Helen and Dr. Jim Shafer’s expansive home west of town was the perfect venue for a down-home Boots, Bowties & Bluegrass event last Saturday evening to benefit the Senior Resource Association. The toe-tapping rhythms of the Blue Cypress Bluegrass Band filled the air as roughly 100 country chic-clad guests arrived for a festive night of Southern comfort hospitality that ended with a bang – a spectacular fireworks display.
Proceeds raised at the spirited bash will support SRA programs and services, primarily its Meals on Wheels Relief Fund and its Vero Beach and Sebastian Adult Day Care facilities.
“We do like to have a fall event,” said SRA CEO Karen Deigl. “Last year, when we were looking at what type of event to have, Helen Shafer thought about country western. She got her husband on board and said they wanted to open their home for the event.”
Helen Shafer said they became involved with the Senior Resource Association through her husband Jim’s work as a neurologist; he is currently with Vero Beach Neurology and Research Institute.
“We got involved particularly through Jim’s patients,” she explained. “Many of them use the services that the SRA provides. We have such a loving, nurturing community, and if I can be of assistance with something like that I’m all about it.”
The delightful evening included a huge spread of country-with-a-twist dishes from Wild Thyme Catering, such as redneck eggrolls, BBQ chicken sate and other deliciously creative fare, along with all variety of cocktails, even moonshine. The pièce de résistance among the various raffle items was a stunning 18-karat, jewel-adorned cowboy-boot necklace, designed and donated by Vero’s Cousineau Jewelers.
SRA board president Pud Lawrence spoke briefly about how the organization stretches out a hand to hold the hands of the frail and the elderly, providing them not only with meals but with a system of support and much needed human contact.
As the Lead Agency on Aging for the county, the SRA receives public funding to deliver 58,000 hot meals daily to homebound seniors and serve 32,000 congregate meals, but Deigl said those dollars are always used up.
“Every year, so many dollars are allocated for community services such as ours. We have a wait list of people that need to have meals and we don’t have the funding to do it,” she said, explaining the need for fundraisers and donations. “We don’t take them off the wait list; we feed them when they’re on it.”
Seniors who can afford the $6.25-per-day cost can enroll immediately. Otherwise, the SRA assesses and digs into its Relief Fund, annually assisting another 1,000 prioritized by need.
“It fills in the gaps,” said Deigl. “Adult Day Care is the exact same situation. We get so much money and we try to raise more money to help more people out, because it’s never enough.”