A “natural” in the studio, Charlene Wisdom started her career in broadcast production and public relations. She started working in the senior care arena about five years ago driven, in part, by a strong love for her geographically distant grandparents. As the Community Ambassador for Silverado Senior Living, she has developed a number of surrogate grandparent relationships! Charlene can be reached at (469) 525-8868, or visit them on the web at www.silveradosenior.com.
Patrick Shanahan spent more than 26 years of his career in Information Technology. Motivated by a desire to run his own business, as well as a need to do something noble, Patrick opened the Senior Helpers Personal Care Agency in Irving and Lewisville. Similar to Charlene, Patrick was also shaped by a personal experience in sharing the responsibility of remotely providing for the care of his father in his battle against cancer. Patrick can be reached at (972) 823-1333, or visit him on the web at www.seniorhelpers.com.
Patrick and Charlene came together as a result of a desire to create an organization that was more than just a business networking organization for the senior services industry in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Their vision was for an organization that also gave back to the community in the form of education and outreach. To do this, they partnered first with the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce in January 2009 as the Grapevine Senior Services Alliance. Since then, they have expanded this initiative to Irving and Lewisville, and look to add several more Chamber of Commerce relationships in the coming year.
Art has always been an important part of Lauren Dubrinsky’s life. She received Art and Art History degrees from SUNY Binghamton. She was minding her own business doing her job as a real estate photographer at a senior community when the community mentioned that they wanted to start an art program in their community. Having taught art to children in the past, Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she agreed to teach art to senior adults. Her art classes at facilities like The Cohen Home in Alpharetta are now an integral and rewarding part of her week. She loves the work she does with these seniors, and dearly cherishes the relationships she’s developed with so many extraordinary people. Lauren can be reached at laurendubrinsky@comcast.net, or (678) 458-3474.
Connie Dodge, originally from Illinois, originally received degrees in Communications and Urban Studies in college. She has been a professional storyteller for more than 20 years, both telling stories and teaching story-telling. This intriguing vocation led her to interact with many senior adults that would take her story-telling classes. As a result, Connie developed a passion for working with seniors. Today she is the Activities Director for The Cohen Home, in Alpharetta. The Cohen Home is a very intimate setting, with only 22 residents, and an incredible staff to resident ration of 1 to 5 (state requires at least 1 to 15)! Call Connie at (770) 475-8787, or email her at connied@cohenhome.org to arrange for a tour of The Cohen Home, or visit their website at www.cohenhome.org.
