Edgemere retirement resort recently held an awards luncheon to honor four Dallas area seniors who received the Edgemere 2011 Salute to Seniors Award.
The Salute to Seniors Award is presented quarterly to honor an individual who is making a difference in their community. Qualified nominees are active adults age 62 and above who volunteer their time and talents to their communities, and who also exemplify leadership, spirit, and citizenship.
“Recognizing and honoring seniors for the contributions they bring to Dallas is very important to Edgemere,” said Vanessa Curtright, director of sales and marketing at Edgemere. “It was an honor to be in the presence of such amazing people who have given so much of their time over the years helping others.”
The 2011 honorees were nominated by the nonprofit organizations they serve, and include: Wordie Harrell, Nancy Dickey, Margaret Anne Cullum and Dr. Robert Collop.
Wordie Harrell
(Nominated by Genesis Women’s Shelter)
Harrell volunteers as a daycare provider in the Granny Ruth playroom. She works with the little ones while their mothers are in meetings or are interviewing for jobs. She enjoys teaching basics such as ABCs, counting and colors, to the babies, 1, 2 and 3 year olds she cares for. Harrell’s two older sisters introduced her to Genesis. Harrell enjoys meeting the needs of the small children in the program. She spends time rocking, feeding and playing with the children, and especially enjoys Fridays when the children get to watch a movie together.
Nancy Dickey
(Nominated by Ronald McDonald House)
While working at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Cancer Center in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dickey worked with the doctors responsible for the beginning planning and thoughts about The Ronald McDonald House. The doctors she worked with were instrumental in seeing that families had a place to stay when their children were receiving treatments. After the Ronald McDonald House opened in Dallas, Dickey started volunteering when her time allowed.
While volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, Dickey typically works at the front desk. She takes referrals for families to stay at the House, gives tours to new families as they check in, gives tours to members of the community who come to visit, and on occasion, she helps in the kitchen. She is always happy to pitch in and do whatever needs to be done.
Margaret Anne Cullum
(Nominated by the Nasher Sculpture Center)
Cullum got involved with the Nasher through her role as a docent at The Dallas Museum of Art, which is located across the street from the Nasher. She generally works at the Nasher twice a month. In her role, she must be knowledgeable about the Nasher’s permanent collection as well as special exhibitions which rotate in and out. She receives extra training from the Nasher staff about the special exhibitions as well as doing reading on her own, all learning experiences she truly enjoys.
Dr. Robert Collop
(Nominated by The Stewpot)
Dr. Collop got involved with The Stewpot in 2005 after he became aware of the good work First Presbyterian Church was doing to help the homeless. He volunteers on a weekly basis and currently spends his time sorting samples, such as shampoo, toothpaste and soap, as they come in. Dr. Collop is a retired family practitioner. When he’s not volunteering, he enjoys spending time with his wife of over sixty six years and with his five sons and twelve grandchildren.
ABOUT EDGEMERE
With 304 independent living apartment homes, 60 assisted living suites, 31 memory care private apartments, and 72 private rooms for dignified skilled nursing, Edgemere is the largest and most comprehensive life care senior living community in Dallas. The community is located in the Preston Hollow/Park Cities area at 8523 Thackery Street at Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas 75225. The Plaza Health Services at Edgemere located on the same campus at 8502 Edgemere Road at Northwest Highway, offers assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory support services for Edgemere life care residents, as well as for others in the community.
Edgemere is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit senior living community owned by Senior Quality Lifestyles Corporation (SQLC), a Texas-based nonprofit organization that owns sister communities The Buckingham in Houston, Querencia at Barton Creek in Austin, The Stayton at Museum Way in Fort Worth and Mirador in Corpus Christi. For information, visit www.edgemeredallas.com, or call (469) 619-0825.
