RICHMOND—At this holiday gift-giving time, Stacey Wilson, Lakewood Manor's program coordinator, becomes a wrapping machine. She is not wrapping the presents for her friends and families but for the Lakewood residents.
Lakewood Manor resident Peggy Warren (right) gets help with gift wrap from Stacey Wilson.
Lakewood Manor, a continuing care retirement community affiliated with Virginia Baptists, offers many services and amenities that their residents enjoy. However, gift wrapping is not a typical service that one would expect to find at most retirement communities. Plus, Wilson's gift wrapping is at no charge to the residents.
Most of the residents for whom Wilson wraps gifts have some physical limitations, so folding paper, taping up a side of a gift and tying a bow are not always easy.
“I really enjoy spending the extra time with the residents, especially during the holidays,” says Wilson. “The residents are excited to tell me about the gifts that they have purchased and the loved ones who will receive them.”
Wilson's wrapping services are available to residents throughout the year, but of course she is in demand most at Christmas.
“Sometimes it is the smallest act of service that we do for one another that can mean the most,” said Holly Raidabaugh, Lakewood's director of marketing. “I don't think Stacey realizes how deeply touched our residents are not just for the wrapping services but for everything she does in her role as program coordinator.”
This is the season of giving and Lakewood Manor helps make it brighter for so many of its residents by adding a special touch.