Businesses, churches and supporters lift up retirement community

Sidewalks at The Glen were sprinkled with color on the afternoon of April 14 in Shreveport, when members of The Simple Church dropped by to leave cheerful messages and drawings in chalk for residents and staff working in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The church members also cheered and held up signs reading “We Love You” and “Hugging You In My Heart” as a way to offer encouragement during a global pandemic that has altered the way businesses, retirement communities, restaurants and churches can operate in the past month and a half.

Since mid-March, The Glen has followed protective measures and guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, and Louisiana Department of Health, which include residents remaining quarantined in their rooms and prohibiting outside visitors inside the buildings. Health-care workers at The Glen have provided diligent attention around the clock to ensure residents are safe and all their daily needs are met.

Community support, such as that shown by The Simple Church, has been overwhelming during this uncertain time period, said Debra Williams, The Glen president and CEO.

“It touches my heart to know how much of the community is supporting The Glen,” she said.

Support has also been given in the form of numerous supplies and food donations from people around the community.

“Every donation from food, masks, isolation gowns, hand sanitizer, puzzles and gifts for the residents that we have received has had a profound impact on The Glen community,” Williams said.

BeauxJax Crafthouse, a Bossier City restaurant, is another business that showed support to The Glen in April, providing a full meal and a king cake to feed staff members at The Glen Village Health Care.

“You think about all the nurses and doctors and first responders, the people providing health care,” said Brittany Reeve of BeauxJax. “We wanted to love on people and remind them that we’re thinking about them and praying for them.”

BeauxJax provided platters of gumbo, rice, loaded macaroni and cheese and po-boys for employees at The Glen to enjoy for dinner. Reeve said the restaurant has done the same thing for about 111 hospitals, retirement communities, and first responders around the Shreveport-Bossier City area.

Giving back to these workers “has been a blessing to us and to others,” Reeve said.

Members of the Must Love Books Club also brought some cheer one Friday afternoon by dropping off cookies from Lowder Baking Company for all of the 200- plus staff members at The Glen.

Before Easter, representatives from CVS Pharmacy on Ellerbe Road dropped by – one dressed like the Easter bunny, mask included – to deliver socks for residents and candy for staff. Some have donated pizza, balloons and adult coloring books, while others have sent funds and a banner for the “employee appreciation stations” that have been set up around campus with snacks and other refreshments.

Representatives from Southern Care Hospice decorated the sidewalks and parking lots with colorful, supportive chalk messages around The Glen’s Stiles Apartments, Village Health Care and Cottages Memory Care areas.

Even more groups and individual community members have gotten in the giving spirit when it comes to supplies that assist the staff and residents in staying protected. Face masks, head coverings, isolation gowns, hand sanitizer, spray bottles and fabric to make masks have all been donated since March to help The Glen.

“So many have spent their time and energy to lend a hand any way they can,” Williams said. “We have had at least 16 people donate more than 500 masks to us and that number is growing each week.

“Our staff and residents show so much pride in wearing the donated masks,” she said. “Not only have we been feeling the love, but we are, in a sense, being wrapped in it!” To donate to The Glen, call 318-798-3500 or email info@theglen.org.