Wheels delivery in Winston-Salem.
Prior to his run as a Meals-on-Wheels driver, Petty spoke to more than 130 agency supporters at the Senior Services Center, on Shorefair Drive, offering words of congratulations and appreciation to the volunteers and supporters who help make this vital community program a success. He talked about the importance of “giving back” and sharing with others, which Meals-on-Wheels volunteers and donors have been doing now for 50 years. At the conclusion of the program Petty signed autographs and visited with those who had gathered before getting the green flag from Senior Services President and CEO Richard Gottlieb to set out on the commemorative meal delivery with Prichard "riding shotgun."
Meals-on-Wheels began delivering hot meals to the elderly in Forsyth County in 1962. Currently, 1,224 homebound seniors receive meals through the program each weekday.
Recognize someone special or honor the memory of a loved one this holiday season with a donation to Senior Services. You can have Senior Services send a personalized card on your behalf or purchase card enclosures that you can send yourself.
Your gift will pay tribute to someone important to you while helping a senior in need remain at home, not just for the holidays, but all year round. For assistance, please call 336-721-6909. Click here for more information.
Senior Stocking Drive Under Way
Thinking about the holidays yet? Senior Services is, as we begin our annual Senior Stocking drive with help from Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, our Senior Stocking corporate sponsor.
Please take a look at our wish list, which you can print out and carry with you in the weeks ahead and refer to as you begin shopping for holiday gifts. At that time, won’t you please remember our community’s elderly in need and purchase a few of these items to take either to Senior Services or a Piedmont Federal Savings branch on or before December 21, in time for holiday delivery to our program participants?
Your generosity and kindness will let some local seniors who might otherwise be forgotten at this time of year know that someone thinks they’re special. And they are. ’Tis the season!
Lots of "Happily Ever Aftering"
The Arbor Acres Resident Council held its 10th annual fundraising event for Meals-on-Wheels on September 27 and last week delivered a king’s ransom’s worth of contributions from its CARmelot festivities. From left to right, Resident Council Chair Coy Carpenter and Cama and Robert Merritt, who co-chaired the event, presented the evening’s proceeds in the lobby of the Senior Services Center, with agency staff members gathered around, applauding Arbor Acres’ success and expressing their thanks.
Arbor Acres Executive Director David Piner was also on hand for last week’s presentation, which included the unveiling of a chart reflecting the growth of the Meals-on-Wheels funding provided by the annual celebration, now totaling an incredible $225,000-plus over the 10-year period!
Since its beginning, the fall fundraiser has continued to bring together Arbor Acres residents, staff and friends to support Meals-on-Wheels, a program with which Arbor Acres has long had an important and successful partnership. The first two fundraising events—an open house tour in 2003 and a dinner dance in 2004, both spearheaded by E. Sue Shore—have now grown into an Arbor Acres tradition, combining food and fun with the retirement community’s commitment to and concern for Forsyth County’s elderly.
When the 2005 event was dubbed “CARbeque,” the idea caught on, and each annual gathering has since had a theme with CAR (essential for delivering Meals-on-Wheels) in the title. Last year’s CAR Wars was preceded by CARdi Gras, CARolina, CARtoon, CARibbean Cruise and CARnival. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the sure-to-be-clever naming of the 2013 successor to CARmelot.
On behalf of the more than 1,200 seniors in our community who rely on Meals-on-Wheels for a hot, nutritious meal each weekday, many, many thanks to the residents and staff of Arbor Acres, a great partner and friend!
Parking for a Good Cause
It’s a quick walk from the parking lot of Senior Services, Inc., on the corner of Shorefair Drive and Deacon Boulevard, to the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. And the $5.00 parking fee goes directly to the Meals-on-Wheels program to feed a homebound senior. Fairgoers will enjoy their Dixie Classic experience all the more because they will have bought a hot, nutritious meal for an older adult in need.
