Letter from Leland

A B O U T T H E C O V E R

Cover photo by Michelle Tinger Bluebirds’ winter range includes our area, and this one perched on a neighbor’s mailbox decorated for the holidays. “This was taken in my neighborhood at Oyster Pointe in 2020,” says cover photographer Michelle Tinger.

T H E C O A S T A L B U Z Z

EDITOR Shelagh Clancy buzz@bsrinc.org (910) 622-1036 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Francesca Gazelle, Beth Klahre, Joan Leotta, Veronica Lett-McGee, Mike McGurn, Donna Ruth Morgan, Pat Naughton, Marilou Smith, René Tarquinio CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Casey Freed, Jillian Hardin, Veronica Lett-McGee, Mike McGurn, Pat Naughton, Holley Norris, Amy Segen, Michelle Tinger ADVERTISING SALES (910) 754-2300 Anita Langin alangin@bsrinc.org Shelagh Clancy buzz@bsrinc.org

© 2021 Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. All rights reserved www.bsrinc.org

Celebrating the Year

Happy Holidays! The season implores us to take time to reflect on the year coming to a close. I want to give a special thanks to our BSRI family. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, not least our senior participants and volunteers who have weathered the uncertainty of a global pandemic, policy and procedure changes, and a seemingly never-ending case of “until further notice.”

This can wear on the spirit, and we thank all of you for the thoughtful hugs, prayers, and words of encouragement that have kept us going. Your support and service to others has been unwavering and it does not go unnoticed.

Together we have been able to reopen to full time senior center programming; made progress with new grants and expanded services; and furthered our initiatives to meet the housing, nutritional, and

Veronica Le -McGee, Director The Brunswick Center at Leland

social needs of our community. In the new year, I hope we continue to reinvent ourselves and our approach to caring for one another. We’ll see you on the journey!

Veronica Lett-McGee, Director The Brunswick Center at Leland

Vanneal Waddell, Novella Hasty, and Bertha Sanders are in a fes*ve spirit celebra*ng Hawaiian Shirt Day in Senior Center Month at the Brunswick Center at Leland.

Calabash Senior Community to Break Ground

November 30, 2021: #BSRIGivingTuesday

Stay tuned for details about our new Senior Living Community in Calabash (located behind the Brunswick Center at Calabash). We are only weeks away from breaking ground, and will begin pre-leasing units shortly thereafter. If you would like to be added to our community interest list to receive information about this planned community, please visit the front desk of any BSRI center, or email your name, email, and phone number to Director of Corporate Strategy Courtney Bledsoe at cbledsoe@bsrinc.org.

This rendering by MPG Architects shows the look planned for the new senior living community in Calabash. Drawings are preliminary.

Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc. has some big news: We’re participating in #GivingTuesday! #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that takes place Nov. 30 this year. That’s right — following Black Friday and Cyber Monday! What better way to start getting into the holiday giving-back spirit? We’d love it if you participated with us. The best way to do that is to share our cause on social media using these hashtags: #GivingTuesday #BSRIGivingTuesday #MakingADi erence. Join millions of global givers on November 30 by donating. Help us spread the word by sharing this link: bsrifundraiser.rallyup.com/ givingtuesday2021 or asking folks to text BSRIGivingTuesday to 855-202-2100. BSRI will be celebrating 20 years in February 2022, and we want to continue to grow our many activities, support, programs & services for years to come! Your donation will help thousands of Brunswick County older adults receive proper nutrition, stay active, healthy, and engaged. To stay updated about our progress toward our #GivingTuesday goals, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ CoastalCarolina ActiveLiving.

Hardin Steps Up to Shallotte

Jillian Hardin has moved up to become the new director at the Brunswick Center at Shallotte. Since November 2019, she seved as assistant director at the Brunswick Center at Supply.

Hardin has worked in the aging network for 14 years. Previously she was human services planner with the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments in New Bern and aging program director with the Kerr Tar Council of Governments in Henderson. She holds a B.S. degree in communications/ electronic media from Western Carolina University and a master's in public administration from UNC Pembroke.

A lifelong Carolina girl, Hardin grew up in the Piedmont, lived in the mountains, and started her career at the coast working for the local ABC news affiliate in New Bern. While growing up, Hardin spent summers at Ocean Isle Beach with her parents and always wanted to come back to the place where she’d made so many happy memories. She enjoys reading, photography, writing, and staying on the beach.

“I will miss the people I've gotten to know and love so much in Supply, but I'm grateful and excited to transition to the Shallotte Center,” says Hardin. “I'm looking forward to getting to know the participants and working with the staff here.”

