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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Brookdale Senior Living Solutions took their residents out to give hot chocolate to Salvation Army bell ringers throughout the month of December.
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Neighbors | Submitted.The Brookdale "elves" began in 2013 as a part of the Brookdale Good Deed program, which focuses on getting the residents more involved in the community and giving them opportunities to give back. Pictured are, from left, Dena Byrd, Brookdale resident Dorothy Dama and Amber Baxter.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The residents who pass out hot chocolate to the bell ringers are called the Brookdale "elves." Pictured are, from left, bell ringer Lawanna Dow and Brookdale residents Dale Gerkin, Helen Yask and Carl Yask.
By ZACK SHIVELY
The seniors at Brookdale Senior Living Solutions took trips to stores throughout the Austintown community every Wednesday during the holiday season to give hot chocolate to the Salvation Army bell ringers.
Vanessa Montgomery, Clare Bridge Program Coordinator, calls the residents the Brookdale elves because of their help to the community during the season. Montgomery drove the bus full of Brookdale residents to local stores, such as Austintown’s Wal-Mart and Cornersburg’s Sparkle Market.
Montgomery said the seniors love the program and they feel a sense of pride in helping the bell ringers. She said they look forward to the event every holiday season.
“I believe if [the residents] weren’t [at Brookdale], they would be out helping and giving back,“ Montgomery said.
The program began in 2013 as a part of the Brookdale Good Deed program, which aims to get the residents more involved in the community and give them opportunities to give back.