Located at 2895 Shorefair Drive, the Senior Services lot will be open for fair parking on September 28 and 30 and October 1-6 from 11:30 A.M. until 11:00 P.M. A police officer will be on duty in the lot, which is gated and well lighted.
Parking on Saturday, September 29 is available only to those holding Wake Forest football parking passes.
Transitional Care Program Meets Critical Needs
Below, click on the "Play" button and learn how one of the Senior Services transitional care program participants valued the assistance.
New Art Show Open to Public
Come visit the Senior Services hallway gallery and see the new show, which features 36 oil paintings by local artist Gail Elizabeth Morris. "Simply stated, I LOVE to paint," says the Winston-Salem native, who now resides in Clemmons.
Mrs. Morris has studied with Vickie Verano, Judy Meyler, Patty Bailey Sheets, Sharon Grubbs, and Connie Winters, among others. Her paintings have been exhibited in a two-woman show at Salemtowne and also at the Southwinds Gallery, in Kernersville. She has participated in Art for Sunnyside at Salem Fine Arts, and for two years in Senior Services' Art Show and Sale To Benefit Meals-on-Wheels.
Describing her creative process, Mrs. Morris says, “Each time I begin a new canvas is exciting and new. The feel of the brush, and of the movement of paint, the colors mixing, is very personal. I become totally immersed in my painting with no sense of passing time. It is an element of expressing my soul on the canvas. There are many Life Adventures yet to capture on canvas and the abundance of inspiration is infinite!!!
The public is invited by Senior Services to view the show Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. The show will run until October 15.
The 19th Reason Why I Volunteer
As part of the 50th Anniversary of Meals-on-Wheels, Senior Services invited its 1,700+ volunteers to submit essays either describing their most memorable volunteer experience or sharing the reasons they volunteer.
An independent panel of judges reviewed all the entries and awarded first place to the essay submitted by volunteer Margie Shearer, who delivers meals in Kernersville. You can read Margie's essay here. Check out the other top finishers, who, along with excerpts from their essays, can be seen here.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Meals-on-Wheels program, and it is their participation that keeps the wheels rolling. We are very grateful that so many individuals feel called to serve. The unavoidable turnover among the ranks of these committed volunteers means that replacements are always needed. Perhaps you can relate to the stories of these volunteers and will be interested in joining them in this important mission. If so, please call Volunteer Coordinator Leslie Smith at 721-6910. As many volunteers relate, it's a volunteer job that gives back so much more than it asks.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE!
There’s still time for you or your faith or civic group to jump on our holiday bandwagon and buy some of the items on our wish list for delivery to older adults in our community who are in need of the basics. Drive sponsor Piedmont Federal Savings Bank is accepting items, or you can bring them here to the Senior Services Center on or before July 31.
Please take a look at our wish list, which you can print out and refer to on your regular trips to the grocery store or pharmacy. Won’t you please remember our community’s elderly in need?
Thank you so much! Your kindness and generosity will send the message that someone cares.
To Have a Friend, Be a Friend!
If you are interested in transforming the life of an isolated older adult with the gift of your time and interest, you may be just the volunteer that Senior Services’ Home Care needs in the Friendly Visitor program.
The Friendly Visitor program pairs volunteers with seniors who lack a support system. Volunteers make at least two visits or phone calls every month to “their” seniors, with each contact lasting from 30 to 60 minutes. As the visits and calls continue, trusting relationships and friendships grow, benefiting both the senior and the volunteer.
Friendly Visitor was initiated in 2007 at the suggestion of the Meals-on-Wheels client coordinator, who believed that the service could help address the problems of loneliness and isolation experienced by so many of the older adults being assisted by Senior Services.
One of the first friendly visitors was a 2007 newcomer to Winston-Salem, who had moved here from Detroit. She was looking for a volunteer job with Senior Services and decided that the Friendly Visitor opportunity best suited her needs and schedule. The elderly lady with whom she was matched proved to be delightful company, even in the face of the many health problems that plagued her. The volunteer began visiting more frequently than her twice-a-month commitment and even assembled a network of fellow church members to help her new homebound acquaintance. The newcomer made new friends, and the senior found companionship and developed a connection to a real community. A true win-win!
