Voices - March 2023

goins on

By Ted W. Goins, Jr. | LSC president

Workforce is a justice issue

Workforce, Workforce, Workforce!  I sound like a broken record, but workforce recruitment and retention are the greatest challenges in health and human services.

They haven’t yet invented a robot that can care for nursing home residents or foster children, or welcome refugees at the airport. The entire United States is in the worst workforce crisis/emergency in modern history. There are almost twice as many jobs open as there are people to fill them. Health and human services providers are mostly

dependent on government funding. None of us want to pay more taxes, but our taxes pay for our parents’ nursing home and that foster child.

LSC used to advocate for a living wage, but we have revised that to a competitive wage. If an order-filler in a distribution center is making $20/hr., a CNA providing loving care 24/7 should be making more!

The Carolinas and the nation really have

two issues to address: immigration and adequate funding. Legal immigration is the only way to provide enough workers. And health and human services need adequate funding to pay workers competitively.

Workforce is a justice issue: justice for our elders and children who are receiving less than they deserve, and justice for direct care workers who our society is not treating fairly.

Every one of us can help change that by raising our voices every day, by demanding action from politicians, and by voting. We can change the world.

Searstone/Lutheran Services Carolinas award

$352,620

The Searstone/Lutheran Services Carolinas Community Benefit Committee recently announced $352,620 in grants to 14 organizations in Wake County.

Since 2014, the committee has directed five percent of revenues from the operation of Searstone, an independent living community in Cary, to Wake County nonprofit organizations serving seniors, indigent seniors, or other vulnerable populations.

The following organizations received awards for the last grant cycle: Pretty in Pink Foundation, $16,400; Alliance Medical Ministry, $11,000; Dorcas Ministries, $20,000; Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, $8,500; Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, $36,400; Triangle Aphasia Project Unlimited, $10,250; Triangle Family Services, $31,000; Temple’s Table, $11,500; Shepherd’s Table, $15,000; Women’s Center of Wake Coun-

to Wake-area nonprofits

ty, $23,570; Ship Community Outreach, $18,000; Transitions LifeCare, $65,000;

Meals on Wheels of Wake County, $55,000; and White Oak Foundation, $31,000.

GlenFlora and LSC partner

GlenFlora and LSC will partner to continue to serve Lumberton’s seniors. GlenFlora’s legacy in the Lumberton area, along with LSC’s position as the largest nonprofit skilled nursing provider in the state, combine to continue to provide the seniors of Robeson County high-quality care. GlenFlora has served the Lumberton area for over 70 years, and with this partnership, LSC and GlenFlora look forward to continuing to serve for many years to come.

Executive Director Austin Locklear, who has devoted years to the community and its residents, will continue to lead GlenFlora.

“We are excited about this partnership and look forward to strengthening GlenFlora and LSC to serve in the future,” said Locklear.

The partnership will include collaborating to support GlenFlora’s dedicated team, improve workforce issues, and provide operational support. Two of the existing members of the Board of Directors, Dr. John Rozier and Dr. Cherry Beasley, will continue to serve on the board alongside LSC representatives.

“We are excited to partner with GlenFlora to benefit the seniors of Lumberton,” said LSC President Ted Goins.

GlenFlora was founded in 1952 as the NC Cancer Institute and changed its name in 1999 and currently provides skilled nursing care, assisted living, and in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation.

A dream and some spaghetti

There’s nothing a dream and a great spaghetti recipe can’t do.

Over the holidays, 6-year-old Peyton Clontz and her mother, Katie Clontz, were chatting about the future.

“We were sitting there talking and she said, ‘Mommy, I want to open a restaurant,’” Katie Clontz said.

After some further discussion, Peyton Clontz decided she wanted to serve spaghetti at this future restaurant. When her mother asked her what she would so with the money she made, Peyton Clontz answered, “I want to use it to help people.”

And with that, the idea for a spaghetti sale was formed.

With the help of her family, Peyton Clontz began spreading the word that she was selling spaghetti plates for $8 a person to raise money to help people. The sale brought in $400.

“I’m really proud of her,” Katie Clontz said. “I’m just so proud of the fact that a 6-year-old came up with this is what she wanted to do for Christmas, and that she

wanted to help others.”

The sale was a success, now they just had to find someone to help with it.

