HUGHESVILLE, Md. – Amidst the holiday season, the Southern Maryland Association of RealtorsĀ® (SMAR) has successfully continued to spread holiday cheer to local seniors in care facilities with its Senior Santa Program.Ā
The SMAR Senior Santa Program was created to help give back to the community by collecting gifts for seniors in local care facilities who will not receive visitors over the holiday season.
Through the program, RealtorsĀ® and community members are encouraged to “adopt” seniors from various facilities, and then shop for the many or all items on their wish lists. This year, they were then asked to drop off gifts at one of our five designated collection locations across the region.
This year, SMAR successfully collected over 500 gifts for over 480 local seniors. The estimated value of the gifts collected this year surpassed $31,135, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.
On December 19, members of SMAR’s Community Relations Committee gathered at Lakeside Title Company in Waldorf, Maryland, to help assist in the distribution of gifts. The group loaded up their vehicles and began making trips to 12 care facilities across Southern Maryland.
“The Senior Santa Program is one of the most rewarding events we participate in because it allows our organization and community the opportunity to make someone’s holiday a little brighter,” SMAR Community Relations Committee Chair Emily Roof said. “I personally enjoy adopting and shopping for a few seniors every year, knowing that they will not be left out of Christmas festivities at their facility.”
Several of the participating care facilities included the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Calvert County Nursing Home, Genesis Complete Care, Charleston Senior Center, Sage Point, Chesapeake Shores, Fenwick Landing, Assisted Living at Hawkins Gate, Solomons Rehab & Care Center, and The Hermitage at Solomons.
All gifts are distributed to the residents over the holiday season at various internal holiday gatherings and by individual distribution.
Over the past nine years, SMAR has worked hard to collect gifts for over 2,800 local seniors in care facilities.
“Realtors are some of the kindest and most giving people in our community, and the continued success of this program clearly demonstrates that,” SMAR 2023-2024 President Tracy Vasquez said. “We have continued to grow the Senior Santa Program for nearly a decade, and we couldn’t do that without the generous support of our Realtor members, our Association’s staff, and our Southern Maryland community.”
SMAR looks forward to continuing to grow the Senior Santa program in 2024.