The Friendly Visitor program provides an opportunity for caring individuals to enrich the lives of the homebound elderly while enriching their own at the same time. Home Care screens the volunteers, matches them with seniors and provides a thorough orientation prior to their first home visits. For more information, contact Sarah Harris (336)725-0907, or e-mail sharris@seniorservicesinc.org.
Catch the Spirit Early!
Piedmont Federal Savings Bank continues its partnership with Senior Services, sponsoring our 2012 Christmas in July celebration. Together we invite you or your faith or civic group to jump on our holiday bandwagon and purchase some of the items on our wish list for delivery to older adults in our community who are in need of the basics.
Please take a look at our wish list, which you can print out and carry with you in the weeks ahead and refer to during the course of your regular shopping trips. Won’t you please remember our community’s elderly in need and purchase a few of these items to bring either to Senior Services or to a Piedmont Federal Savings Bank branch on or before July 30?
Thank you so much! Your kindness and generosity will send the message that someone cares.
You're Invited to a Candid Conversation
Please join us on May 8, 2012, for a candid conversation with Richard P. Budd, Chairman Emeritus of the Budd Group. As part of Senior Services' Leadership Series, Richard Budd will be sharing insights from his career, as well as offering advice on community service. A reception will begin at 5:00 P.M., and the program is scheduled for 5:20 until 6:20. Space is limited, so call or e-mail soon to make your reservation. Contact Mary Lee Roche at 721-6913 or e-mail mroche@seniorservicesinc.org no later than May 4. For more details on the event and speaker, click here.
Calling All Meals-on-Wheels Volunteers!
Former and current Meals-on-Wheels volunteers, tell us your story! As part of the 50th Anniversary of the Meals-on-Wheels program, we are asking you to write down your most memorable volunteer experience or tell us the reasons you volunteer.
Entries should be no more than 1,000 words and must be submitted by June 1. They may either be mailed to or dropped off at Senior Services (2895 Shorefair Drive, 27105). Remember to put your name and phone number on your entry! Prizes include a $50 gift certificate to the Village Tavern Restaurant and a $25 gas card.
Chronicle Presents 2011 Human Relations Award to Meals-on-Wheels
The Chronicle named Senior Services' Meals-on-Wheels program as the recipient of its 2011 Human Relations Award. On hand at the newspaper's 27th Annual Community Service Awards ceremony to receive the award were Senior Services President and CEO Richard Gottlieb and Linda Kearsley, the organization's vice president of Nutrition Services. The award honors Meals-on-Wheels "for creating touching and strong social connections among a diverse group of Forsyth County residents."
Special Thanks to Artists, Volunteers and Friends!
Senior Services thanks the volunteers, artists, and loyal community friends for their help in making the 2012 Art Show and Sale exceed last year’s results by 27 per cent. More than 9,500 meals can be provided as a result of the March 3-4 sale. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped coordinate the event and to Justine Linville for serving as curator. Linville’s paintings are currently on exhibit at Senior Services in the hallway gallery until April 13. The public is invited to view the exhibit Monday-Friday between the hours of 9 A.M. and 4 P.M.
Additional tributes go to board members Dell James, Sandra Adams, and Doug Maynard for leading the exhibit committee, marketing, and fundraising for the art show. Thank you for your invaluable support.
ART SHOW AND SALE TO BENEFIT MEALS-ON-WHEELS A Great Success!
On March 3 and 4 nearly 40 well-known Piedmont artists showed and sold their work to help feed Forsyth County seniors needing Meals-on-Wheels. More than 430 pieces of artwork were available for viewing and purchase when the doors opened Saturday, March 3 at 10:00 A.M. The show ran until 5:00 that afternoon and again on Sunday, March 4, from 2:00 until 5:00. Free and open to the public, the show featured a variety of styles and prices. Media represented included oil, acrylic, pastel, charcoal and graphite. Jewelry, turned wood pieces, printed pillows, pottery and hand-painted scarves were also included in the mix.