Katie Clontz reached out to Trinity Oaks, a senior living community in Salisbury, and a representative told her about Trinity Living Center (TLC). TLC is a community-based adult day service designed to meet the needs of seniors and functionally and/or cognitively impaired adults. It is a program of Lutheran Services Carolinas serving Rowan County.

Peyton Clontz and her family used the money to buy each TLC participant a stocking with gifts inside and gave them out at the center’s New Year’s Eve party.

“The participants were so excited to see what a blessing Peyton truly is,” TLC Life Enrichment Director Andrea Moore said. “It gave them hope for the future of our youth.”

As the participants counted down, Peyton Clontz was also given the honor of dropping the ball at the party.

“She loved being there and doing that,” Katie Clontz said. “Our whole family is ready to go back and visit and help with whatever they need.”

Pictured are LSC Chief Operating Officer for Senior Services Kesha Smith and GlenFlora Executive Director Austin Locklear.

Peyton Clontz gives out stockings to Trinity Living Center (TLC) participants with the help of family friend, Jeff Sittloh.

LSC to expand New Americans Program with two new offices

LSC is excited to announce it is once again expanding its New Americans Program by opening offices in Salisbury, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“I am excited about this opportunity for LSC to expand our ministry and serve more New Americans on their journey to self-sufficiency and eventual citizenship,” LSC New Americans Program Executive Director Matt Hembree said. “LSC is always looking to expand our ministry to help as many folks as we can.”

LSC has provided refugee and immigrant services in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina for many years. Recently, new service

across the Carolinas with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), the organization decided to expand to two more locations to serve the most people.

The Salisbury office will be housed at St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Myrtle Beach office will be downtown at 1551 21st Avenue, Unit 21.

“We are excited to bring legal refugees to the Southern Piedmont and Myrtle Beach,” LSC President and CEO Ted Goins said. “We have so many teammates, congregations, and community groups that are ready to embrace these new Americans and help them succeed in their new home.”

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) teamed up with LSC to host an information session about the New Americans Program coming to the Grand Strand.

This event gave the community an opportunity to learn more about the program and how it will

By Betty Lohr

Former LSC board member and current volunteer

The mission statement for Lutheran Services Carolinas is “Empowered by Christ, we walk together with all we serve.” This mission has no clearer example than that of welcoming refugees and immigrants into our communities.

When LSC opened a New Americans Program office in Asheville, NC, in 2019, it began welcoming refugee families in new parts of the state. As an advocate for immigrants, I had been anxiously awaiting the time we in the Hickory area could assemble a Circle of Welcome for a family that needed safety, friendship, and a new life. We got that opportunity on April 21, 2022, when LSC worked with members of our community to resettle an Afghan family of six to Hickory.

The Hickory Circle of Welcome has been an interfaith effort drawing participation/ involvement from members of the Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic, Jewish, and Lutheran communities. The family has also benefitted from the generosity of Lutheran congregations across Catawba County and around the state. A gift from The Augsburg Lutheran Church’s Hein Fund in Winston-Salem provided funding for medical fees and halal meat.

Sponsoring this family has

created many opportunities for shared learning and growth. For example, a picnic celebrating World Refugee Day allowed the family to meet other members of the community, some of whom were Syrian and Pakistani immigrants. The family has invited Circle members to expand their own sense of cultural diversity in Catawba County. We have learned more about the Muslim community and celebrated holidays not often recognized in this region.

The Circle has also delighted in the resilience and courage of children. They bravely boarded a school bus in April to attend a new school with a new language surrounded by new people. After dropping the three children off for their first day of school, the father commented, “In Afghanistan, no schools. In America, schools for all my babies.” The pride he has for their accomplishments is evident.

Walking with the mother through her pregnancy and

delivery in June became a true drama of joy and anticipation. The new baby was born an American citizen with all the potential and possibilities represented therein.

Seeing our city through the eyes of this family has helped Circle members gain a sense of how we often take our resources for granted. Even grocery shopping with the children has become a new enlightened experience.

One highlight with this amazing family was the trip to Alexandria, Virginia for their asylum hearings. Pisgah Legal Services made this important work much more manageable. While in Washington, D.C., we had time to walk along the National Mall and the Washington Monument. There is no better place to underscore how important this journey toward safety and security is for those who have left all that they have known and all that is familiar in the pursuit of peace.

