5 minute read
Letter from Leland
A B O U T T H E C O V E R
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.
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 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
Here’s to 20 More Years
Happy 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!
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: • 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 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.
• 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
Veronica Le -McGee, Director The Brunswick Center at Leland
20 YEARS, con nued from page 5
have had some incredibly successful grant and fundraising campaigns, including over $80,000 to modernize our Meals on Wheels software capabilities. • We’ve helped save local residents over $7.6 million in prescription costs just this past year and we annually serve over 4,000 meals to homebound clients.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our efforts. Marriages need continuous recognition of the ‘little things’ and opportunities to communicate appreciation. We hope you’ll join one of the center-based celebrations at the center closest to you; see center calendars for details. Here’s to 20 more!
Senior Tar Heel Legislature Needs You
The North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature (STHL) assesses the needs of older citizens in a forum modeled after the North Carolina General Assembly. STHL then makes recommendations to the General Assembly about legislation to bene t older North Carolinians. The STHL was established in 1993 to: • Provide information to senior citizens on the legislative process and matters being considered by the General Assembly. • Promote citizen involvement and advocacy concerning aging issues before the General
Assembly. • Assess the legislative needs of older citizens.
Delegate Needed
We currently have no delegate in Brunswick County; a new delegate is needed. There is one delegate to STHL from each of the 100 counties in North Carolina, and usually an alternate delegate too. Delegates and alternates must be age 60 or older. The North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) provides sta support for the Senior Tar Heel Legislature, in cooperation with the 16 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), which are responsible for conducting the selection of delegates and alternates. Could you be a Brunswick County delegate to the STHL?
For more information or to apply, contact AAA Director Holly Pilson at 910-274-0339, 910-395-4553 ext. 204, or hpilson@capefearcog.org.
STHL is Meeting Online
The rst in a series of virtual information sessions was o ered by the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) in January, according to Rebecca Freeman, Consumer A airs and Legislative Liaison for the DAAS. The webinar gave an overview of the new state budget and showed how STHL priorities were impacted. Freeman encourages candidates to apply who are open to using email and participating in virtual meetings. Those without that service at home can go to a senior center, library, or AAA for access. “STHL has had to pivot like everyone else, and some are really starting to see the bene ts of technology,” Freeman says. The next general session of STHL is March 15, and it will be virtual. More information about the Senior Tar Heel Legislature can be found at www.facebook.com/ NCSTHLNC.
