Dawn Bryant has a lot of grandparents.
They're not blood related, but she sees about 20 of them almost every day, and she makes sure they're well-fed and having fun.
“They're not just clients of mine; they're my family — They all have …
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Dawn Bryant has a lot of grandparents.
They're not blood related, but she sees about 20 of them almost every day, and she makes sure they're well-fed and having fun.
“They're not just clients of mine; they're my family — They all have touched such a place in my heart,” she said. “I will bend the earth to do whatever they need. If I know they need a space heater, I will find a space heater. If they need some repair on their houses, I will find someone to do it.”
Bryant works for the Baldwin County Council on Aging, which serves as the resource for information, training, technical assistance, advocacy and leadership for the elderly in the county.
In addition to teaching arts classes like crocheting, ceramics and painting through the Council on Aging, Bryant also manages the Loxley Senior Activities for Independent Living (SAIL) Center, where she coordinates nutritious, hot meals for dozens of seniors, hosts BINGO and other activities and informs seniors about resources available to them.
“Our main goal is really the fellowship,” Bryant said. “This is the only time they get to spend with their friends. A lot of them don't have anybody — they don't have family here or they don't have any family left. They don't come just for the food; they come to visit with their friends.”
There are usually about 15 to 20 seniors at lunch every day, and the Council on Aging also has a delivery program that serves seniors in the area who are homebound.
But sometimes, Bryant will make a special trip to pick up people who can't drive and bring them to lunch, like 85-year-old Jim “Pop” Peters, who has been coming to the Loxley SAIL Center for for almost 30 years.
“They are nourishing meals, and I've enjoyed them through the years — it's been a real sustaining factor in my life,” Peters said. “I think Dawn does a great job. She understands older people and has an insight that a lot of people don't have.”
Bryant said working with seniors like Peters is the best job she's ever had. She has most of their phone numbers programmed into her cellphone, and she stays connected with each of them, making sure everything is going smoothly.
“When I first started this job and they gave me a list of all these names, I thought, 'How am I going to learn all these people's names?'” she said.
But it didn't take her long to not only learn everyone's name, but their stories as well.
“One thing I've learned is that I didn't realize how much their past is just so interesting,” Bryant said. “One man, Captain, is 93, and he comes out every day. I tell them to write down their stories, but he has a hard time writing, so he typed his story for me. For my birthday, they had it framed for me and gave it to me.”
But working so closely with seniors does present challenges. Bryant said each time someone from the group passes away, it is like losing a family member.
“The hardest thing about my job is going to the funerals,” she said. “I've learned that tomorrow's not promised, and today's not promised. You need to spend every day as if it's your last, because you never know when the Lord's gonna call you home. As a younger girl, I did not know that value when my grandparents were alive.”
The Loxley SAIL Center is celebrating 37 years in April. There will be an open house April 17 at 10 a.m.