Walking together with this family has given Circle members a deeper appreciation for what refugees and immigrants experience when pursuing a life of stability and dignity. Their determination and tenacity in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds spark hope in us all. The Hickory Circle of Welcome is fortunate to walk together on this journey with a family whose dreams of freedom are being fulfilled.

Betty Lohr (right) at a recent birthday party the Circle of Welcome held for its clients.

LSC welcomes new board members

LSC welcomes five new board members: Tami Hefner, Doug Nelson, David Turner, Hoang Nguyen, and Sharon Graeber.

Tami Hefner of Conover, North Carolina spent 25 years with the Catawba County Department of Social Services. She began as a social worker and then took on the role as assistant director.

Her first social work job was at Trinity Village in Hickory, North Carolina.

Hefner is a graduate of Lenoir Rhyne University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and went on to complete her master’s in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She is a member of Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church.

Doug Nelson lives in Tobaccoville, North Carolina and is a retired CPA. Before retiring, he was the treasurer of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Nelson previously served on the LSC board for 9 years and is the current chairman of the Board of the NC Lutheran Synod Foundation.

He is a member of Augsburg Lutheran Church.

David Turner lives in Columbia, South Carolina and is the Director of Development for Historic Columbia.

Turner has 20 years of leadership in various denominations in the areas of music and parish engagement. He also currently serves as the Director of Music at Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

Hoang Nyugen of Durham, North Carolina is a director of information technology.

He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and then attended George Washington University to complete a masters in epidemiology and biostatistics.

He has served as the director of the Project Management Office for Connected Health at ICON plc, and as the global project director for product registration at PRA Health Sciences.

Sharon Graeber lives in Greensboro, North Carolina and is the owner and architect at the Office of Sharon Graeber Architect, PLLC.

After graduating from NC State University with a Bachelor of Environmental Design in architecture in 1981, she continued her education at the university and received a master’s in architecture in 1983.

Graeber was a member of the Board of Directors for Lutheran Services of the Aging from 2006-2010 and a Board of Directors member of Lutheran Health Care in Baltimore, Maryland from 1989 to 1992.

She is a member of Grace Lutheran Church.

First row: Tami Hefner, left, and Doug Nelson

Second row: David Turner, left, and Hoang Nguyen

Right: Sharon Graeber

ohn and Linda Muhlbach are lifetime Lutherans. They’ve monetarily supported Lutheran Services Carolinas for many years but learning about the Be The Light campaign inspired them to do more.

The campaign created a statewide foster care recruitment team to address the critical need for loving foster families for children in North Carolina. After hearing about the need at church, the Muhlbachs decided to do more than give monetarily, they decided to become foster parents.

“There wasn’t a lot of discussion. We were both like, okay let’s do this,” Linda Muhlbach said.

Linda Muhlbach says the foster care program spoke to her because she has a need to be a mother. The couple are empty-nesters and have filled that void by becoming a host family for international students at Davidson College. The couple said that has been a fabulous and educational experience.

They keep in touch with the students, do emergency laundry, take them to Target, and helped them navigate securing a job on campus.

“A lot of times it’s the first time they are out of their home countries and away from everything that they know. They just need a mother. Someone to pull them off campus and let them just relax and take care of them for a couple of days,” Linda Muhlbach said. “And a lot of times when they have their breaks, the college wants them off campus, so they stay here.”

Working with the college, along with John Muhlbach’s own family experience with foster care helped the couple make a final decision. His grandfather was once a foster child and stayed connected with his foster family and their family members for years after he became an adult.

Fostering through a religious organization was also appealing to the couple.

“Hopefully through a Christian home they will gain what we are all really trying to portray, what it’s like to live when you have Jesus and your Lord and Savior,” Linda Muhlbach said. “It’s (fostering) serving where we have

do this.”

Be The Light campaign inspires couple to become foster parents

the means to do it, and because this is what Jesus would want us to do. He wants us to take care of each other.”

The Muhlbachs have already taken all of the required courses and are on the path to officially becoming licensed with LSC. They are excited, nervous, and ready for this adventure.

“We are definitely going into this completely new and with very little expectation whatsoever,” Linda Muhlbach said.

“Hopefully we give them some stability and normalcy, but in a very Christian way, by praying for them and caring for them. That’s all you can really do is be the hands and feet.”

For more information about the Be The Light campaign, visit https://lscarolinas.net/ be-the-light/. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, visit https://lscarolinas.net/foster-care-treatment-parenting/.

