Porch Song
Bloom Closet's Porchfest is ready to rock the neighborhood to support kids in foster care.
WHEN THE ANSWERS YOU GET ARE THE ANSWERS YOU NEED
When two of the region’s best cancer-fighting teams join forces, it brings a new level of hope for cancer patients in and around Northwest Georgia. That means more leading-edge technologies. More advanced clinical trials. And more quality time to spend with the ones you love.
fun WHERE IS NEVER FAR FROM HOME.
Five years of extraordinary senior living.
There’s no shortage of energy and excitement when you live at The Spires at Berry College — whether hiking around our scenic lakeside location, raising a glass at our pub for happy hour or exploring Rome’s charming attractions with friends. While immersed in Berry’s lively campus culture, residents have countless opportunities to attend university athletic events, arts performances and even lectures — not to mention form meaningful relationships with students. At the heart of it all, you’ll find the spirit of togetherness that makes our community one of a kind.
See why The Spires is not just a place to live — but a better way to live. Call 706-607-5322 or visit RetireAtBerry.com to schedule a personal tour.
SEPTEMBER 2025
COLUMNS FEATURES
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Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. This month, Nero shares his favorite homespun soirees of fall festing and fun.
Bonnie Clark's story is a testament to the power of early screening, expert care and unwavering support. Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd continue to bring advanced technologies and compassionate care to northwest Georgia.
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An interesting phenomenon called “false memory” happens every day; it can be amusing, confusing, frustrating, or worse. Read Nina Lovel's take on it.
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The Bloom Closet’s PorchFest invites guests to support kids in foster care through special ‘rock-n-stroll’ through Oakdene.
The Spires at Berry College makes retirement something to look forward to with a welcoming community of brilliantly wonderful minds.
Your Community Bank
WEST ROME
Publisher's Note
Any of you that have stopped to read my little monthly column know I’m a music lover and avid concert goer. My taste is eclectic, crosses many genres and eras and sometimes dismissive of what’s going on in the mainstream. That said, I’ve been to many music festivals where I’ve ended up catching a live performance of an artist I didn’t particularly care for and walking away impressed.
I’ve played music in some form or another my entire life, so even if an artist isn’t my jam, I can always appreciate the musicians backing them and or the showmanship of the main attraction. As a diehard Phish fan, and Star Wars nerd, I can also appreciate fandoms of all kinds. I wasn’t always that way though.
OWNER & CEO Ian Griffin
As a younger man, I often dismissed anything I didn’t like as garbage and could be pretty harsh on anyone who disagreed. As I grew up, that bad quality passed. I can still hate with the best of them, but I had the realization that there is a reason people love what they love. A song I can’t stand means the world to someone, so I don’t have to like it, and I also don’t have to bash it.
Nero’s Guide To Fall Festivus
Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. Nero Romansky, the unqualified descendant of Julius Caesar, answers his letters from his less-than-loyal subjects. It’s like the Empire discovering the cargo Han Solo smuggled inside the Millennium Falcon was pumpkin spice. It was EpiPenaculus who said, “The sun never sets on the Roman Empire.” And that was before half of kids were allergic to peanuts. Imagine the look on Epi’s eyebrows if he knew all the glorious happenings around Rome in the fall.
First Question.
DEAR EMPEROR NERO, THE FORGETTABLE,
“You forgot to include Missouri in your SEC Football preview last month. This is the kind of hamfisted troglodyte drivel that I expect from a charlatan such as yourself. Will you publish a correction amongst September’s snake oil correspondence?”
— Dr. Humbert R. Tuffleson, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Ancient History at Georgia Highlands College
DEAR DR. NEMESIS,
You claim my words are snake oil. But did you know that reading V3 Magazine for just ten minutes a day can cure wild goat leprosy? And grant a fourth wish from a genie? *
Allow the emperor to issue the following divine proclamation regarding the University of Missouri:
I will apologize for forgetting Mizzou football when the Tigers remember how to spell their own state.
