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Senior Resources elects new board members, grants six awards at Annual Meeting

News

January 27, 2017

The Board of Directors at Senior Resources held its 49th Annual Meeting on January 27, 2017, to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, elect new board members and recognize the support of several key community partners. The FY2016 Annual Report was also presented at the meeting, and can be viewed on our website.

Installed as new board members were Warren Benson, a retired Army Colonel and hospital executive; Tom Brown, President, CEO and Broker-in-charge of Asset Realty; Ed Garrison, retired Army officer and currently a senior investment broker and developer for Coldwell Banker, Tracy McDowell, Northeast Area Global Services Supervisor for Verizon Wireless; Connelly-Anne Ragley, a government relations associate with Denny Public Affairs; Rachel Robinson, supervisor of Rates and Regulatory Accounting for SCANA; and Tara Wise, Business Development Manager with AllSouth Federal Credit Union.

Officers of the Board of Directors were also elected. Libby Tucker, Director of Sales Analysis and Metrics at Colonial Life, will serve as president. Todd Timmons, Deputy General Counsel for the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, will serve as vice president. Derrick Stark, CPA, a founding member of Miravista LLC, will serve as treasurer. And Anne Marie Hanson, Compliance Counselor for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, will serve another term as secretary.

Six annual awards were given to individuals and agencies within the community who showed extraordinary support for Senior Resources in FY2016.

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 Lyon Street Conference Center. The Lyon Street Conference Center has partnered with the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs for more than a decade. In addition to donating free space for the FGP and SCP volunteers to have their monthly in-service meetings, they also donate their space for various Senior Corps events and training.

The Corporate Support Award, given for significant support of Senior Resources through financial donation or in-kind service, was given to Tyson Foods. Through their grant program in the communities where they operate, Tyson Foods has made strides in the fight against hunger. Their grant to Senior Resources in the fall of 2015 provided $18,850 to feed 10 seniors for one year through the Meals on Wheels program.

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 LISTEN, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the people of South Carolina through fundraising events. Over the last several years, LISTEN, Inc. has hosted a golf tournament and donated the proceeds to Senior Resources.

The Season of Service Award is given to a volunteer who has served Senior Resources over time with dedication, enthusiasm, passion and distinction.  And through the individual’s service they have been a great ambassador for Senior Resources. This year’s award was given to Sheila Stahlberger, who retires this month after a 29-year career at Senior Resources. In addition to serving as the agency’s Director of Finance and Administrative Operations, Stahlberger and her family also gave countless volunteer hours to the annual March for Meals 5K, and to Meals on Wheels.

The Billy Webster Award is given to a person who exemplifies the spirit of giving. This year, the award was given to the Ding Dong Divas, a local giving group that assembled 35 buckets of cleaning supplies, and spent a Saturday in April delivering them to our Home Care clients. This past fall, the Divas collected soup, crackers, cereal bars and juice, and assembled 400 shelf-stable meals which included drawings and notes from local students. The Ding Dong Divas have rebranded themselves in 2017 as Givation to reflect how they’ve grown from spreading neighborhood cheer to making an impact in their community through monthly giving projects.

The Deborah Bower Leadership Award was created in 2013 to recognize outstanding leadership service provided by an individual in support of our mission. Debbie Bower was the Executive Director of Senior Resources until her death in 2012. This year’s award was granted to Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.
Over the past few years, the mayor has taken the time to see first-hand the needs of Columbia’s elderly residents by delivering Meals on Wheels, visiting Wellness Centers, meeting with Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions, and helping to deliver holiday food boxes. Mayor Benjamin was able to share that first-hand knowledge with City Council members and lead them to a decision to increase funding to the agency ten times above what the city had provided the year before.