SunServe and The Purple Jacket: A Perfect Match

By Christopher MacLellan | May 18, 2012 |

I am pleased to announce that ‘The Purple Jacket’ and ‘The Bow-Tie-Guy’ have joined the staff at SunServe Social Services in Fort Lauderdale, Florida  as the coordinator of Senior Services.     SunServe Social Services is the home of the Noble A. McArtor Adult Day Care Center .  Opening in 2004,  the Noble A. McArtor Adult Day Care Center   has been on the frontier for serving the needs of the LGBT senior community in South Florida.

The Noble A. McArtor Adult Day Care Center has always had a special place in my heart as my close friend, Father Richard Orlando, was one of the first participants of the center when it first opened in 2004.     During his time at  Noble A. McArtor Adult Day Care Center, Father Orlando excelled in all facets of his life.  The staff and participants at the center were a major part in providing Father Orlando with a beautiful “SunSet” to his life!

Having been away from Fort Lauderdale for four years and upon returning to Fort Lauderdale in March 2012, I was shocked, surprised and impressed to see the growth of  SunServe Social Services in such a short period of time.   SunServe  has grown into a comprehensive social service agency, offering a number of professional services to the LGBT Community in Fort Lauderdale including:

SunServe Social Services provides high quality, compassionate, and progressive care for all, including those in financial need, minorities, youth, seniors, families, and those with life-challenging physical or emotional conditions.  The growth of SunServe Social Services is a truly remarkable and is a testament to the entire staff.
 
Forging ahead with this collaboration is a  perfect fit for ‘The Purple Jacket’ and ‘The Bow-Tie-Guy’ as we continue to talk about the real-life issues and needs  of LGBT Aging, Health and Caregiving. 
SunServe Social Services is rolling out a telephone tree to call our LGBTQ neighbors in Broward County who may be homebound or would like to touch base with someone every day.  If you are in South Florida, I urge you to become active in this program.

You:  Would have to make a commitment to call your client once a day – at a specific time you both find convenient – to check on them, give them an update and share some news.

 You:  Would make a commitment to serve for 6 months at a time.

Yes, you can take a vacation but you will have to let your phone team leader know so another volunteer can cover your client.

Yes, you can go back north for the summer; you might decide to continue your calls from “Up North” or we can ask another volunteer to call for you.

Yes, we can utilize your services for the months that you are here.

Yes, there is a three-hour training that you need to attend on Saturday, May 19th from 10 – 1 PM at SunServe.

Yes, you can have more than one client.

Yes, you will have to keep a brief daily log and report to your telephone team captain once a month on how you are doing, how your client is doing and if any special situations have arisen.

Yes, you can refer friends into the program so they may receive calls.

If you are in Broward County and interested in participating , please call Andrew Forester at 954-764-5150 for a quick phone interview and to sign up for the training on Saturday, May 19 here at the SunServe Office.

Posted in Caregiving, The Purple Jacket and tagged , , , ,

2 Comments

  1. sportsattitudes on May 18, 2012 at 10:50 am

    Congrats, Chris. This sounds fantastic. Wish you all the best in your efforts going forward!!!



  2. Chris MacLellan "The Bow-Tie-Guy" on May 18, 2012 at 11:04 am

    Thanks, Bruce! Let’s touch base soon; hope all is well at your end. I am still recovering from my ‘Blues’ exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.