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BRUNSWICK SENIOR BUZZ
Betsy Duarte moved to Ocean Isle Beach from California to be closer to her son and grandkids, and for the serenity of the beach. A re red ortho trauma nurse, Betsy works at Hope Harbor Home and is on the board of Brunswick County Homeless Coali on, is secretary for Alliance of Brunswick County Property Owners Associa on, and is a member of Sea Notes Choral Society. On page 15, Betsy invites you to a lunch to benefit homeless people.
Contributors
NOVEMBER 2020
BSRI STAFF MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Sandy Porcaro enjoys the a er‐Oscar party with Bradley Cooper.
Joan Leo a has been playing with words on page and stage since her childhood in Pi sburgh. Her poetry and essays appear in many publica ons. Her four historical fic on novels feature strong women in mes of U.S. wars, and her poetry chapbook, Languid Lusciousness with Lemon, was recently released. Joan offers us dining advice and recipe on page 17. Pat Naughton and his family moved from Richmond, Va. to Winding River Planta on in Brunswick County in 2017 a er Pat re red as a mechanical engineer at a nuclear power plant. He has been an avid gardener for 35 years and is a Brunswick County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. On page 14, Pat highlights some flowering plants for fall color. Donna Ruth Morgan volunteers with Friends of the Library in Southport and Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes Library Commission, Brunswick County Library Board of Trustees, and the N.C. Friends of the Public Library. She inherited a love of reading and shares that enjoyment with her four children and three grand‐ children. Find Donna’s next book reviews in our December issue. Alyssa Schwinn is a UNCW student intern this fall. “I grew up just outside of Wilmington, in a one‐stoplight town called Rocky Point,” Alyssa says. She has competed in interna onal Crossfit contests, ranking in the top 15 compe tors in the world, and now coaches Crossfit. She enjoys spending me with her dog, Oscar, reading, and playing the clarinet. Alyssa’s Healthy Bites stories are on pages 18 and 19.
Sandy Porcaro Case Manager at Leland Senior Center Sandy acts as a resource by providing information to seniors about programs and services in the community. “As a case manager, my role is to assess clients’ needs and provide them the resources and services to meet their needs, including all programming at BSRI and other community providers,” Sandy says. “My first job was as a teenager working at McDonalds after school. That was when customer service was really important and they pushed their employees to complete each order in 60 seconds— does that ever happen anymore? It was a great learning experience. I looked great with my polyester shirt and matching skirt with my ’80s big hair,” she says. “I am motivated by kind or positive people. Sometimes I find myself letting the negativity build up and then I talk with someone who has a positive spirit and energy and it motivates me to let the negativity go—its' not worth carrying.” Sandy has four cats and two dogs. “I think the cats are my favorite,” she says.