Many thanks go to the featured artists, who donated portions of each sale to Meals-on-Wheels. They were Lucy Armfield, Karen Barnhill, Nick Bragg, Charlie Buchanan, Melrose Buchanan, Steve Childs, Sandra Cieszewski, Ann Connelly, Becky Connelly, Joyce Corns, Bonnie Dempster, Karen Evans, Carol Fitzgerald, Bill Gramley, Sharon Hamilton, Edna Helms, Alix Hitchcock, Dell James, Justine Linville, Barbara Lister-Sink, Audrey Mayville, Mary Martha McKinley, Gail Morris, Andi Reese, Shannon Rainey, Brook Reynolds, Robin Rowe, Fowler Ruffin, Bruce Smith, Gerrii Spach, Cary Stevens, Rebecca Stone-Danahy, Charlie Stott, George Suderman, Elizabeth Tatum, Peggy Taylor, Ann Van Every, Sara Swann Watson, Joanna White, Carol Willis, Mona Wu and Jim Yarbrough.
We also gratefully acknowledge the participation of the individuals and businesses that have stepped forward to sponsor the 2012 Art Show and Sale to Benefit Meals-on-Wheels. They are as follows:
INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS
Sandra Adams, in honor of Dell James
Jane and Bill Pfefferkorn, in honor of Dell James
Chris and Suzanne Taylor Ramm, in honor of Peggy (M.B.) Taylor
Senior Services, Inc., and its Meals-on-Wheels program are celebrating 50 years of caring this year. Founded in 1962, this daily food program has now served more than 4.6 million meals in our local community. Thanks to the help of thousands of volunteers and your generous donations, Meals-on-Wheels of Senior Services continues to grow and respond to the needs of an expanding senior population.
A recent campaign to recruit 100 new Meals-on-Wheels volunteers in 100 days resulted in 112 new drivers taking food to people in need. Even though more volunteers are needed, we send our sincere thanks to all who responded. With the help of a caring community, Meals-on-Wheels will continue to be here for the frail elderly long past the next 50 years.
In 1962, just one year after the Winston-Salem Sentinel’s front-page headline sounded the alarm “Malnutrition Hurting Aged,” the Meal-on-Wheels program of Senior Services, Inc., was born. Thanks to the leadership and backing of two men, philanthropist Charles H. Babcock and Mayor Marshall Kurfees, Winston-Salem’s Meals-on-Wheels began delivering hot meals to homebound seniors five days a week, becoming one of the first three such programs in the country. The Rev. J. Glenn Blackburn, pastor of Wake Forest Baptist Church, whose church was the first in town to help implement the program, enlisted volunteers Hellen Prichard and Thomasine Hayes to head up delivery efforts. With the recruitment of Juanita Gordon, a dynamic team was in place.
Hellen Prichard, upon learning of the need for more volunteers, recently returned to delivering meals again after a 24-year hiatus. In a 2004 interview Hellen talked about the beginnings of the program. “We felt we needed to involve as many people in helping,” she said, “so we could deliver to more people, so I went to the various churches all over Winston. As soon as I finished my presentation they all said, ‘I’ll give; I’ll give.’ And I said, ‘No… no… I don’t want money. I want your hands and feet. I need helpers.’ And with that, they came through,” and the Meals-on-Wheels volunteers corps, now nearly more than 1,650 strong, was launched.
It is often said that the food delivered by Meals-on-Wheels volunteers nourishes the body and that the visits of the volunteers nourish the soul. As Hellen pointed out, “Oftentimes the people would be waiting at the doors for you. They just couldn’t wait for you to get there. They would put the meals down and then they’d say, ‘Talk to me.’ They really wanted contact with people. And after all, that’s one of the most important things.”
