Health Care Hero Processional honors caregivers
By LOIS KINDLE
The United Methodist Church of Sun City Center, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Sun Towers Retirement Community partnered May 28 to encourage the community to come out and support the folks who provide daily care for some of its most vulnerable residents.
Twenty HCSO deputies from the District 4 motorcycle unit, four marked patrol cars and one unmarked patrol escorted a processional of more than 70 vehicles throughout the community for a drive-by at 15 Sun City Center area senior living residences, assisted living facilities and skill nursing centers, all within the space of an hour.
“We left the United Methodist Church four minutes early, and the first motorcycle turned (back) into the church parking lot at 10 a.m. sharp,” said HCSO Community Resource Deputy Jeff Merry, who created the route and kept the processional moving on a tightly run schedule, which enabled each facility to know when it would pass. “It was great the community did this. You could tell everyone genuinely enjoyed (the processional). It lifted everyone’s spirits.”
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, members of the church and Sun Towers, the caravan of vehicles included representatives of Seniors Helpers, the Roamin’ Oldies Car Club, Sun City Center Emergency Squad, Freedom Plaza, Sun City Center Security Patrol, Sun Terrace Skilled Nursing, First Light Home Care, Magnolia Senior Living and more.
It visited South Bay Hospital, Clare Bridge memory care, Homewood Residence assisted living, Magnolia Senior Living, Plaza West skilled nursing and rehabilitation, Palm Gardens skilled nursing and rehabilitation, Sun City Center Senior Living assisted living, Belvedere Commons assisted living, Cypress Creek Assisted Living, Inspired Living memory care, Sun Towers, Sun Terrace skilled nursing and The Inn at Aston Gardens Courtyard senior living. At every stop, folks were outside clapping and cheering, as their way of showing appreciation for the community’s support.
“It was such a nice, fun event,” said Sun City Center resident Connie Lesko, an employee of Freedom Plaza’s Retired Officers Corp. “And the response we received from every community we passed was amazing.
“Working at a senior living community makes me acutely aware of how important workers are at every level,” she added. “They show up every day to ensure that our residents’ needs are met. They greatly deserve this tribute.”
Janice Bayruns, owner of FirstLight Home Care, agreed. “I felt so appreciated and so proud to be recognized as a caregiver,” she said about her participation in the processional. “All of (the people we were honoring) have been faced with the unique challenge of working for months in locked-down facilities. They deserve our utmost respect and admiration.”
Debbie Caneen, of Sun Towers Retirement Community, and Gary Kerckaert, of Sun City Center United Methodist Church, spearheaded the effort.