Boats, pirates, gambling – sounds like a Mark Twain novel, right?Wrong. It’s the second annual resident vacation for Signature HealthCARE’s rural segment.
For several months now, Quality of Life leaders in the rural segment have been raising planning a trip to Myrtle Beach for September.
Last year, for the segment’s maiden voyage, QOL leaders took a group of 22 residents to Walt Disney World. (For a video, click HERE.)
This year, even more residents will get to join the adventure – a total of 116 people from 26 Signature facilities will make the journey by bus to Myrtle Beach. And the group plans to make the most of the three-day trip by squeezing in plenty of fun activities, said Angie McAllister, Director of Cultural Transformation for the segment.
“We will be enjoying such things as the Pirate’s Voyage Dinner Show, Casino Cruise along the river – and, of course, the amenities the hotel has to offer including the beach, pool and lazy rivers!”
To pay for the trip, homes have held fundraisers and other activities, even enlisting the help of local officials and organizations. Pickett Care & Rehab, for instance, worked with the local charter of Concerned Motorcyclists of Tennessee/American Bikers Active Toward Education to host a motorcycle ride fundraiser. Tennessee Rep. Kelly Keisling attended, riding shotgun in the sidecar of Ron Irwin, director of the organization’s local charter.
To date, the homes have generated nearly $40,000 through community-wide fundraisers and other activities. But the value of the trip – for stakeholders and residents, alike – far exceeds the money paid.
“What we learned from our experience last year at Walt Disney World was that our Elders loved the opportunity to explore new areas of the country and all of the experiences that go with that,” McAllister said. “We wanted to really offer a vacation for the Elders who could still take advantage of the experience. It has been very successful thus far and we will continue to offer this type of event annually to the Elders who wish to participate.”
The trip takes place Sept. 24-27. Stay tuned for photos and more…
Awesome! So proud of the team for making this a reality. Thanks Bev