That is something that hasn’t changed in 50 years. In responding to customer satisfaction survey questions, meal recipients always emphasize the importance of the volunteers’ visits. For example, comments prompted by the 2011 survey include these:
Your volunteers bring sunshine to my day.
Everyone is just so kind and courteous. When they bring the meals, they are really demonstrating what it is to serve one another with gladness —thanks so much and God bless you all!
Meals-on-Wheels is a blessing to us since my husband and I cannot get around. Helps us to get through the day. Also, it helps knowing someone actually sees us every day. God Bless!!
I also enjoy having the companionship of meeting such nice people who, even though they do not really know you, they care.
And that’s the heart of Meals-on-Wheels. It’s all about caring. Congratulations to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community—volunteers and donors alike— for making this first 50 years of caring possible.
Be Inspired!
Hellen Prichard, one of three women who started Meals-on-Wheels in Winston-Salem in 1962, is back delivering meals after a 24-year hiatus. As a co-founder of Meals-on-Wheels with friends Thomasine Hayes and Juanita Gordon, Hellen delivered meals for 25 years as a volunteer for Senior Services. But when she recently read about the program’s need for “100 Volunteers in 100 Days,” she answered the call and volunteered again. Now in her eighties, she doesn’t get around as well as she used to, but with the help of her driver, Antonio, she’s back delivering meals to 12 homebound seniors one Friday a month. Senior Services extends a warm thanks to Hellen Prichard for all she has done to help seniors in our community.
Read the recent story on Hellen and her return to Meals-on-Wheels in the Winston-Salem Journal, and be inspired!
Meals-on-Wheels Volunteer's Story Being Broadcast on Christmas Day
Don’t miss the vivid stories of long-term Meals on-Wheels volunteer Jim Hancock next week on StoryLine. Jim, retired president of Frank L. Blum Construction Company, was interviewed last summer by Sally McLeod, former Senior Services volunteer coordinator, for the StoryLine project, which collects and shares the stories of everyday people in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Excerpts from their conversation, aired originally in October, will be the StoryLine Feature the week of December 25. You can listen on the Storyline website. It will also be featured on Storyline's Facebook page.
Jim’s story will also be aired in both English and Spanish by StoryLine’s radio partners. Below you can find the days and times when StoryLine stories can be heard:
QuePasa: Thursdays at 9:53 A.M. in Greensboro/Winston-Salem on 1470/1380 AM and in Raleigh/Durham on 1000 AM and 1530 AM
WFDD: 88.5 FM Sundays at 8:34 A.M.
WSJS: 600 – on 1200 AM Sundays at 9:30 A.M.
WSNC: 90.5 FM Mondays at 10:30; Wednesdays at 10:30 & 2:30; Fridays at 2:30; Saturdays at 1:30 & 6:30; and Sundays at 9:30 & 6:30.
The StoryLine project “was initiated by Winston-Salem's ECHO Council to honor the rich diversity of voices throughout our community and to celebrate our history, hopes and common humanity.”
100 Days, 100 Volunteers. . . ALMOST THERE!
Senior Services' Meals-on-Wheels program can all but declare victory in its campaign to recruit 100 volunteers in 100 days. With 98 new volunteers signed up (and perhaps a few more on the verge of calling in), Volunteer Coordinator Leslie Smith is, no doubt, pleased with the community's response. She is still aiming for her goal, though, and even at 100, the need for volunteers will continue.
As with any project relying for its success on a large volunteer component, regular attrition steadily calls for replacements to fill the shoes of departing volunteers. So even though this particular volunteer recruitment drive is winding down, the need for new volunteers will remain.
Please give Leslie a call at 721-6910 if you can spare an hour and a half, one day a week or one day a month, to deliver hot nutritious meals to the homebound elderly. There are some seniors out there just waiting for a visit from you! We're on a roll. Let's not stop!