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
NERO,
“I love your column and read it every month. You should do a humor bit about how pumpkin spice is so nasty it didn’t qualify as one of the Spice Girls. You rock!”
— Anonymous Fan, Whose Name Does Not Rhyme with Brephen Jaylor | Darlington Class of 2002
DEAR ANONYMOUS FAN,
The pop group Spice Girls could add one hundred new flavormates, and Nero would pick poison sumac over pumpkin spice. Which brings up a more profound question. Why have the Spice Girls not appeared in an Old Spice commercial? Could someone get me the email for the marketing director at Procter & Gamble?
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
Mark Suroviec, M.Ed., is the Chief Ambassador of Fun at WorkPlay Solutions, the author of Forever Sisters, and the Vice President of the Children’s Museum of Rome. He hopes you pity laugh at his humor and satire stories, especially the ones that aren’t funny.
EMPEROR NERO,
“I’m a local farmer, and for the first time since 1964, there is no Chiaha Harvest Fair. Where should I sell my surplus crops? What else is there to do in Rome in the fall?”
— Bryce Kernhuskar | Coosa Middle School, Class of 2002
DEAR BRYCE,
Focus more on where to STORE your crops, not sell them. For a modest few denarii, the emperor will hide your extra harvest inside the Second Avenue levee. Ole’ Nero will miss the autumnal mercantile of Chiaha. It had everything you want in a harvest fair:
Arts, crafts, arts and crafts, crafts and arts, arti-crafties, handmade organic artisanal homespun cottage artistry, Chia Pets, granola moms, and soggy peanuts. Even the emperor can’t overestimate the cultural significance of 60 years of local festivals.
If fall festivals are your drug, and you need a quick fix, check out these events and gatherings from the official Rome, Georgia, USA, Office of Tourism:
• Downtown Rome’s Fall For All, Who Happen to Live Within Driving Distance of Rome, GA
• Family Resource Center Paddles and Pals Pickle Juice Tasting
• Mommy and Me Princess Tea Party & 4 Ring Circus
• TEDx: Euharlee
• Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2025—But Don’t Try To Return The Shoes to DiPrima’s Afterwards, Cause They Are Not New Shoes Anymore, Which Is a Pretty Reasonable Retail Policy, Because After a Mile of Walking, Shoes Are Heavily Depreciated
• Wings Over North Georgia Airshow & Duck Hunt
• Burning Man—West Rome Chapter
• Schauzerfest Hot Dog Eating Contest
• Woodstock Furniture Outlet Indoor Camping and Concert Festival
• Children’s Museum of Rome Youth Business Expo & Cryptocurrency Exchange
Let the Fall Festivus, for the rest of us, begin!
Me Vexat Pede,
— Nero
Disclaimer: Emperor Nero Romansky is a satirical character written and created by Mark Suroviec, M.Ed. All people and quotations are fictional, invented by the limited imagination of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of the author, editors, or V3 Magazine. *Not medical advice. Bonus wish only valid for genies registered with the International Teamsters’ Union of Genies, Fairies, and Leprechauns.
BONNIE’S COURAGE, COMMUNITY AND COMEBACK
A life of service, a season of resilience
After 31 years at Pepperell Elementary School, Bonnie Clark wrapped up her final year of teaching in May 2025. But as she stepped into retirement, she wasn’t just closing the door on a career, she was celebrating a powerful personal victory: three months in remission from breast cancer.
“I never imagined I’d be facing cancer during my last year in the classroom,” said Bonnie. “But I knew I wanted to finish strong.”
A screening changed everything
Like many teachers, Bonnie scheduled her annual mammogram during summer break. She had been monitoring a spot in her breast with her OB-GYN, Dr. Raymond Jarvis, since the previous fall. With her son’s wedding keeping her busy, the concern had slipped her mind until she was answering questions for the mammogram tech at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center’s Breast Center.
That conversation led to a repeat mammogram and ultrasound, followed by a biopsy. Within hours, she received the diagnosis: breast cancer.
