How a local woman is bringing COVID-safe holiday cheer to Lynchburg seniors

A small donation can help Watts Family Creations make wreaths for The Summit residents

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Not being able to hug loved ones in senior living communities isn’t easy, especially during the holidays.

Marie Faircloth is using her crafting skills to bring holiday cheer to the rehabilitation, assisted living and retirement residents at The Summit in Lynchburg.

Faircloth and her family are making wreaths for each senior and is inviting you to help.

You don’t have to be crafty. There’s a GoFundMe account where you can donate to help purchase ribbons, wire wreath frames and a wreath hanger if a senior needs one. The deadline to give is Friday, Nov. 20.

Faircloth’s hope is to expand this project to other local senior communities.

“I remember when I was younger and I would visit a nursing home where I grew up at and they would always talk about different family traditions and remembering old memories from back when they were younger of the holidays and stuff and that was the thing that made them the happiest. And I want to be able to bring back those memories to them since they can’t be with loved ones right now,” said Faircloth.

The Summit’s marketing director Brenda Dixon said the residents and staff are so grateful for all of the community’s creative gestures like this.

Over the past several months, The Summit has worked hard, along with volunteers, to make sure seniors don’t feel forgotten and still get some sort of social interaction in this pandemic.

The Summit residents have had horse visits, a Mother’s Day parade, even a Zoom Veteran’s Day celebration featuring letters from the community.

Dixon said the best part is seeing their seniors smiling underneath their masks and knowing how much the little things can brighten their day. That’s why they’ve been planning holiday activities for months now.

Like most retirement communities, Dixon mentioned they are open to volunteers helping in COVID-19.

“If people are out there really wanting to help we just encourage them to reach out because we may have not come up with the idea yet. Courtyard carolers, Christmas carolers, we’ve talked about that we have some COVID-safe Santa events and things that are planned,” said Dixon.

To volunteer, you can call The Summit at 434-582-1500 and ask for Brenda.


About the Author:

Megan Woods is thrilled to be back home and reporting at Local 4. She joined the team in September 2021. Before returning to Michigan, Megan reported at stations across the country including Northern Michigan, Southwest Louisiana and a sister station in Southwest Virginia.