House of Plants to Benefit Senior Services on October 1
Buy your fall flowers this Saturday, October 1, and help our community's seniors. House of Plants, located at 507 Harvey Street, will be donating 15% of all sales this Saturday to Senior Services. To get to House of Plants, turn onto Executive Park Boulevard from Stratford Road and take the first right onto Harvey Street. Happy shopping (and planting)!
ARTSfest 2011 Honoring Senior Services
Senior Services, Inc., has been named the first-ever Honorary Title Sponsor for ARTSfest, the juried fine arts and crafts fair held every two years in Historic West End's Grace Court. This year's event, which will be held Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. (rain date is Sunday, September 25), will feature more than 60 artists from North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Florida and Ireland, working in jewelry, paint, ceramics, photography, fiber, wood, metal, sculpture and glass.
Event organizers recommend, “Experience the arts amid the artistry of nature.
Experience ARTSfest!" While visiting ARTSfest 2011, don’t forget to stop by the Senior Services table and say hello. Click here for more information.
"A Dream Volunteer"
Volunteer Agnete Mansori is a Danish dynamo at Senior Services. A retired health care manager and physical therapist, Agnete first came to the United States from Denmark through a college student exchange program. Her career and travels were well suited for a born “people person” like Agnete.
After college graduation, Agnete returned to America to take a health care position in Iowa, and followed career and marriage to Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, where she finished rearing her three children, a son and two daughters. She met her husband, a doctor from Pakistan, at the mailbox in the apartment building where they both were living -- and-with their marriage, she said, her view of life and the world opened up. Theirs was a multi-cultural home, as she described it, and she believes that for her children, as well as herself, it provided a “bigger world view.” At their core “people everywhere are all the same,” she said.
It was board member and Meals-on-Wheels volunteer Dell James who introduced Agnete to Senior Services, shortly after Agnete had moved to Winston-Salem in 2004. Dell and Agnete are “co-inlaws,” so to speak. Dell is the mother-in-law of one of Agnete’s daughters, and Agnete, the mother-in-law of Dell’s son.
Because of Dell’s encouragement, Agnete volunteered to help in the Development Office at Senior Services in April of this year. She has gamely tackled every assignment sent her way, from addressing envelopes to organizing several years’ worth of news clippings to looking up addresses to working on detailed Excel spreadsheets.
“She’s a dream volunteer,” says Patty Mead, the director of Senior Services’ Annual Fund and special events. “For the longest time we had been hoping for someone like her but didn’t imagine she existed.”
Her genuine openness and love of people, along with her top-notch organizational skills and willingness to work hard, have quickly endeared this volunteer to her Development “teammates” and make her a very valuable Senior Services asset.
Senior Services is lucky to have been able to tap Agnete’s many talents and skills. She said completing the tasks that come her way really does give her a sense of accomplishment, and she is enjoying stepping outside the health care field and doing something different.
Nick Bragg's "Reflections!"
A retrospective exhibit of more than 20 paintings by Nick Bragg is now open for public viewing at Senior Services. The exhibit covers more than 30 years of work reflecting the people and places that have had a profound impact on the artist’s life. The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday 8:30 A.M.–4:00 P.M. at Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Drive. A reception honoring the artist will be held at the Senior Services Friday, August 26 from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M.
According to Nick Bragg, artist and former executive director of the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, he does not paint “pictures.” Rather, he paints “reflections—my point of view,” he says, on “thoughts, ideas, feelings and places.”
Bragg, a volunteer curator for the Senior Services Center gallery, included a wide range of work in the retrospective exhibit. The show includes portraits of his friends, acquaintances and mentors, along with several mural studies and paintings by his son, Kevin Bragg, and his granddaughter, Taylor Bragg, representing the second and third generations of Bragg artists.
Regarding his work Bragg states, “I am not trying to be literal, or realistic. I try to communicate my concern with the world we come from, the world in which we live today, and the world we are passing to our children and grandchildren, hopefully, for a reasonable future.”
Local Seniors Respond Generously!