Teaming up for treatment
Bonnie’s care team mobilized quickly. She met with Harbin Clinic surgeon Dr. Paul Brock Sr. the very next day. “The speed of everything was so comforting,” she said. “Dr. Brock taught me so much in such a short time.”
Further testing revealed Bonnie had triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form that typically responds well to chemotherapy. Thankfully, scans showed the cancer hadn’t spread. She soon met with oncologist Dr. Melissa Dillmon, radiation oncologist Dr. J.C. Abdou and Brock again to finalize her treatment plan.
From August to December, Bonnie underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Surgery followed, and then radiation therapy in early 2025.
Classroom courage
Bonnie’s treatment aligned with her final year of teaching third grade. Determined not to miss a moment, she followed every instruction from her doctors. “I had to trust them completely,” she said.
Her school community rallied around her, offering time off, prayers, meals and gift cards. “I felt a little nauseous sometimes,” Bonnie said, “but I never threw up. I did everything they told me to do.”
After surgery, Brock confirmed there was no residual disease. Still, radiation was necessary to eliminate any microscopic
cancer cells. “There are things the naked eye and current technologies cannot detect,” explained Abdou.
A community of care
Bonnie credits her care team — from cancer navigators to radiation therapists — for making her feel supported every step of the way. “Everyone was so relaxed and ready to help me feel at ease,” she said. “My experience was phenomenal.”
She also found strength in unexpected places. Several women she knew had faced the same diagnosis. “It was like a club I never expected to be part of,” Bonnie said. “But I could see God was with me the whole way.”
In August, Bonnie rang the treatment completion bell, marking the end of her immunotherapy and the beginning of a new chapter.
A message of hope
“I can’t thank all the people who walked alongside me enough: my school, my church, The Breast Center and the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center,” Bonnie said. “This is an incredible community to be a part of.”
Her story is a testament to the power of early screening, expert care and unwavering support. Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd continue to bring advanced technologies and compassionate care to northwest Georgia, ensuring patients like Bonnie receive the best possible outcomes close to home.
Join Harbin Clinic and Atrium Health Floyd for the 3rd annual Paperdoll Parade and 5K Breast Cancer Awareness Run this month. To schedule a mammogram, call 706-509-6840 or visit our breast health website today.
That’s Not How I Remember It!
While they can’t agree on everything that happened, Nina Lovel and her college roommates share some stories bound to make you laugh out loud.
and Now with Nina Lovel
Have you ever been hanging out with friends and somebody starts telling a story from your shared past and they’re telling it just so wrong? You KNOW that’s not how it happened, because you were there too, and that’s not how you remember it. So, you look confused and (trying to be nice and never more sure of yourself than now) say, “No, it couldn’t have been Laura’s birthday, because that’s in April and we were in the mountains in the fall”, or whatever truth that will prove you remember it right, and your friend looks straight at you and says “No, I’m positive. It was her birthday and we were in the mountains.”
False memory has entered the room.
Actually quite common, false memory happens because of the way our brain stores events. While it would be nice to have a tiny little VHS recorder just south of the hippocampus to replay our lives with precision, our brains do not store things in one dimension, nor do they store them the same way every time. Each time we summon a memory, our mind “rebuilds the scene from fragments: emotions, sensory impressions, stories, and associations.” (OpenAI, ChatGPT, 25 Aug. 2025), and your fragments are not the same as mine, or those of anyone else who was there.
Try it for yourself: reach back and remember something big in your life: getting your driver’s license, having your first date, or moving away from home. That memory contains some of the same sights, sounds, and emotions that live in other memories too, and it’s more efficient for your brain to
store them on your upstairs storage shelves, as it were, and piece them back together when one of these memories is called forth. Also, (don’t say you haven’t done this), because we sometimes “embellish” a story or make a mistake in a date or location, new or inaccurate things will weave their way into the memory and come out the next time we tell the story. Our stories revise themselves and we have no clue.
