2018 has gone by quickly for us here in Central Virginia, and it’s hard to believe the end of the year is upon us. As we look back to this time last year at Brandermill Woods, we’d just completed our Expansion Project, and we were making plans to upgrade our irrigation system and refurbish our on-campus wood shop—two projects we successfully completed earlier this year.
This year, perhaps the biggest news is that our Executive Director Mira Pallotta is retiring after 29 years with our organization, effective at the end of December. She began working here in her 20’s and has seen the community transform over the past three decades, along with the Greater Richmond area. Everyone, from the Brandermill Woods staff to our seniors, are going to miss her good cheer and warm company.
Associate Executive Director Charmaine Preiss will be replacing Mira in the New Year. Charmaine has been with Brandermill Woods for more than 15 years, and she knows the community inside and out. Stay tuned for more about Charmaine.
A Year of Community Events
As we look back at the past 12 months, it’s stunning just how many activities our seniors have participated in. Back in February, we held our own Brandermill Woods Olympic Games, in conjunction with the 2018 Winter Olympics. In April, during National Volunteer Week, many of our residents and team members met up for volunteer projects around Richmond.
Every month, our local book club, the Brandermill Woods Men’s Club and Women’s Club, and other community groups met for exciting activities. Meanwhile, other residents enjoyed movie nights, a myriad of fitness classes, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, and sat in on lifelong learning lectures, storytelling sessions, art classes, and more.
One look at our Independent Living or Assisted Living calendars, and you’ll see our schedules are jam-packed with fun and engaging events. We anticipate 2019 will look no different.
Out on the Town
One of our most enjoyable programming opportunities are our outings to Greater Richmond. The city has changed a great deal in recent year, and you really can’t see and do all our city has to offer in a year’s time. In 2018, for instance, here are just a few of the outings our seniors took as part of our community activities:
- The Richmond Symphony
- Broadway in Richmond
- The Virginia Rep Theater
- Tours of the CBS 6 news station and the Wakefield Weather Center
- VCU’s new Museum of Contemporary Art
- The Science Museum
- St. John’s Church
- Kanawha Canal Cruise
- Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
- Westhover Plantation
- New Kent Winery
- The Metro Richmond Zoo
- And more!
Many of these outings included lunches or picnics, shopping trips, and more. It’s such a treat to live in a city with such lively cultural and artistic offerings, and we look forward to an abundance of new outings in 2019.
