Hilton Head Monthly Voice Voice of the Lowcountry 
Most families who have loved ones in assisted living communities want to spend time together and plan regular visits. They also want their seniors to remain active, engaged and healthy. To make the most of visits, many experts recommend coming equipped with a list of activities that everyone will enjoy.
As an added bonus, many of these activities can be beneficial for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Most of us like to give and want to help out worthy causes. But new, higher standard deductions have made charitable contributions less beneficial and often non-deductible. So what is a person to do? Although everyone’s specific financial and tax situation is different, leveraging their IRAs to keep giving has been beneficial to many seniors.
HILTON HEAD CENTER CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF ‘PURE FUN’ FOR SENIORS
On a recent Wednesday, the main activity room at the Hilton Head Island Senior Center was full of laughter. Summer typically isn’t as busy at the center as winter — when snowbirds, visiting the Lowcountry to escape winter’s harsh chill, flock to the center to chat with friends, play cards and enjoy the camaraderie.
But this Wednesday — cards day at the center — the room was full. Settled in for a game of hand and foot, Marge Brennen, Grace Johnson, Helen Norton and Connie Dowell traded good-natured barbs as the cards flew around the table. In between jokes, they tried to explain the game.
THE CHURCH OF THE CROSS ROOTED IN THE PAST, EMBRACING THE FUTURE
On June 27, The Church of the Cross marked 165 years since construction began on its eye-catching, Gothicstyle building on the edge of the May River in Bluffton.
The historic church survived not only the burning of Bluffton during the Civil War, but also the hurricane of 1898 and other storms over the years.
HHI GETS NEW ART STUDIO
Sonja Griffin Evans has opened a new art studio and gallery bearing her name at 32 Palmetto Bay Road Suite10A. Her paintings, mixed media art and handmade jewelry are influenced by Gullah culture. Griffin Evans is an internationally acclaimed artist who was born and raised in Beaufort.
In the Bible’s first creation story in Genesis 1, human beings are commanded to care for the Earth and all living things.
A group of members at Lowcountry Presbyterian Church are taking those words to heart, making it their mission to do what they can to protect and clean up the land that humans have polluted for hundreds of years.
SALLY MURPHY’S NEW BOOK RECOUNTS EARLY CONSERVATION EFFORTS
People have always told Sally Murphy that she should write a memoir.
After all, as a biologist and environmentalist with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources, she spent three decades getting a lot closer to the endangered species than most people. She was among the first to document threats — like shrimp nets — to the state’s turtles, and successfully advocated for mandatory turtle excluder devices that helped them escape the nets.
POCKETS FULL OF SUNSHINE HELPS DISABLED ADULTS LIVE FULLER LIVES
Blake Gannon enjoys swimming, going to the movies, listening to music and working on his computer. He loves his cat Suki, and his eyes light up when his younger sister, Whitaker, walks in the room.
The 27-year-old Hilton Head Island man is intelligent, organized and able to stay on task mentally for long periods of time, according to his parents, Andrea and Chris Gannon. But Blake’s autism makes communicating difficult and hinders his ability to live and work independently.
THREE LOCAL BOYS COMPLETE EAGLE SCOUT PROJECTS
Becoming an Eagle Scout requires dedication — plus a certain amount of time and maturity. For three Lowcountry teens, it also required a significant amount of sweat.
Jake Lopko and brothers Andrew and Matthew Sherbune all set out to achieve the highest possible rank in scouting, and all three chose to do their community service projects outside.
FUSION FIT BLUFFTONKICKS OFF WORKOUTS
Fusion Fit Bluffton is a new group training program of 45-minute workouts that encompass strength, metabolic training, and movement to help people burn fat and boost metabolism, lose weight and get lean, toned and fit. The small group, strength-training based workouts are offered at Move Fitness in Bluffton and Wellness Institute Physical Therapy in Okatie.