You’re at the Thanksgiving table. Your cousin shares an anecdote from the way-back and several of you kids were there for it, but not everything sounds right to you. Your other cousins at the table are thinking the same thing. Were you each to tell the story, every version would differ in some (hopefully minor) way. Should you wish to resolve the discrepancies, your family’s dynamics will shape the way this happens. If your precious granny insists that it happened her way, you’ll probably all lay it down and leave it there with respect for her. But if Cousin Eddie is in town, and he insists it happened HIS way, and he is obnoxious on other levels too, the whole table may rise up and empty into the yard, swinging like a clutch of Happy Gilmore’s boys.
If you read my December column, you know some of my decades-old college escapades. Last week, we three roommates were together again and as the stories started to flow, there were some pretty big differences in what we remembered. We were having such fun that it wasn’t a problem; we easily said, “You’re probably right” or “I don’t remember that” as needed. Those formative years of long hair, Doral Menthols, and meal tickets had been some of the best of our lives, and since we hadn’t all shared every adventure, it was fun to hear each other’s renditions.
Shelley reminded us that Josephine’s boyfriend Carlton had lived in her dorm room for a while (this was years before boys were allowed on the hall). Neither Marsha nor I remembered that, but I guess that was the point, for no one to know about it, so, mission accomplished.
Next, Shelley recounted one evening after open dorm visitation, when our suitemates’ suitors weren’t ready to leave and hid in our shower until the hall proctor had finished her sweep. I didn’t remember much about this event, and Marsha didn’t remember it at all, (most likely because she was at the library). I did, however, recall the Christmas break that my motorcycle spent couched in the cozy confines of my dormitory closet. We scrunched it in there and pulled the accordion door closed, but we couldn’t fix the way the handlebars pooched it out. Yeah, I did that. Gas tank in the closet. Looking back at the Golden Age of Mischief, sometimes I scare myself.
We all remembered the night that I tossed back the last half of a Diet Pepsi that had sat on our dresser overnight. As I swallowed, I realized that something small, flat and solid had gone down with the drink. It couldn’t have been a cigarette butt; they’re not flat and besides, we had an ashtray and knew how to use it. Hysterical screams burst into the hallway as I realized that I could possibly…hopefully not, but possibly…have swallowed a little bitty cockroach! Thanks to my strong (albeit queasy) stomach, we never found out what it was, but Josephine made it into yet another of our stories by resolving to not let me forget about it. For days, she would walk backwards by our door, mocking a backstroke, and singing a high-pitched “dee-dee-dee-deedee”, allegedly the song of a young cockroach in a tummy swim..
Marsha came next. Despite not remembering the boys in the shower, she said she would never forget the night that somebody put two live swans in there. Now, we clearly had a busy shower, but I’m as certain as I am alive that it never sheltered swans.
Let’s unpack this thing. Furman has a gorgeous campus and our dorms overlooked a beautiful lake across which the bell tower reigned majestic. The lake was large but shallow, and was bordered by a low rock wall that kept the water where it was supposed to be. It did not, however, do the same thing for Furman girls on somebody’s birthday. I got thrown in freshman year and, as adventurous as I was, this December event was not one bit fun. I stood up in
the slippery muck that was generated, I knew, by the lovely waterfowl that gave a feathery dimension to the lake, and swore to celebrate future birthdays off-campus.
The ducks were wild-colored (not that Easter-duck-white) and pretty, and of course the swans were beautiful too. With your now-clear vision of lake, wall, muck, ducks, and swans, please tell me if there’s any universe in which an intrepid college girl would (a) desire to capture two swans, (b) be ABLE to capture two swans if she so desired, or most of all, (c) wrangle said swans into her own personal bathing space, and (d) get them to stay there??? It was hard enough to keep those showers clean without someone parking a couple of incontinent waterfowl in there!
I just don't think we did that. To be sure, and in fairness to Marsha, all the components of this memory did exist, but this just doesn’t work on so many levels. Picture the low rock wall, and the shallow muck. Picture how fast swans can flap-swim away when they want to (or spit at you when they don’t). Picture their awkward bottom-heavy shape and their shiny wet feathers. Picture your feet miring up in that mucky you-know-what-containing mud. How could you ever catch one swan out there, much less two? And even if you caught one, picture the flapping, squawking bird being borne across the lawn, into the dormitory, down the hall, and into the shower. Twice. I just can’t.
