Six decades of true love wrapped in poems

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Enjoy this moving story of true love from Springmoor's own Bob Garnder, featured in the News & Observer.

In 1945, after serving in the Navy, Bob Gardner made his way into a post of the United Service Organizations on Morris Street in Durham.

Betty Mooney was on the dance floor that night, and Bob worked up the courage to ask for a dance. It’s a good thing he did. The two wasted no time becoming close friends, and Betty became Mrs. Gardner two years after they first met.

The couple was married for more than six decades, living much of that in Raleigh. They were separated by Betty’s death last July. After the funeral, Bob found a vivid reminder of their journey together: a black-and-gold tin box, filled with journals of poetry and letters written by Betty over the years.

Bob compiled a book he printed for friends and family members.

“This is an attempt to recapture the magic, the ecstasy and dreams of young love found in the collection of Betty’s poems and letters,” he wrote...[keep reading]

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/14/2680813/six-decades-of-true-love-wrapped.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy

Active Aging Week

Active Aging Week is an annual event, initiated by the International Council of Active Aging and held at senior centers and retirement communities all over, based on the philosophy that people can optimize and enhance their physical, social, and mental well-being throughout their lives.

This year's Active Aging Week theme "Many journeys, many destinations" emphasizes the individual and very diverse paths individuals take to achieve whole person wellness, which fits perfectly in line with Springmoor's Pathways wellness program.

Throughout the week, Springmoor residents participated in dozens of events from seminars to storytelling to fitness assessments and everything in between.  Over 250 residents and staff members attended the annual Health and Wellness fair, featuring 23 outside vendors.  The mayor, Nancy McFarlane, was even on hand to proclaim September 27th "Senior Health and Wellness Day"!

Triangle Heart Walk

Despite the rainy weather and chilly temperatures, Springmoor residents and staff joined together with thousands of others at the PNC Arena for the Triangle Heart Walk.  This event, through the American Heart Association, is held to spread awareness of America's number one killer, cardiovascular disease.  

The funds raised from this event contribute to getting the latest heart disease information into the hands of doctors, pediatric heart and stroke research, and spreading the word on life saving information.  

After completing the one mile route, a woman approached the residents at the finish line to let them know they inspired her to finish the walk! 

Seniors discover the power of writing

When 82-year-old Dorothy Rutledge decided to start writing, a character came to mind: her great-Aunt Leah. I’ll let Rutledge tell you about her.

“When I was a child, the few times I saw Aunt Leah I was quite intimidated by her,” Rutledge wrote during a Spring 2012 writing workshop held in the library of Springmoor Life Care Retirement community in North Raleigh.

“She was rather plump, dressed in a long black dress, black stockings, and black laced-up shoes, and she had a strong, commanding voice. She carried her Bible with her everywhere she went. She frightened me somewhat – even though I knew she was very religious.”

In her writings, Rutledge recounts a story of her aunt’s. Two men came to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Aunt Leah lived, looking for prostitutes. A local man who knew Leah decided to play a joke and told those two men where they might find a house of ill repute – at Aunt Leah’s home. The men went to the house, knocked and Aunt Leah answered. They told her that they both wanted a woman, and Leah, unruffled, bade them come in and sit. She disappeared and returned shortly with a Bible...[keep reading]

Former Raleigh city manager reflects on career - Raleigh - MidtownRaleighNews.com

This week, former Raleigh city manager and his wife, L.P. "Zack" and Pat Zachary, both Springmoor residents, were featured in the News & Observer's North Raleigh News and Midtown Raleigh News.  The couple just recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. 

When L.P. Zachary was city manager, he and his wife, Pat, lived in the Palm Court Apartments in West Raleigh.

It may have seemed an unusual address for one of the city’s leading public figures. But the Zacharys had a good reason...[keep reading]

Springmoor Olympics

As the whole world is gearing up for the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer, Springmoor residents were able to get a little piece of the action.

The Springmoor Olympics kicked off with an Opening Ceremony luncheon and over the next two and a half weeks, residents went head to head at venues all over the Springmoor campus, Pullen Park, and even Atlantic Beach.

Events included something for everyone with photography, bridge, fishing, Wii bowling, horseshoes, bocce, putting, remote control cars, ladder golf, chair volleyball, walking relays, ping pong bucket toss, frisbee golf, seed spitting, scavenger hunts, egg relays, a spelling bee, and corn toss.

Winners received medals at the Closing Ceremony, where everyone celebrated their victories with ice cream and a performance by Springmoor's very own Hot Shots.

Next up, London!

Springmoor Receives Honors at LeadingAge North Carolina's 56th Spring Conference & Trade Show

At Leading Age North Carolina's 56th Spring Conference and Trade Show, Springmoor Chaplain Phyllis Mayo was on hand to accept the prestigious 2012 Community Services Award for the community's outstanding work raising over $13,000 for Raleigh charity Stop Hunger Now.  These donations enabled Springmoor residents and staff to package an incredible 50,442 nutritious meals, in one day, for the world's most impoverished children.

Additionally, dedicated volunteer Shirley Peck, received the 2012 LeadingAge North Carolina Award that honors excellence in service to the elderly.

What started 27 years ago with a few hours a week playing piano at meals, Peck has turned into a musical initiative including nearly 300 Springmoor residents, 1250 rehearsals, and 326 performances that have changed and enhanced the lives of hundreds of residents and thousands of audience members.

Congratulations to Phyllis, Shirley, and the Springmoor Community!