“Let’s

PHILANTHROPISTS

NC: Zach and Jessica Osborne

LSC is blessed to have so many wonderful donors each year, and their support is critical to helping LSC fulfill its mission, “Empowered by Christ, we talk together with all we serve.” The Philanthropist of the year awards were created to give special recognition to select donors who demonstrate exceptional care for LSC. These awards recognize individual or families who have shown extraordinary financial commitment and whole-hearted support for LSC.

“Zach and I are humbled, stunned, and thrilled to be named the LSC Philanthropists of the Year. We have really enjoyed working alongside this impactful organization,” Jessica Osborne said.

Zach and Jessica Osborne are part of LSC’s Everyday Hero group and are heroes in more ways than one. Zach Osborne is a former United States Army officer, he volunteers with refugees through his church, and he and his family are dedicated to supporting LSC.

“Giving to Lutheran Services Carolinas, we really appreciate it as a family because it’s an outlet to give to an organization that we know is having a real positive impact,” Zach Osborne said. “Somebody’s life each day is tangibly different because LSC is involved and having the opportunity to give to an organization that I have confidence is providing that highly impact-

ful service, makes me feel great.”

Personal experience creates a life of giving

During his time in the Army, Zach Osborne was stationed in Afghanistan where he formed a relationship with an interpreter who earned the right to become a United States citizen for his assistance.

“Our deployment was pretty dangerous, and he did three years of that. He certainly provided a great service to the U.S. during that time,” Zach Osborne said.

When the three years were complete, the interpreter applied for his VISA, and Zach Osborne witnessed how complicated the process was. It took

an additional two years after he applied for him to be cleared to leave. The interpreter eventually made it to the United States and joined its military.

Zach Osborne believes that experience coupled with his church’s work with LSC and refugees, led him to begin financially supporting the organization. He and his family have a heart for the immigrant.

“Jesus calls us to protect the vulnerable and to help the immigrant. If you want to talk about somebody who is vulnerable, one of the most vulnerable people is someone that no state claims,” he said. “This is why they are incredibly vulnerable, and I think that’s why we are called to take care of them.”

Everyday Heroes

Zach and Jessica Osborne live in Raleigh with their four children: Sawyer, Rhett, Violet, and Asher.

Since the couple make recurring gifts to LSC, they are members of its Everyday Heroes group. Everyday Heroes support the LSC ministry through a recurring gift on a monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule. This reliable and consistent source of support allows LSC to continue the work that helps so many seniors, children, and families in the Carolinas.

“I was really impressed with the day-to-day work of the LSC employees that I came in contact with through our church’s refugee work. They walk hand-in-hand with those folks day-in and day-out, through the good times and the challenging times,” Zach Osborne said.

Zach Osborne says he also appreciates the other programs that LSC has across North and South Carolina, but his heart is with refugees.

“I think that if the average person just went and spent a day with an LSC employee working with a refugee family, you will see that refugees are people; people are people, it doesn’t matter where they are from,” Zach Osborne said. “They (refugees) are particularly vulnerable and there’s a lot that we individually can do to help them and there’s a lot we as a country can do to help them. That’s a really exciting opportunity, in my opinion.”

OF THE YEAR

SC: David and Carole Cooke

David and Carole Cooke are LSC’s Philanthropists of the Year for South Carolina.

“We are honored and surprised by this award,” David Cooke said. “I think LSC has a great story to tell with it’s wide and diverse set of programs. So, we just like to give to it.”

The couple live in Greenville, South Carolina and have been married for 54 years. They met while serving in the United States Air Force in Vietnam.

“We were in Military Airlift Command. It was loading passengers and cargo, and

fleet service on the military and commercial aircraft. We were part of the 10,000-mile line to Vietnam and transferred passengers to Europe.”

They were first introduced to LSC during its Love One Another campaign which raised over $1.2 million in gifts to enhance and expand child and family programs in South Carolina.

David Cooke was selected as co-chair of that campaign for his church, St. Michael Lutheran Church, which gave him the opportunity to learn more about the organization.

“It was a good educational process for us. As we got more involved, we saw what truly good works LSC does here in the Carolinas,” David Cooke said. “It resonated with the congregation.”

The church set a goal to raise $10,000 for the campaign but exceeded that and raised more than $30,000.