I’m not saying Marsha has a false memory; knowing our crowd, it could absolutely be true. I’m just saying I don’t remember it. And this, treasured reader, is how friends resolve their false memory stories: they either concede, “You’re probably right; I just remember it differently”, or they bail, “I just don’t remember it”. We southern girls are too polite to say “You’re wrong!” Either way, we didn’t let those hypothetically showering swans cloud our evening of fellowship; we love one another way too much for that.
In fairness to my two Rooms, I’ll close with a false memory of my own. After living in New Orleans for several years, Shelley and her husband Ed moved to Boston in the mid-80’s and I went up to see them. I remember the weather being oppressively hot, to the extent that Shelley and I rode tour buses around town because they were air conditioned (their house was not). I enjoyed the visit of course, but for forty years I’ve told people I’ve never been as hot as I was in Boston. I remember Ed driving us up to the Cape in their air-conditioned car to eat lobster out in a wonderful sea breeze. I remember being pregnant with Jedd, and Shelley and Ed anticipating the adoption of their first son, Charlie, soon.
Shelley remembered my visit and the lobster, but not the hot weather. I said let’s look up 1985 weather records to see how hot it was. She said it could not have been 1985 because they didn’t move to Boston until February of 1986, and she also said that Charlie was born in April that year. These are not dates that Shelley would falsely remember, and they totally derailed the time frame of my visit. In February of 1986, my son Jedd was four months old; I would not have left him at home with his dad and four year old sister yet. And even if I had, there was certainly no heat wave in Boston from February to April. I cannot dispute Shelley’s dates, I know they didn’t have Charlie yet, and I also know I didn’t visit in 1986. I am hugely confused and simply cannot reconcile this thing. Here is my own very strong, very wrong false memory, and there’s no way to ever find the truth.
One thing good has come of it though: the inspiration for this month’s column. So for that, you are welcome and I hope you’ve enjoyed it!
Funerals help us:
Understand and acknowledge a person we love has died.
Acknowledge the full range of feelings we have as a result of the death.
"Free up" energy that is bound to the lost person, so that we might re-invest that energy and move beyond our loss.
Give an opportunity for the community to share memories.
Help us search for meaning in the life and death of the person we lost.
Show physical and emotional support for one another.
Porch Perfect Harmony
Romans and Romans at heart love a great fundraiser. But in such a generous community with so many important organizations, donor fatigue and overdone events can be a real challenge. Enter PorchFest — a vibrant, new, community-driven music festival set to be The Bloom Closet NWGA’s signature live music fundraiser, taking place Sunday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Oakdene Place Historic District.
Hosted by Bloom Our Youth and the Rome Area Heritage Foundation, and presented by Gas South, PorchFest will bring the community together for an afternoon of neighborhood strolling, connection and performances by beloved local and regional bands. The festival atmosphere will be enhanced by a variety of food trucks, ensuring a delightful experience for all ages. All proceeds will directly benefit The Bloom Closet NWGA.
“This fun event concept has sprung up in other towns all across Georgia,” said Devon Smyth, program coordinator for The Bloom Closet NWGA. “I first learned of it in Athens, where sometimes R.E.M. even shows up to play a small set. It’s a great event that brings people together for an important cause while showcasing our awesome regional musical talent.”
The Bloom Closet’s PorchFest invites guests to support kids in foster care through special ‘rock-n-stroll’ through Oakdene.
It may come as a shock, but even here in Rome, children sometimes enter foster care with nothing but the clothes on their backs after years of abuse and neglect. A shortage of foster homes often forces these vulnerable children to leave their home county, separating them from school, friends and family — and compounding the trauma they’ve already experienced.
