Grove Park Apartments in Hinesville played host to a neighborhood bash on Saturday, June 11. The event was designed to be a spring fling for senior adults who live at Grove Park and also to provide some informational resources for aging residents.

The Hinesville Police Department was on hand for the event, as well as other services including Your Family Hospice, Diversity Health Center and Abide Home Care.

Residents enjoyed hot dogs, barbecue chicken and chips, as well as a cakewalk.

A representative for Your Family Hospice explained the genesis of the event.

“I have been trying to get the property manager at Grove Park to do something fun,” said Andrea Valdez, director of marketing for Your Family Hospice. “I am always looking for opportunities to connect community agencies with residents and citizens and older adults.”

Valdez said she wants residents to know what’s available in community services and opportunities, and an event like this is a great way to spread the word. Liz Cowart, the property manager for Grove Park, agreed.

Cowart said another community has six residents living on the streets because they do not require assisted living, but Grove Park is trying to become a facility for those requiring it.

A few years ago, the Hinesville PD was awarded a $3,000 grant from Target to go into the community to do cookouts, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, those plans were put on hold — until now.

“We’re hoping to get up to about 15 neighborhoods before all is said and done,” said Bryan Wolfe, community resource officer for Hinesville PD.

He said that he and Valdez from Your Family Hospice have a great working relationship.

“We decided we’d come out here, and I let her know I got the money to do a cookout,” Wolfe said. “I would encourage … some other properties in town, or the property managers, to get a bounce house or do a raffle or something extra to add.”

As a community resource officer, Wolfe also participates in various charitable programs, such as Shop with a Cop, which has helped 47 children in 19 different families. Through the program, each child receives $150 to spend at Walmart on Christmas presents. Shop with a Cop has also funded the purchase of bunk beds, shoes and warm clothing.

A representative with Abide Home Care shared both Valdez and Wolfe’s sentiments about the neighborhood bash.

“We partner with Your Family Hospice, and we work very closely with Andrea (Valdez),” said Christy Smith, area marketing manager with Abide, which offers at home services for seniors or anyone over the age of 18. “She invited us to be here to show the services that we share with the senior population.”

Also present at the event was Roxanne Campion, regional administrator for Coastal Georgia Region.

“We are dedicated to giving good quality care and giving people time to stay in their home,” she said. “We like to allow people to remain independent and stay in their homes instead of going into nursing homes or assisted living facilities. We also give peace of mind to family members to know that their parents or grandparents are being well taken care of.”

Diversity Health Center participated for similar reasons.

“We are out here letting the residents know that we offer primary care services,” said Sabrina Hines, Diversity Health Center’s regional manager. “We also have a great behavioral health team. We also have a dental clinic, so we basically just wanted to come out and let the residents know what we have going on.”

Other services offered through Diversity include Dig with Diversity, a program that encourages growing natural fruits and vegetables, and Good Fit, a workout program. They also have a hypertension coordinator and a diabetic coordinator.

Diversity has three locations: Hinesville, Ludowici and Jesup.