“It kind of took on a life of its own,” David Cooke said. “We had a three-year commitment for the pledge, and then continued to donate as we became more acquainted with LSC.”

David and Carol Cooke were honored with the South Carolina Philanthropist of the Year award during a Shepherd Society luncheon in Columbia, South Carolina.

Trinity Landing grand opening

Trinity Landing, LSC’s new coastal senior living community in Wilmington, held a grand opening celebration. The community welcomed its first residents at the end of June 2022, after four decades of planning.

“I am so thrilled that I can’t stop smiling,” Ann Pressly, Trinity Landing director of sales and marketing, said. “I can’t say enough about the opportunity this has been, and how excited I am that it is becoming a reality. I am over the moon excited about the opening of Trinity Landing!”

The dream of Trinity Landing began 40 years ago with a donation of 30 acres of land on Masonboro Loop Road by Abba Lossen Crumpler and her niece Mae McFarland in memory of Captain Tom and Annette Lossen and their children to Lutheran Services Carolinas. Crumpler was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wilmington.

Then LSC President Rev. Robert Q. Beard negotiated the purchase of 20 additional acres to complete the 50-acre Trinity Landing tract. Beard remained an avid supporter of the project and was excited it was finally under construction.  He died in 2021 before the project was complete, but his legacy is secure.

“Pinch me and tell me this isn’t a dream!” said LSC President Ted Goins. “Forty years ago, Mrs. Abba Crumpler and Lutheran Services Carolinas had a dream, and that dream is being realized today! Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time and season for everything; this is the season of Trinity Landing!”

The community sits just south of Wrightsville Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway. Geared to active senior living, amenities include a waterfront pavilion and dock with boat slips and kayak launch; three restaurant venues; a wellness center featuring a saltwater pool and spa; walking paths, biking paths, and boardwalks; a dog park; an art studio; gathering rooms for clubs, meetings, and events; an auditorium; a salon and spa; and a library and media center.

Longtime LSC teammate Bonnie Skobel was named executive director of Trinity Landing and has led the monumental effort to complete the project, set up the systems, hire teammates, and open. John Frye, another longtime LSC teammate who was the owner representative and project manager for LSC’s Trinity Grove in Wilmington, recreated his role to successfully complete Trinity Landing.

The grand opening celebration included self-guided tours, hors d’oeuvres provided by the community’s dietary team, and a shuttle to the pavilion to see the Intracoastal

Waterway.

Bishop Tim Smith of the North Carolina Synod officially dedicated and blessed the community with a prayer for its residents, teammates, and future.

“We ask your blessing on those who labored in the design, construction, and planning of this beautiful new community; For those who have given of their time, money, and skills to enable this home to be built; and for those who will work diligently every day caring for and supporting the needs of our residents,” Smith prayed. “Place your special blessing on our residents and staff, that they may know your loving kindness and that others may be inspired by their years of faithfulness and wisdom.”

Also in attendance were Pastor Jonathan Conrad of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church who gave the closing prayer, and Sen. Michael Lee of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Trinity Landing is located at 5450 Trinity Landing Way, Wilmington, NC 28409. For more information about Trinity Landing, call 910-769-9600 or go to TrinityLanding.net.

Making your splash indoors

By Beth A. Klahre

Just about everyone living near the coast has experienced the adventure of the ocean - boating, surfing, swimming. As the weather turns cooler, moving your splash indoors can be just as fun.

Trinity Landing’s director of health and wellness, Nate Futrell, worked closely alongside architects, designers and the builder to collaborate on the state of the-art 60-foot by 24-foot indoor pool at the Trinity Landing Wellness Center.

The pool and hot tub are saltwater, a conscious choice over a traditional chlorine pool, providing numerous advantages. “You are more buoyant in saltwater,” Futrell says. “It is less abrasive on skin, doesn’t wear through a swimsuit as quickly, and there is no chlorine smell in the building.”

While most pools go shallow-to-deep along the length of the pool, the Trinity Landing pool is sloped short side across the pool from three-and one-half feet to fourand-one-half feet in depth. ‘’All residents can use the entire 60-feet of the pool no matter their height. It’s a unique feature of our pool,” Futrell said.

The pool has an underwater handrail that runs the length of the deep end for stretching after water aerobics classes and extra support for swimmers who need it. The stairs into the pool are accessible for all abilities, designed with several short steps rather than the usual tall ones.

