Our family has a year-round tradition: pancakes on Friday night. We’ve been eating breakfast for dinner for a little over five years, and I hate to admit it, but I still can’t flip the perfect pancake. So, when my parents came down for a visit recently, we decided to go out for pancakes.
As my mom and dad gave their order to the waitress, I blurted out, “Why are you ordering off the senior menu?” They both looked at me and said, “Because we’re seniors! DUH!”
My parents have been senior citizens for a long time, but it didn’t really dawn on me until that moment. They live in the Midwest, so I don’t get to see their day-to-day lives as intimately as I used to. But I know they have friends and neighbors who appreciate their company, quirks, and desire to get involved. I’m grateful my parents have such an accepting community around them.
Their visit got me thinking. There must be parents and grandparents and great-grandparents in Holly Springs and the surrounding area whose families lives far away. While I’m not able to see my parents very often, I wanted to find ways to pay forward the kindness and sense of community they experience, to the seniors here.
I called someone who knows all about the local sassy senior community — the ever-smiling Fuquay-Varina resident Dee Davis. Dee started the Adopt a Senior Citizen program, but don’t let the name fool you. It’s less about adopting a senior to keep them stocked with toilet paper and compression socks, and more about enabling seniors to live a full, dignified life with some fun along the way.
Adopt a Senior Citizen focuses on the income-based independent living communities in Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. The program helps residents maintain their sense of freedom and fun through social events, conversation, and gift cards. If it’s lively and festive, then Adopt a Senior Citizen is a part of it!
“It’s about giving seniors something to look forward to,” Dee said when we sat down for coffee. “The stories that are shared when we get together…there’s a sacred knowledge that only seniors can tell. But even more than that, the laughter! Everyone is constantly laughing!”
So, when she mentioned the term “senagers” it really hit home with me. Senior citizens have truly come full circle, and the golden years are reminiscent of the carefree teenage years. If you want a genuine smile and laugh, chat with a senior for two minutes. It will lighten your day and theirs!
“These folks are so grateful someone cares,” Dee continued. “And the rippling effect of compassion and kindness helps our entire community thrive.”
As I chatted with Dee, I felt my perception of “senior citizen” shift. She started Adopt a Senior because of her mother, Sylvia. “My mama taught us that it doesn’t take much to make a difference,” Dee shared. “She’d always be giving us an extra dinner plate or flowers from our garden to run across the street for an elderly neighbor.” That kind-heartedness continued throughout Sylvia’s life and is instilled in Dee. Helping others is a part of their family DNA.
Being like Dee and engaging wholeheartedly with others is something I want to do more; however, I spend so much of my time focused on work and my kiddos, often I find myself thinking there’s no way I can add more to my plate. Dee helped me realize that senior citizens are not a charity case but rather a community that will return my attention tenfold — even if my attention is simply a smile, gift card, or store-bought cupcakes.
“Every month we throw a senior shindig. There’s a theme, so it’s festive and gives the residents something to look forward to regularly,” Dee tells me as she scrolls through photos on her phone. There was a Cinco de Mayo party with tacos and sombreros! A western party full of hay bales, cowboy hats, and folks who showed up in their best plaid! A Valentine’s Day celebration with hearts, cupid wings, and stories of first loves.
I know I can’t help with every shindig at the Dorothy Nixon Allen Manor (155 W. Holly Springs Road in Holly Springs), but now I find myself picking up extra party favors whenever the kids’ classrooms have a celebration. As Dee mentioned with a laugh, “Both kids and seniors know how to have a good time.”
My calendar is packed with appointments, practices, drop-offs, pick-ups, playdates, games, and more. I find it’s easy to get caught up in the routine of it all. Dee, along with the tireless Adopt a Senior Citizen volunteers and the Holly Springs “senagers,” have helped me slow down (even if it’s for five minutes), appreciate an intergenerational connection, and laugh.
Here are three small ways you can make a big impact for seniors in our community:
Make a call, send a card, or visit the seniors in your life. Or if you’re like me and they live in another state, simply say hi and ask a senior here in Fuquay-Varina how they’re doing.
Donate $20 Walgreens or Food Lion gift cards. Please stick to those two stores, as they are easily accessible and provide a sense of shopping thrill! Starting in October, a special Adopt a Senior Citizen drop box will be at Logan’s Garden Hut (1004 Old Honeycutt Road, Fuquay-Varina) and KnB’s Marketplace (120 Raleigh Street, Fuquay-Varina). Drop off gift cards at either of these Fuquay-Varina stores — the box is secure, and you’ll see it as you walk in the front doors!
Help with the monthly senior shindigs. From decorations to food, please donate to help make the events at Dorothy Nixon Allen Manor feel fun! Follow the “Adopt a Senior Citizen Caring and Sharing for the Elders” Facebook page for a list of items they need each month.
