Okatie Pines

Retire Well. Retire Here.

You don’t need luck to live your best retirement life.

Our resort-style service and amenities give you the time and freedom to do more of what you love. The best part — everything is included for only one monthly price with no buy-in fee or long-term lease! It’s kind of like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

March Events

Follow the Rainbow

Friday, March 17 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Worry-free living is at the end of your rainbow! Join us for a brief presentation to learn about our lifestyle and stay for our St. Patty’s Happy Hour. RSVP by March 14

Financial Planning Seminar

Thursday, March 23 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Growing your wallet is easier than you’d think! Enjoy lunch and listen to our guest speaker, Emily Macias, discuss long and short term investment strategies. RSVP by March 19

Two-for-One Day

Wednesday, March 29 from 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Join us for a brief presentation to learn how our amenities will simplify your retirement. Be our guest for lunch after the presentation.

1:00 - 3:00 p.m. - After lunch, join us for a health fair! RSVP by March 24

CHIEF from page 1A from here for a year to be an outsider looking in and saying, ‘Okay, what would I do differently if I ever get the opportunity?’ From that aspect, I think it helped kind of refresh me, and then get me back into this,” he said.

A few months later, Babkiewicz heard about the opening for a new police chief, and wanted to have a conversation with his wife before he applied, but even before he could discuss it, she knew he wanted to apply for it. With her blessing, he did, and was ultimately hired

“I love this department. I love this community. And I love law enforcement work, the work of law enforcement officers and what it represents,” he said. “It’s rewarding in so many different ways.”

Babkiewicz said his predecessors have laid the groundwork for programs that he would like to see expanded.

“Chief Price had her focus on the mental health and well-being of our officers. She did a great job with that. We’re looking at various other things that we can add on to what she’s already implemented here. Chief Chapman really focused on the community partnership and the community outreach programs,” said Babkiewicz. “We have such an amazing community that we just want to continuously build and serve our community in various ways. It’s really just kind of implementing into our culture, where it’s not just a select few going out and being a participant in these outreach programs. It’s the entire department with this entire belief that that is our priority. Our priority is keeping this community safe, but also serving the members of this community as well.”

The Bluffton Police Department and the MLK Observance jointly hosted a community open discussion in late

Januaray, following the murder of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop.

“After that meeting, I met with our advisory committee, and one of the things that we discussed that we take for granted for is ‘Do people know what to do when they’re stopped by a police officer?’ One thing we’re going to focus on in March is, we’re going to team up with our driving schools to include an instructional blog saying, ‘Hey, this is what you do if you’re stopped. These are what the officers expect,’” said Babkiewicz. “We don’t want people to be nervous or anxious when they’re stopped. Anytime somebody feels like that they’ve been profiled or anything like that, we encourage them to call us and we’ll look into it, because that’s not going to be tolerated here at this department.”

He believes community policing is a major component of law enforcement.

“Community policing is really building a partnership with our community in order to improve the quality of life within the entire town of Bluffton, and it’s not just with our residents. It’s with our businesses as well as visitors that come here,” Babkiewicz said.

He said when the officers are walking in Old Town Bluffton, they’ll frequently greet people from out of town, and talk to them about some of the places they might want to visit.

“When we talk about the Bluffton State of Mind, you want to give visitors that impression that this is the place to be, and it starts with our law enforcement officers,” he said. “I tell them that every single day, you have an opportunity to have some type of impression on somebody. Make sure it’s a good one, because we sometimes see the worst of the worst, but that’s your opportunity to make a situation better.”

Babkiewicz said the best thing about police work is there is something new every day. The hardest thing is dealing with the ups and downs that it comes with.