The Board of Directors at Senior Resources held its 53rd Annual Meeting virtually December 10 to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and recognize the support of several key community partners. The FY2020 Annual Report was also presented at the meeting and can be viewed online at seniorresourcesinc.org/annual-report.
Officers of the Board of Directors were elected. Connelly-Anne Ragley, SC Department of Social Services, will serve as president. Chris Zecopoulos, Scott & Corley, PA., will serve as vice president. Rachel Elliott, Dominion Energy, will serve as treasurer. Debra Slaughenhaupt, First Citizens Bank, will serve as secretary. Todd Timmons, SC Department of Employment and Workforce, will serve as past president.
At the meeting, the board recognized 13 individuals and agencies for their commitment to serving local seniors in need in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The partners were recognized with a drop-in celebration on Monday, December 14.
The Community Partner Award, given to a corporation, church or organization that has provided major support to Senior Resources through financial donation, sponsorship, or assistance with a major project or needed service, was granted to the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority, more well known as The COMET. The COMET was instrumental in providing service to seniors on the waiting list for Meals on Wheels since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the community. They provided weekly service of delivering meals to the doorstep of qualified seniors, providing comfort and relieving food insecurity in the midst of the pandemic. They continue to provide this weekly service to the 25 seniors on the waiting list.
The Corporate Support Award, given for significant support of Senior Resources through financial donations or in-kind service, was given to BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueCross BlueShield of SC Foundation. Both the Corporate Giving and Foundation provided fundamental support for Senior Resources’ Emergency Disaster Relief Fund. Their generosity allowed us to launch the Emergency Senior Nutrition Program across the state, providing hunger relief to thousands of seniors. In addition, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina quickly agreed to again be the presenting sponsor of the second annual Biscuits and Bluegrass, helping us raise a critical $33,000 dollars to help serve seniors in the community.
The Leonard L. Price Fundraising Award recognizes an individual or group who has gone above and beyond in their fundraising efforts for Senior Resources’ programs, including using their resources to help raise awareness which has aided in the agency’s fundraising efforts. The award was presented to Central Carolina Community Foundation. CCCF went above and beyond with their yearly Midlands Gives fundraising event. In the midst of the pandemic, their team had to pivot to a virtual event and reach out to donors to give generously this year. With the help of matching grants and their outreach, Senior Resources was able to raise over $70,000 to help provide seniors with service to remain healthy and independent. Their staff continues to stay engaged with the needs for seniors and are actively seeking support for the agency.
The Season of Service Award is given to a volunteer who has served Senior Resources over time with dedication, enthusiasm, passion and distinction. This year’s award was given to Jettie Jackson. Ms. Jackson is 70 years young, has been volunteering for almost 8 years and has served over 6500 hours. She has a heart for the little ones and serves at Tender Years, an Early Head Start Center. I will be glad to get a letter of support from the center director and any other info you need. I cannot think of a volunteer as dedicated and dependable as Ms. Jackson. She was the first volunteer to return to in-person service due to the coronavirus.
The Billy Webster Award is given to a person who exemplifies the spirit of giving. This year, the award was given to Erin Jeffords. Erin started volunteering for Meals on Wheels in 2018. She has recruited more than 80 Lenoir-Rhyne University graduate students to participate. Her students help deliver Meals on Wheels and participate in food drives for the Senior Care Pantry. Not only is she a rock star recruiter and volunteer for the organization, she also put together gift bags for seniors this summer that included items to stimulate the heart, body, and mind to prevent falls.
The Deborah Bower Leadership Award named for former Executive Director, Deborah Bower, who lost her battle to cancer before she was done serving the seniors of the community, recognizes outstanding leadership provided by an individual in support of the mission. The recipient of this award is a friend to us all. His dedication to Senior Resources as a board member in the last six years has been exemplary and he is always available from emergency calls to being at every fundraiser and event. In talking with his family at Biscuits and Bluegrass this year, I was reminded that his dedication comes from the heart of his closeness to his own grandparents. His active leadership is something that has made a difference at Senior Resources and has established a legacy within his own family of giving back. This Bower Leadership Award is given to Todd Timmons.
In addition to the Annual Awards, Senior Resources is also recognizing major partners during the COVID-19 emergency response. These partners donated $25,000 and up to provide meals to every food-insecure senior in the community and across the state.
Emergency Response Partnership Awards go to:
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation
Richland County Government
City of Columbia
Bank of America
Meals on Wheels America
Delta Dental South Carolina
In addition to these seven, Senior Resources also are recognizing Riggs Partners as an Emergency Response Partner for their generosity in providing the marketing tools and staff to create a video that helped us share the impact these partners had on the seniors in the community.
Photograph: From L to R: Eliza Ellis, Account Coordinator, Riggs Partners and Andrew Boozer, Executive Director, Senior Resources accepting the Emergency Response Partner award.
