The Coastal Buzz
Letter from leland
FEBRUARY 2022
ABOUT THE COVER
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Here’s to 20 More Years
H
appy February! This month honors Valentine’s Day, American Heart Health, and Black History. In a time dedicated to acknowledging love, commitment, and the often-unsung contributions of others, it seems fitting that we are also celebrating Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc.’s 20th Anniversary of serving the seniors of Brunswick County!
Cover photo by Melissa Catle
Ron Madden, le , and Maxie Washington jazz it up at Mardi Gras 2018 at the Brunswick Center at Southport. “They are awesome! Such a fun party!” says cover photographer and center director Melissa Catle-. Mardi Gras 2022 is Tuesday, March 1. Check for this party and for BSRI’s 20th anniversary celebra ons on your center’s pages in the Buzz.
THE COASTAL BUZZ EDITOR Shelagh Clancy buzz@bsrinc.org (910) 622-1036 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Casey Freed, Veronica Lett-McGee, Mike McGurn, Donna Ruth Morgan, Jan Morgan-Swegle, Pat Naughton, René Tarquinio CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Melissa Catlett, Jillian Hardin, Veronica Lett-McGee, Mike McGurn, Pat Naughton, Holley Norris, Amy Segen 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
For 20th wedding anniversaries, the traditional gifts are china and/or platinum, items known for both their beauty and strength, to signify the delicacy and durability of the bond. BSRI takes its commitment to our community seriously; it is, in many ways, a marriage of sorts. There is a reciprocal flow of mutual aid and benefit, of care and support. As we celebrate this 20th anniversary, we pay tribute to the ways in which we have made this journey together. We have weathered many storms, both literally and figuratively, from Hurricane Florence, which impacted so many of our seniors, to the recent global pandemic. These challenges have strengthened our connections and abilities to adapt. Among our recent accomplishments are: •
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We have blossomed to five senior centers, with the addition of Leland, Supply, and Calabash centers just in the last five years. We have maintained a North Carolina DHHS distinction as
Veronica Le -McGee, Director The Brunswick Center at Leland
Centers of Excellence status for all five locations. •
Through the tireless work of our volunteers, we managed a successful pivot to drivethrough meal services and virtual activities in times of pandemic closure and welcomed our seniors back to programs in centers upfitted with touch-free fixtures.
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During the pandemic we have managed to provide diligent case management and services to our homebound and community-based clients, which is crucial to supporting independence and the ability of many to age in place.
Not unlike the larger Brunswick County population trends, our client base has grown tremendously, and we 20 YEARS, con nued on page 6