That’s where Bloom Our Youth comes in. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Bloom provides safe, nurturing foster homes and meets children’s immediate needs by distributing free clothing, shoes, toiletries, school supplies, books, stuffed animals and more. These essentials are offered through unique, boutique-style shopping experiences at The Bloom Closet locations in Rome and Fayetteville. The Bloom Closet serves any foster family willing and able to travel for these resources, even if they are not currently served by the Bloom organization. The program also supports at-risk birth families so they can better care for the children in their lives.
With this support system in place and a wide array of needs met, children are better able to focus on healing emotionally and succeeding
academically, as their dignity is restored. Having served more than 6,800 foster children in Georgia, Bloom’s mission is grounded in the belief that community has the power to transform lives — helping children bloom where they are planted.
PorchFest was envisioned as one of many tangible ways to reflect the strength of an empowered, aware and generous community. For just $10 per person to attend, guests are invited to make a meaningful difference in the lives of foster children — while connecting with the community in an enjoyable and powerful way.
“This joyful, neighborhood- and people-focused event will raise critical support for local foster youth while celebrating the heart of what makes Rome strong: neighbors helping neighbors,” Smyth said. “Building a better community starts with all of us.”
Since launching in 2024, The Bloom Closet in Rome has supported more than 1,000 children — already on track to provide each kid with more than $1,200 in essential items annually. The physical space is located inside Restoration Rome, which has become a hub for birth, foster and adoptive families, housing multiple nonprofits under one roof.
“The collaboration with Restoration Rome just made sense,” Smyth said. “It is a life-giving anchor in the region for families to receive the services they need and deserve.”
As one of the newer kids on the block, it takes time to get established. In addition to becoming a key fundraiser, PorchFest is also slated to provide an important awareness opportunity for The Bloom Closet and its work in the surrounding region.
“Northwest Georgia has been very receptive and welcoming to the work of Bloom,” Smyth said. “Serving families at the highest level from all around our DFCS region — which includes Floyd, Polk, Bartow, Paulding, Douglas, and Haralson counties — has been the mission from the very beginning.”
Throughout the Sunday afternoon, guests at the inaugural PorchFest will enjoy three hours of 20-minute sets across a variety of musical styles and genres, performed from the front porches of historic homes throughout the district. Scheduled performers include the “salty, smooth, and lime-infused” Bourbon & Ginger; intergalactic folk-rockers The Common Reeds; the DIGS Just As I Am Choir; upbeat alt-rockers Dragon Wagon; singer-songwriter Dylan Lester; acoustic-inspired Lowell and Friends; guitar-driven, Americana-adjacent Matthew Grant; the multi-genre Rahu Music Collective (featuring John Graham, Jeff Lidke, and friends); and acoustic covers and originals by Sam and Joe Lester.
PorchFest will not only bring the community together for an important cause — it will also spotlight its unique setting: one of Rome’s most charming, but under-the-radar, historic neighborhoods.
The Oakdene Place Historic District sits quietly across the Etowah River south of Downtown Rome, adjacent to the Second Avenue bridge. It’s often overlooked, despite a beautiful wrought-iron sign proudly bearing the year of its establishment: 1880. As one of Rome’s oldest residential neighborhoods, it was originally developed as a planned community across 27 wooded acres of rolling hills.
Streets like River Avenue and Coral Avenue are lined with historic towering shade trees, stone walls, iron fencing, and beautiful bungalowstyle homes. The neighborhood’s signature late-Victorian residences feature Queen Anne and Neoclassical architecture with period details such as balustrades, leaded glass, hardwood floors, extensive millwork,
and — of course — expansive front porches perfect for entertaining and acoustic performances. Notable properties include the Brower House, where future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson met and courted his brideto-be Ellen Louise Axson, and the home of Judge Junius Hillyer, which was saved and restored after a devastating fire. Oakdene Place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Immediately following PorchFest, special ticket holders and sponsors will head across the river for a special “Back Porch” patron party at River Remedy Brewing Co.’s new Broad Street location.Featuring music by electrified Americana trio Russell Cook & the Sweet Teeth and delicious food from John Henry’s Grill, patrons will also have the chance to enjoy a special seltzer crafted to commemorate the event.