The Trinity Landing health and wellness team conducts 109 monthly wellness classes, programs, and personal training sessions, 22 of them in the pool, at no additional cost to residents. “This is quite remarkable for a senior living community;’ adds Futrell. The wellness team has 24 years combined experience working with the senior population in health and wellness, all holding four-year degrees in the fitness field from University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Christina

Piede,

the assistant director of

health and wellness is responsible for the aquatics program. Piede teaches beginning through advanced water aerobics using dumbbells, noodles, and hand gloves, and sometimes no equipment at all. ‘’Aerobic work in the pool uses your full body,” Piede says. “Water helps with balance. Adjusting intensity, speed and resistance offers flexibility for all levels of swimmers.”

Resident Harriet Owsley attends advanced water aerobics classes three days every week.

“One of the big draws of Trinity Landing is the beautiful indoor saltwater pool,” she said. “My husband Reed likes to swim laps and I love water aerobics. There is no better

way to start your day than a class in the pool and a soak in the hot tub afterwards. I try to never miss.”

“We keep people happy and healthy,” says Futrell. “Exercise will turn your life around mentally and emotionally. It’s never too late to start. To see our residents happy and for our team to encourage a more active lifestyle is very rewarding. The residents are like family. We are like their grandchildren. We have well over 200 extra sets of grandparents. That’s pretty cool!”

The Health and Wellness team at Trinity Landing takes fitness to a personal level. From left: Sam Hittle, Yoga and Mindfulness Coordinator; Chelsea Haskett, Health and Wellness Coordinator; Christina Pierle, Assistant Director of Health and Wellness; Nate Futrell, Director of Health and Wellness. Photo by Jackie Whitaker Photography

Shifley named NC development officer for LSC

LSC is happy to announce that Rev. Tennyson C. Shifley has been named its North Carolina development officer.

He comes to LSC with 38 years of experience as a manager and personal advisor to clients in the financial services industry.

Shifley graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the Conservatory of Music at Capital University (Columbus, OH) and a Master of Divinity from

Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (Columbia, SC). He also holds the following professional designations: Chartered Financial Advisor®, Chartered Life Underwriter®, and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®.

He was previously on staff at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC for 22 years, where he remains as an active member.

He is a member and past-president of the Meck-

lenburg County-South Rotary Club, having held numerous positions at both the club and district levels of Rotary.

“It is an honor to be a part

of the incredible development team at LSC,” Shifley stated.

“I have followed and loved the work of LSC for years. This position offers the opportunity to help serve our neighbors, by blending my background in ministry and pastoral care, with my experience in the financial industry.”

Shifley and his wife, Sherry, live in Waxhaw, NC, near their son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

HOSA students Adopt a Grandparent at Trinity Glen

Residents at Trinity Glen gathered around the piano to sing “You Are My Sunshine” as Atkins High School student Yvonne Shih played. Shih is part of the school’s Future Health Professionals, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club, which partnered with the senior living community to create the Adopt a Grandparent program.

Through the program, the students come in every week to spend time with residents by playing games, performing musical instruments, or just chatting about their lives.

“It’s a blast. It’s nice to be able to spend some time with the seniors and I also really enjoy sharing music with everybody,” Shih, who has been playing piano for 10 years, said. “I love playing the piano at senior living communities. I actually do it at other ones. It’s always really fun and meaningful.”

HOSA Co-Advisor Lindsey Renfro said the idea for the program came from a former CNA student who spent time at Trinity Glen. The student was concerned with the lack of interaction that she and her peers had with older generations, and also wanted to help combat loneliness.

“She saw how much the people (residents) enjoyed talking to someone her age, and she saw it making a difference,” Renfro said.

The program began this school year and since then, besides the holidays, students have stopped by to visit at least once a week.

“I think they’ve gotten so much out of

talking and building the relationship with someone that is not in their age bracket,” Renfro said. “All of our HOSA students want to go into healthcare as a career. So this is a really good gateway for them to get used to talking to someone they might not have very much in common with. That has helped in gaining some soft skills.”

And for residents like Dick Cross, it’s a chance to teach the younger generation about decades past.

“I’m a chronic teacher and I like to teach young people, to pass on information to them,” Cross said. “They are so receptive. I’ve told them things about what happened an ion ago.”

