Dec 22, 2015 | Activities, Body, Events, Good Moods, Grace Ridge Blog Posts, Holidays, Lifestyle, Mind, Mood, News, Residents, Western NC
🔊 Listen to This Blog. It’s no easy (or tidy) task spending 100-plus hours sifting and sorting through bags stuffed with thousands of plastic caps from sodas, laundry detergent bottles, coffee cans and peanut butter jars, but when the end result is three new “green” benches for deaf and blind seniors, it’s an undertaking that’s truly gratifying. Last year, Grace Ridge spearheaded a Community Bottle Cap Project and teamed up with Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge, Simply Green Recycling Service and Robert L. Patton High School to collect plastic bottle caps and promote the importance of recycling. “We wanted to collect enough bottle caps to make a recycled bench for the Alder Springs Senior Deaf and Blind Community,” said Evelyn Beaver, life enrichment director. “We had an unbelievable response from the community – all over western North Carolina – and ended up collecting enough to make three benches. It’s a great example of true community spirit.” Once volunteers sorted the 1,200-plus pounds of bottle caps and loaded them into the Grace Ridge van, Evelyn and co-worker Wanda Miller made the 500-mile trek to Evansville, Ind., where the caps were repurposed into benches at Green Tree Plastics. On Dec. 18, Grace Ridge staff presented three green benches – tied with a red bow – to representatives from North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton Foundation and the Senior Deaf & Blind Community. Board Chairman Jerry Norvell gratefully accepted the benches and promised they will be put to good use when the new community opens early next year. “What an incredibly creative way for Grace Ridge residents to add quality...
Nov 12, 2015 | Activities, Body, Events, Good Moods, Grace Ridge Blog Posts, Holidays, Lifestyle, Mind, Mood, News, Residents
🔊 Listen to This Blog. Whether it’s coloring a card for a hometown soldier, stuffing a backpack with food for hungry children or loading a stocking full of games and puzzles for hospice patients, the opportunities to perform Good Deeds are plentiful at Grace Ridge this holiday season. With the fourth quarter Well4Life rewards program focusing on volunteerism and community relations, it’s a chance for residents and staff to share kindness with people in the community who are less fortunate. “This is a time of year when there are so many needs in our community,” said Evelyn Beaver, director of life enrichment. “We wanted to offer different projects that would be meaningful for our residents and allow them to lend a hand in areas they are passionate about.” Not all activities require a financial commitment, allowing residents and staff of all income levels to participate. Some plan to roll up their sleeves and help prepare food for the homeless at The Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry at Burke United Christian Ministries, while others will fill backpacks with beans, rice and peanut butter for hungry children through the Backpack Ministry at Grace Episcopal Church. For The Meeting Place Mission, volunteers will make travel kits – zip-close bags filled with hotel-sized shampoo, soap and lotion. Meanwhile, other residents and staff are donating basic medical supplies, like aspirin and anti-itch cream, for Dr. William Johanson’s upcoming Health Teams International mission trip to Haiti. A group of Grace Ridge “elves” is stuffing stockings with puzzles, candy, games, tissues, lotion, snacks and fuzzy gripper socks that will be delivered to area Medicaid facilities through...
Sep 24, 2015 | Apartments, Assisted Living, Grace Ridge Blog Posts, Lifestyle, News, Residents, Tips & Info, Western NC
🔊 Listen to This Blog. You’ve dedicated your career to making a difference for kids and helping shape young minds. Now it’s time to trade your classroom for a view of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and start making your retirement dreams a reality. If you’re a retired teacher who’s been waiting for the perfect time to transition into a vibrant and active life full of Good Moods, now’s your chance. For a limited time, Grace Ridge is offering a special move-in package for retired teachers. Call 828-580-8300 today for details! Stay in touch: Follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our e-newsletter for updates and...
Mar 24, 2014 | Activities, Good Moods, Health & Fitness
🔊 Listen to This Blog. We recently read an article on Discovery Health titled, “10 Active Senior Hobbies”. You can read it here. We were inspired and wondered how Grace Ridge stacks up. So we compiled our on list based on the Discovery article. Take a look at 10 similar hobbies and the ways Grace Ridge encourages the passions and pursuits of our residents: 1. Playing Golf. Grace Ridge offers a discount membership to Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club, a premiere golf club in Morganton, North Carolina. Mimosa Hills features a beautiful 18-hole course designed by famed Scottish-born golf course architect Donald Ross in 1929. (As a member, you also get access to tennis, swimming and dining.) 2. Gardening. Passionate gardeners are always welcome at Grace Ridge. Our residents have helped design some of our best features – the rose garden near the entrance, the fountain overlooking our cottages and our gazebo – the perfect place to meditate and enjoy the mountain views. You can look at our balconies and cottage yards to see we have several green thumbs in our midst. We also have raised beds available for residents to grow vegetables or flowers. Plant your heart out at Grace Ridge! 3. Dancing. Yes, we have dancing. A line dancing class is offered every other week, and there are opportunities within the community for various dance classes. There’s even a club for “shaggers” – the beach music dance made famous along the coasts of North and South Carolina. Legendary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham once said, “Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.” Great...