The spirit of Christmas in July is alive and well in the middle of this hot summer. Despite the heat volunteers generously contributed hundreds of hours collecting needed items for local seniors. Sponsored by Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, the program brought groups together like the Winston-Salem Elks Lodge #449, which championed the cause and collected dozens of bags of supplies.
Pictured (left to right) are Randy Zigmund, Elks Event Chairman; Patricia Mead, Director of Annual Funds & Special Events for Senior Services; Pat Stanley, past Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler; and Cathy Stanley, current Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler.
In addition to the remarkable work of the Elks Lodge, we thank all the many groups and individuals who contributed to the Christmas in July drive this year, including Beck’s Baptist Church, College Park Baptist Church, Hawthorne Pharmacy, New Philadelphia Moravian Church, the Old Salem Sertoma Club, Piedmont Medical Research LLC, Targacept, Whitaker Elementary School, Zion Memorial Baptist Church, Union Cross Baptist Church and New Bethel Baptist Church. Families also contributed large amounts of supplies. A special thanks to the Beeson family of Kernersville.
All together, 59 individuals, families, churches, businesses and civic group brought their items to Senior Services, while hundreds more placed their goods in collection boxes at the branches of Piedmont Federal Savings Bank. Items collected included adult diapers, disposable bed pads, shampoo, shaving cream, hand sanitizer, detergent, paper towels, toilet paper and dishwashing liquid, in addition to food items, which are a year-round wish list need.
The Christmas in July donations make all the difference to seniors trying to stretch fixed income dollars to cover food, housing, medical bills and prescription costs. Once again our caring community has extended a helping hand. On behalf of all the recipients of this holiday bounty, many thanks for caring and sharing!
BB&T Lighthouse Team Shines!
Volunteers from BB&T Insurance recently contributed 119 hours to the Williams Adult Day Center through BB&T’s national Lighthouse Project. The team, led by Pam Davis, chose the Williams Center for its project because of the great work they do in Winston-Salem, said Pam. This was the third annual Lighthouse Project, a BB&T effort to assist nonprofits.
The team of volunteers constructed four elevated garden beds and installed a basketball goal to encourage outdoor recreation for the Williams Center’s participants. The team also donated basketball jerseys and balls, along with a storage credenza. In addition, it arranged for shutters to be installed to close off the kitchen from the program areas.
One of the highlights of the team’s involvement was a fashion show of crazy hats, which brought laughter to the participants and staff of the Williams Center.
The volunteers followed up their fashion show with refreshments, music and dancing.
During the three years of the Lighthouse Project, BB&T employees have donated nearly 100,000 hours to help improve the lives of more that three million people in 25 states. Employees voted overwhelmingly to bring back the initiative this year, and the staff and participants at the Williams Center couldn’t have been happier. Thank you, BB&T!
Flower Power
Volunteers come together in the Meals-on-Wheels pick-up room at least twice a month, toting buckets of flowers and masses of greenery, to assemble arrangements and nosegays for participants in Senior Services’ Home Care, Living-at-Home and Meals-on-Wheels programs. The colorful and aromatic blooms may come from their own gardens, a neighbor’s back yard, the grocery store floral department or someone’s wedding reception. Whatever the source of the flowers, the talented volunteers combine them in creative ways that have delighted hundreds of homebound seniors.
Several local garden clubs have come on board, joining the core group of volunteers who launched the program in 2007, and from September through May they also contribute volunteers, materials and often financial support to make sure a fresh supply of flower arrangements is available for delivery.
The idea for Gifts from Gran’s Garden was brought to Senior Services by Lila Jenkins Cruikshank, who has shepherded the program since its inception. She explained her inspiration, “This program is a memorial in honor of my mother, Lila Womble Jenkins, who treasured the ability to stay in her home until her death in August 2006, who loved people almost more than life itself, and who loved flowers as an expression of beauty, joy, and shared them abundantly from her garden as gifts of love.”
The elderly individuals on the receiving end of these “gifts of love” have expressed their appreciation many times over and in many ways. One recipient phoned, saying, “I couldn’t wait another day to call and tell you how much those flowers mean to me. To think that someone went to the trouble of making the bouquets for us! You made my week!”
