The aroma of down-home cooking by Southern Yankee BBQ had guests salivating while the Blue Cypress Bluegrass Band got the people in the crowd tapping their toes at the St. Francis Manor Bluegrass & BBQ Bash fundraiser last Saturday evening.
St. Francis, a five-acre residential property for limited-income individuals over age 55, provides affordable apartments plus considerably more than just a place to sleep. The sense of community is welcoming with flowers and shady trees and a social calendar to keep everyone busy.
“There is nothing like the smell of barbecue on a sunny day to make people feel happy and ready to party,” said B.J. Brown.
Guests and residents wandered the dock surrounding a picturesque pond with kids alternating between feeding the fish and riding the mechanical bull (at a much reduced speed), before settling down to enjoy great food and music.
“Without the donors and sponsors we could not put this on every year so we really appreciate them,” said Linda Scott, executive director of the nonprofit organization. “The event just keeps growing. This year we have golf packages from every club in the community for the silent auction plus so many more great items that we put together as packages.”
Event proceeds help cover cost of upkeep on the units, activities, exercise classes and special celebrations.
“We have been able to renovate 95 percent of our units already and that is because of these fundraisers and our generous donors,” added Scott.
“This is such a family affair and all of our board members bring their families out here for it,” said Board President Louis Schacht. “You may be able to find other places that are cheap but you are not going to get this sense of community. The people who live here have a bigger calendar than I do. That keeps them engaged and alive.”
A recent agreement with the county will allow use of an adjacent tract of land to be split between St. Francis Manor and the neighboring Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, enabling future expansion.
“We are hopefully going to build some one-bedroom units which are much needed,” said board member Kim Gibson, noting they always have a wait list. “We have been fortunate that the Boys & Girls Clubs have taken on the cost of demolishing the old building that stands there now. They have been very generous.”
Board members Tem Fontaine and Anthony Dzielski predict the project will take the help of many donors over many years.
“I think that we all come at this from a personal experience from seeing our parents care for our grandparents,” said Dzielski. “A lot of people don’t have the family structure that they need to watch out for them so we are filling that gap to keep them independent as long as possible.”
“There is no affordable living for seniors here,” added Gibson. “A lot of these people worked their whole lives but their social security just doesn’t cover expenses.”