While children are far more than the clothes on their backs or the supplies in their backpacks, those essentials matter. It’s easy to overlook a segment of the community we aren’t personally connected to — but
these children are not statistics. They’re our neighbors. Meeting their basic needs gives them space to heal and grow into the best versions of themselves.
“Building a better community starts with all of us!” Smyth said. “This joyful, engaging community-focused fundraiser will raise critical support for local foster youth while celebrating the heart of what makes Rome strong: neighbors helping neighbors.”
PorchFest general admission tickets, host/VIP tickets and sponsorships are still available. To support the event or learn more, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/event/porchfest
Tickets will also be available for purchase onsite at the event. For more information about Bloom Our Youth and The Bloom Closet NWGA, including in-kind donation opportunities and wish list items, visit www.bloomfosters.org/bloom-closet.
The Summit of Life
The Spires at Berry College is celebrating their first five years of cultivating community. The collective efforts of the Spires staff and residents and the Berry College students have blossomed into a thriving locale, where residents and students can learn, bond, and enjoy life. As the staff continue working for the benefit of their residents, they eagerly pave the way for more to join them.
Text: Lauren Bachman
Photos: Andy Calvert
Inspiredby Martha Berry’s mission to create a college that values industry and learning, the Spires at Berry College is a continuing care resident community that allows college students and retirees to learn, grow, and enjoy life together.
Life at The Spires is an opportunity for residents to live brilliantly. Days are spent organizing book club meetings and meditation groups; lounging in the bar for four o’clock drinks; attending lectures led by Berry College professors. Residents shape their own experiences. While the staff is there to make their lives easier, their focus is always on supporting residents as they pave the way for the desired life.
The Spires at Berry College is approaching its fifth anniversary, celebrating five years of hard work, growth, and community. Since its opening in 2020, The Spires has grown into a flourishing community, with 352 residents calling it their home.
The idea for The Spires originally came from a Berry College initiative. One of the college’s core tenets has always been to put their student’s abilities to use both within the college and its wider community. Using the spacious grounds of the campus, they believed it would be an ideal location for a retirement community, and one where the residents and students could both benefit.
With the combined knowledge of the residents and the curiosity of the students, The Spires fosters a unique companionship between the two.
Laurie Steber, executive director, and Sara Bingham, director of sales, express how endearing it has been to watch these companionships develop. Residents take on the roles of both mentors and stand-in-grandparents to many of the students and make the effort to support them as often as they can. Laurie says, “The residents are at every sporting event, and every play, and every musical show. It’s seamless back-and-forth, cause we really are part of their campus.”
Residents treat students as if they’re family—fixing their cars, helping them get ready for dances, inviting them to Mother’s Day tea. “It’s nice to have 350 grandparents over here,” Laurie says. Being present in students’ lives is a cornerstone of the community. It allows residents to infuse the Berry College experience with a more comforting, vibrant atmosphere than students receive from the traditional college experience alone.
And life at The Spires is only enhanced by the students. The Spires gives students opportunities to both volunteer or work in the community as exercise instructors, student nurses, servers, and more. Outside of work, students spend one-on-one time with the residents, talking in the dining hall, playing music for them, and discussing classwork with them.
“The college has been incredibly warm and welcoming,” Sara says. “They’re very intentional in terms of making our residents feel like an extension of their campus, like an extension of their student population.”
Beyond their collaboration with Berry College, The Spires has also established itself as a thriving retirement community that stands on its own. The staff works endlessly to create an enriching experience tailored to each of their residents. Underscoring these experiences has also been a continuous sense of family between the staff and the residents, where both feel at home.
The staff knew they would have a lot to take on when they opened their doors in June of 2020. COVID-19 was on everyone’s minds, and it was a special point of care for The Spires. They took great care in providing a safe, comfortable transition for their incoming residents, and were surprised to find that it drew everyone much closer than expected.
Laurie says that going through COVID together “really created a wonderful foundation of family, care, and love, because we became that for each other right away.”