An intern with the Living-at-Home program observed, “Every client I have been able to bring the flowers to has been so appreciative. I doubt many of them receive flowers anymore unless they are hospitalized, so having someone bring them flowers ‘just because’ seems to help them realize that they are loved and thought of.” She concluded (and no one would disagree), “This is a wonderful program!”
Piedmont Natural Gas Sponsoring Senior Nutrition Series
Thanks to Piedmont Natural Gas, the second in a series of workshops for senior nutrition providers in 16 North Carolina counties will be held June 24. The workshop begins at 12:00 noon at the Senior Services Center, 2895 Shorefair Drive.
The series is designed to share best practices and enhance and improve nutrition programs in the state. Workshops also provide an opportunity for agencies operating senior nutrition programs to network and share ideas, challenges and successes. Participants at each workshop help craft the topics for subsequent sessions.
The topics chosen for the June workshop include volunteer recruitment and retention, fundraising and marketing, and risk management. The agenda also includes a presentation by Mike Durham, community relations manager for Legislative and Community Affairs in PNG’s western NC Region. He will be speaking about this innovative PNG-sponsored community enrichment initiative.
The main topic of the first workshop, held in April, was “Program Enhancements –More than a Meal.” The featured speaker was Dr. Jamehl Demons, assistant professor at Wake Forest Baptist Health, Section on Gerontology and Geriatrics at the J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging, who addressed the topic “Fall Prevention: Identifying Risk Factors.” Topics and speakers for the remaining workshops in the series are to be announced.
At Least a Week Before More Fans Available; Call Before Coming to Pick One Up!
With so many 90-plus-degree days already in the books for 2011, it’s easy to imagine what a steamy summer season lies before us. The fan distribution program, a multi-year partnership funded by Duke Energy in partnership with the Northwest Piedmont Area Agency on Aging and Senior Services, is now under way to help Forsyth County seniors deal with the dangerous high temperatures.
Heat stroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion, each a major health problem, are real possibilities when the thermometer climbs into the 90s, and the health of the elderly is especially at risk. See the “Stay Cool” fact sheet, which offers recommendations for dealing with the heat and the life-threatening situations it can precipitate.
Since May 16, there have been 758 fans given out to Forsyth County seniors in need of home-cooling assistance, depleting the original stock, and an order has been placed for 350 more. The delivery of these fans is not expected any earlier than June 24. Please call 725-0907 to be sure that fans are available before making a trip to pick one up.
To be eligible to receive a fan, individuals must be 60 years of age or older, reside in Forsyth County and be faced with a home situation that presents a threat to their health and well-being owing to the lack of adequate cooling. The number to call for general information regarding the fan program is also 725-0907.
Volunteers Become Our Role Models
We recently sent out a request on our FACEBOOK page for people to tell us about seniors who are role models for them. This response from Ellen Murphy of Winston-Salem made us smile and we wanted to share it with everyone.
I met Eunice and Harry Heilig on the Board of the Friends of Reynolda Manor Library where they have served for many years. I quickly learned that the Reynolda Manor Library is but one of many organizations that Eunice and Harry serve, selflessly. In fact, they deliver Meals-on-Wheels each month. They also serve, or have volunteered at Family Services, the Reynolda House Museum of Art, and the Wake Forest University Baptist Church, to name but a few.
But volunteer work is not the only way Eunice and Harry serve our community. They have a full calendar of cultural activities attending four out of five of the arts, literary, and academic events in Winston-Salem. They support our non-profits, universities, public school, and community providers, as well as our artists, authors, scholars, and community advocates. They share their time, money, and energy, in every way, selflessly and with an eagerness and enthusiasm that is unmatched, at any age.
All of us in Winston-Salem are lucky to have Eunice and Harry in our community. I am fortunate to have Eunice and Harry as role models and as friends.