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

GlenFlora and LSC announced a strong nonprofit partnership to continue to serve Lumberton’s seniors. GlenFlora’s legacy in the Lumberton area, along with LSC’s position as the largest nonprofit skilled nursing provider in the state, combine to continue to provide the seniors of Robeson County high-quality care.

LSC also entered into a partnership with Aston Park Health Care Center to continue to serve Asheville’s seniors. Aston Park has served the Asheville area for over 40 years, and this partnership will allow it to continue to provide the seniors of Buncombe County high-quality care.

Last year also brought big changes for the LSC New Americans Program. LSC expanded the program to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Salisbury, NC and also began serving refugees from Ukraine.

After receiving a $200,000 grant from the Duke Endowment in 2021 to fund a statewide family recruitment foster care team, LSC officially filled all the team vacancies and expanded recruiting efforts in 2022. So far, the team has recruited 28 new foster homes, which is 46 new foster parents.

LSC received two Lowe’s Reconstruction Grants for its disaster response program. The first grant provided $11,000 in Lowe’s gift cards and $1,540 for administrative expenses for South Carolina; and the second provided $11,000 in Lowe’s gift cards and $1,540 for administrative expenses for North Carolina. The 2022 Lowe’s Reconstruction Grant is made possible through a generous donation from Lowe’s and is designed for reconstruction material supplies in recovery and ongoing response projects across the United States and its territories. This gift has allowed National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to offer this innovative grant project to National VOAD members.

In 2022, LSC expanded partnerships and programs, allowing it to serve more residents and clients.

Trinity Village in Hickory celebrated its 60th anniversary. Trinity Village was established in 1962 as Lutheran Home Hickory.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

LSC is partnering in four PACE programs in areas of North Carolina: Hickory, Gastonia, Charlotte, and Greensboro. Gastonia is building a second site in Shelby, Charlotte is purchasing property for a second site in Concord/Kannapolis, and Greensboro is purchasing property and planning to begin construction in Winston-Salem. PACE covers all medical care costs for every member, keeping low-income elders at home who would otherwise be institutionalized. PACE is an all-inclusive Medicare Advantage plan, a health care community without beds, a doctor’s office, an adult day care, and a rehab center, all rolled into one.

In 2022, LSC also expanded recovery services with the opening of WeCo Cottage, a collegiate recovery house in West Columbia, South Carolina. It is the first and only collegiate recovery house in South Carolina. WeCo Cottage and its house manager encourage students to build a community that supports them on their recovery journey.

After 40 years in the making, Trinity Landing officially began welcoming residents and held its grand opening in 2022. The coastal senior living community in Wilmington sits just south of Wrightsville Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Trinity Oaks health and rehab was the only healthcare provider in Salisbury rated 5 stars in 2022, and one of four rated 5 stars in the region by Medicare. The overall rating is based on a nursing home’s performance on three sources: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.

LSC’s new Trinity Recovery program was created through a $200,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS). The faith-based Recovery Community Organization’s purpose is to collaborate with partners in providing services in Richland, Lexington, Greenwood, and Newberry counties. The program partners with churches and other non-profit organizations to assist those with Substance Use Disorders.

(Lutheran Services for the Aging, Inc.)

Post Office Box 947

Salisbury, North Carolina 28145

Phone: 704-637-2870

Toll free: 1-800-HELPING www.LSCarolinas.net

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“Empowered by Christ, we walk together with all we serve.”

Dementia educator donates caregiver book collection

In honor of her mother, Author and Dementia Educator Mary Ann Drummond donated a Custom Caregiver Collection from AlzAuthors: Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resources to Trinity Oaks. The senior living community cared for her mother at the end of her life.

Each collection is a tabletop library of 15 to 18 books chosen from the genres in the AlzAuthors Bookstore to support dementia caregivers. The books came with a plaque dedicated to Drummond’s mother, Sallie Ann Woods, and will be kept in the library at Trinity Oaks health and rehab.

Pictured left to right: Ann Campanella, manager and board member of AlzAuthors; Mary Ann Drummond; Trinity Oaks health and rehab Life Enrichment Director Nicole Marsh; and Trinity Oaks health and rehab Administrator Tim Cornelison.

Content for Voices is written by Amy Estridge, director of communications and marketing, and Erin Kidd, communications manager. Questions or comments should be directed to Amy Estridge at aestridge@lscarolinas.net