Jillian Hardin is the new director at the Brunswick Center at Shallo e.

Hunt Named New Assistant Direc tor at Supply Center

Robert D. Hunt, Jr. was recently named assistant director at the Brunswick Center at Supply.

Hunt went to Catawba College in his hometown of Salisbury after a four-year tour in the U.S. Air Force. He worked in textile production management and manufacturer sales and later started his own insurance agency, grew the business, and then sold it.

“After breaking several ribs and a collarbone while mountain bike racing, I started teaching myself guitar as a new hobby less likely to break my neck,” Hunt says. That started him playing music and volunteering at nursing facilities, and he became a certified activity director.

“I look forward to applying

what I’ve learned to the challenges of this wonderful new career with BSRI,” Hunt says. “I’m happy to have been chosen to work for such a great team—and family. Everyone, so far, has welcomed me to the ‘BSRI family,’ and that’s exactly what it feels like: a very nice family.” Hunt’s wife, Kim, is VP of finance in a skilled nursing/ assisted living company in Robert D. Hunt, Jr. is the new assistant director at the Wilmington. His daughter, Brunswick Center at Supply. His daughter Helena is a Helena Rose Hunt, is a musician musician who travels the country playing music. (banjo and guitar), singer, and songwriter and was on the program, “Chasing Nashville.” His son, Christian Hunt, is a professional diver and dives for, sells, and repairs Megalodon teeth.

BSRI Thrift Stores Are a Holiday Wonderland!

Big Christmas inventory and big savings make BSRI Thrift Stores in Shallotte and Calabash great places to shop this holiday season. Our hardworking volunteer elves have been busy stocking the shelves with just about every kind of holiday merchandise, all at great prices to help you save in the midst of the recent rise in retail prices. We have a variety of items from dishes, glasses, and mugs to Santa Claus figures to décor and tree decorations. We have artificial trees of all sizes, beautiful tree skirts, and a big selection of Christmas linens, and really neat Christmas-themed clothing. Visit our stores soon and take advantage of our little Holiday Thrift Wonderland! Have a safe and joyous holiday season!

—Your Friends at BSRI Thrift Stores

Who is that masked man in costume on Halloween Eve standing in front of the sign at BSRI’s Shallotte Thrift Store? Although it looks like The Great Pumpkin in human form, it’s actually mild-mannered BSRI Thrift Store Operations Manager Mike McGurn, masquerading as his alter ego “The Great BSRI Donation Handler” for Halloween.

In reality, there are many Great BSRI Donation Handlers at BSRI Thrift Stores: our wonderful, hardworking volunteers and staff. They help make our Calabash and Shallotte stores fun, exciting, pleasant places to shop. BSRI would like to say a Big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers and staff that have kept our stores going through the pandemic and made 2021 the best year ever, so we can raise funds for local senior programs and services. thanks to Calabash volunteers: Greg Adkins, Suzanne Alexander, Beth Boscarino, Dottie Callahan, Annette Capone, Loa Collins, Brian Craun, Janice Crisafulli, Charlotte and Jack Csernecky, Clare Currence, Sue Dye, Susan Fardellone, Barbara Hartnett, Betty Ann Johnson, Nancy Karnolt, Alice Kaufman, Linda Kline, Carolyn Krieger, Judy McCarthy, Lorraine Meehan, Bob Munhall, Mickey Nelson, Ilene and Lila Nicholson, Susan O’Reilly, Kelly Puglisi, Betty Robertson, Ann Marie Rossi, Ginny Rowe, Kissie Slavin, Brian Smith, Teresa Speiser, and Sheila Umbricht.

And also to our Shallotte volunteers: Kim Besser, Sue Christie, Jim Coffey, Patty Ellis, Geraldine Gibbons, Linda Kilgore, Bonnie Kosiczky, Sandy Lacy, Bernice McRoberts, Kim Nolan, Emory Saghy, Shannon Scherer, and Barbara Stephens.

And to our Calabash staff: Debra Cannon, Trish Carnevale, Bob Dye, Diane Gill, Rena Horner, Lois Little, Margie Sears, Michelle Stewart, and Richard Teague; and our Shallotte staff: Bill Crowson, Robert Goodman, Keely Goss, Betty Hewett, Bobbi Humes, Kaye Madden, and Ellen Pagliaro.

BSRI greatly appreciates all your help and thanks you for being a part of our Thrift Store team. Happy Holidays, Everyone! All the best to you and yours!

Mike McGurn, Thrift Store Operations Manager

Giving Thanks for BSRI Thrift Stores Volunteers, Sta