NEWBERRY — With the holiday season right around the corner, many people are looking for ways to give back to the community. One way is with White Oak Manor’s Adopt a Grandparent Program.
“The Adopt a Grandparent program begins with a group or person who want to commit to outreach. At White Oak, we have always had a volunteer program and around the holidays we always have people wanting to volunteer,” said Jim Davis, activities director at White Oak Manor.
Davis said they have been blessed at White Oak Manor to have people from the community reach out to them. He said last year students from Whitmire Community School wrote letters to White Oak community members, and at the end of the semester they all gathered and met one another.
At White Oak Manor, there is a capacity for 146 community members, currently they have 134. Davis said that the population at White Oak always fluctuates.
“We have some community members come for physical therapy and leave afterwords, and around the holidays and birthdays people go to their heavenly homes,” he said.
When it comes to the Adopt a Grandparent program, Davis said they always try to recommend one of their community members that could benefit the program the most.
He said that everyone at White Oak has some type of family, but some have outlived their immediate family, and may only have grandchildren or great-grandchildren left.
“Everyone does have some type of family and everyone will get a gift. We do ask our community members authorized representative (the person in charge of their affairs) and get their approval,” Davis said.
This year, Davis said they have been blessed to have people reach out to them. He said they have had churches, private organizations, individuals and couples all reach out to adopt a community member.
“It makes the volunteers and the community members feel good,” he said.
When it comes to getting presents for White Oak Manor community members, Davis said getting them something they can lounge in is always good. He said the ladies like to wear nightgowns and for men jeans, a T-shirt or a sweatshirt would work.
“Body wash is also a big thing, and something as simple as Kleenex, which is something they can always use,” he said.
If you would like to adopt a community member at White Oak Manor you can contact Davis at 803-276-6060. They will be distributing presents on Dec. 21 and Santa Claus will be visiting the residents. Davis said they prefer all gifts to be wrapped, but if you cannot they will wrap them for you.