MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Elderly residents at St. Mary’s Development need supplies

St. Mary Service Coordinators respond to the needs of residents by connecting them to services in the community.\

During the 2022 calendar year, St. Mary put free internet in the apartment communities throughout Montgomery County, according to Catherine S. Campbell, vice president of Strategic Partnerships for the organization. " We have also provided residents with Amazon Echo Dots which have transformed their lives,” she says. Echo Dot is a voice-controlled Smart Speaker with Alexa which can be used to access music, news and information and can also be used to make phone calls and control compatible smart home devices.

Campbell says many residents have embraced their technology access and developed confidence through learning new things with their devices. In addition, she says, the introduction of technology has begun to expand to other areas of their lives, reinforcing independence and their ability to thrive on their own.

St. Mary continues to rely on generous donors to meet seniors’ needs. “Our priority is the safety, well-being, and high quality of life for our residents,” says Natalynne Baker, Chief Operating Officer. “We continue to work to protect our residents’ health and safety and to ensure they have everything they need to prevent them from losing their independence. Our partnerships during the year have helped make this possible for our residents.”

Here’s what they need:

· Disinfectant cleaning solutions

· Clorox wipes

· Pine-Sol

· Lysol

· 409 Cleaner

· Rubbing Alcohol 91 percent or more

· Mops

· Brooms & Dustpans

· Umbrellas

· Gift Cards for food (Meijer, Walmart, Kroger, Amazon)

· Laundry Soap

· Shampoo

· Conditioner

· Mouthwash

· Deodorant

Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the offices of St. Mary Development Corporation, 2160 E. Fifth Street, Dayton, OH 45403. It’s located in the old Carnegie Library at Fifth and Huffman Streets.

If you wish to support the program financially, you can mail a donation to the same address at St. Mary Development Corporation or go to the website www.StMaryDevelopment.org and donate online.

Questions? Email Cathy Campbell, at ccampbell@smdcd.org, or call 937-277-8149, ext. 208.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com.

Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.