With this foundation of family, the staff makes a point to understand each resident as an individual. They give each person the assurance they will be cared for with the same level of detail, diligence, and determination they would want for their loved ones. Sara says, “We know everybody’s names; we know where everybody is in their aging process. We get to know these residents like we’re an extension of their family and are able to support them through aging just like their family would.”
Creating a sense of home makes The Spires feel like one big neighborhood, and it is treated as such. Residents are welcome to roam the campus as they please. An average day could start with a dip in the pool, followed by a stroll on Berry grounds, some time to yourself at home, then a relaxing evening in the community lounge. Within the community, residents can go about in their bathrobes if they want—what’s important to the staff is that they feel at home.
The residents are not only partial to the more relaxing aspects of The Spires, though. Nestled within The Spires is a bustling neighborhood of driven minds ready to soar at every opportunity.
Although the staff keeps the community running, they often find themselves sprinting to keep up with them. With a resident-formed band,
dance group, choral group, and more, the residents have paved the way for their lives in their new home. The Spire Pickers, Spire Strutters, Spire Singers, and Sunshiners are just a few of the resident-formed clubs. Paired with the daily activities provided by the staff, the residents have a plethora of opportunities for personal improvement and connection.
Some have even taken it upon themselves to pursue further education. Living on the Berry College campus gives the residents quick access to the educational benefits of the university. Naturally, the residents have optimized these benefits by asking professors to start a lecture series at the retirement community.
Beginning with a select few professors that residents personally asked to lecture, the series quickly took off. Approximately 65 professors and faculty members have presented, allowing residents to attend classes covering a variety of topics.
Traditional Berry courses have even integrated The Spires into their coursework. English professors assign narrative essays where students may interview residents about their lives. Communications courses arrange for students to present their work at The Spires, with residents acting as an audience. The retirement community is also an optimal space for student nurses to practice in a more realistic setting and familiarize themselves with programs such as memory care.
Combining their personal interests and the resources of The Spires, the community has developed a deep sense of zeal for life. “This community: it attracts a group of people who want to be present in mind and body,” Sara says, “and they still want to grow, and learn, and engage… It’s easy to see yourself here.”
Laurie and Sara stress the importance of The Spires’ view of retirement as an opportunity to embrace their “brilliantly wonderful lives,” as Laurie puts it. She goes on to say that “Our focus is to keep the residents vibrantly living. Just living vibrantly, and connected to each other, and with a purpose.”
Fulfillment comes in a multitude of forms; Laurie, Sara, and the rest of the staff seek to provide as many options as they can. From creating environments
tailored to their desires to giving back to the greater community to improving one’s self, they have it all.
The staff—and even the residents—have organized programs and groups that benefit those around them. One resident-formed group, called the Sunshiners, organizes group visits to the community’s memory care center to boost their spirits. Another group gathers to make jewelry they can sell to fund a scholarship for the Berry students. And one of the residents arranged for everyone to make Christmas boxes for children in need last year, the final result adding up to 165 boxes.
To Laurie and Sara, The Spires is a culmination of everything these “brilliantly wonderful” minds have worked for, the summit of their lives.
Each day at The Spires is one worth choosing. Beyond being a retirement community or even a home, it is a place of rejuvenation. The residents, staff, and students revitalize each other and reshape the idea of retirement into an exciting opportunity for self-exploration and personal fulfillment.
For incoming residents, one of the community's most desired options is the cottages, independent-living homes maintained by the community's staff. Seven more of these cottages are in the works, allowing anywhere from seven to fourteen new residents to move in. The Spires hopes to gradually increase the capacity of the community to provide incoming residents with the same close-knit, homey atmosphere they have shared up to now.
The Spires is proud to provide residents with a side of life they haven’t had a chance to fulfill yet. This year, they are not only celebrating how they’ve grown in the last five years but where they will go in the years to come.
For more information, visit The Spires’ website at: https://www.retireatberry.com/
To schedule a tour or appointment or to request additional information, reach out to The Spires staff using their contact page: https://www.retireatberry.com/contact/
