By PHYLLIS HODGES
LIFELINE, an emergency response alert program of the Men’s Club of Sun City Center, is relocating to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 1239 W. Del Webb Blvd. The move from Cherry Hills Drive is necessitated by a plan to demolish the building as part of the Community Association’s upcoming North Campus construction project.
Packing is underway, and the club expects Nellie Brock to open at the new location July 16. Men’s Club President Denny Gray said they are delighted with the space the church is generously donating. It can be found easily from the church’s east parking lot, and electronic entrance doors will be added to the canopy-covered entrance for easy accessibility.
“St. Andrew’s board was very supportive of the proposal,” said Rev. Edwin Gonzalez-Gertz. He added that hosting Lifeline will be a welcome addition to the church’s outreach program. The board recognizes the need for activity opportunities and currently hosts over a dozen community organizations.
The Men’s Club of SCC is the exclusive provider of emergency response systems in the Greater Sun City Center area. The club works with Connect America to provide the most advanced and reliable alert systems available to provide subscribers with ready access to first responders, i.e., SCC Emergency Squad, Hillsborough County Fire or Sheriff, or even a designated relative or neighbor. Operation is simple: the subscriber wears a button that, when activated, puts them in contact with a response associate who will stay on the line until the response person or team is there.
Three Lifeline systems are available: 1) A button that you push if assistance is needed. 2) A fall detection system if you fall and are unable to push the button. 3) A GPS-based system that works anywhere in the U.S. if AT&T cell service is available.
Monthly costs range from $30 to $40.
PHYLLIS HODGES PHOTO
Denny Gray (R), SCC Men’s Club president, and Nellie Brock, Lifeline office manager, meet with Rev. Edwin Gonzalez-Gertz to discuss relocation of the Lifeline office to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. They expect to open the new office on July 16.
President Gray said that, unlike off-the-shelf competitors, the Lifeline alert systems come with something extra: free installation, free training and free service calls by the club’s highly trained volunteers. The costs are competitive; however, he said that anyone who needs the service but can’t afford it should contact the office to discuss the possibility of financial assistance.
The office is staffed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays for coordination of installation, service calls, inventory management, etc. When the office is closed, an answering service contacts on-call volunteers to service equipment if needed.
The Men’s Club of SCC, a non-profit organization, was established in the early 1960s to provide a combination of fellowship and community service. Its 350 or so members enjoy monthly meetings, community-centered projects and special outings, such as baseball and hockey games, concerts and cruises.
For further information on Lifeline or the club, call 813-633-7091 or email: mclifeline@live.com/.