Gadsden GAB Featured -

Volunteer of the Year : Susanne Emge

by

The Office of Charitable Giving

The February 22, 2023 Apartment and Cottage Resident Update was special! In addition to awarding our 2022 Charitable Mission Fund Grant Recipients, Bishop Gadsden was proud to surprise resident Susanne Emge with the LeadingAge South Carolina Volunteer of the Year Award. Founded in 1981, LeadingAge South Carolina is a membership organization representing 36 not-for-profit and mission-driven senior living providers. Each year, member organizations can submit nominations for awards in five categories, and in 2022, Bishop Gadsden happily submitted Susanne Emge for Volunteer of the Year, and it was fantastic that she was selected! Why was she selected you may wonder? [caption id="attachment_3199" align="alignright" width="253"] President/CEO Sarah Tipton, Keith Emge, Susanne Emge[/caption] Well, here is a little bit from her nomination - Susanne has been a resident of Bishop Gadsden since 2016. Very quickly Susanne became ingrained in Bishop Gadsden’s culture, emulating what makes our Community so very special. Susanne has a heart for service, as she has throughout her life, but her ability to serve in various ways within her own home became a passion for Susanne. From committee leadership within the Bishop Gadsden Residents’ Council, including leading the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Charitable Mission Committee, to being the 2022 Resident Council Chair, Susanne believes in the culture of Bishop Gadsden. When she is not leading meetings, Susanne focuses on connections. From playing music for general entertainment, or for chapel services in our assisted, memory and skilled communities; to introducing new residents to residents who have a common interest – making sure to facilitate that casual and welcoming meeting; to ensuring residents’ thoughts, concerns, or ideas are always brought to Bishop Gadsden Leadership; and her recent pet project is her work on the BG Together Volunteer initiative, again providing connections within the Community; it is clear Susanne is working nearly every day to connect people and create positive outcomes. During Hurricane Ian, Susanne felt that some residents may be feeling uneasy about the approaching storm, especially following the devastation in Florida. So, Susanne took it upon herself to divide the resident list amongst the Residents’ Council members and every single apartment and cottage resident (all 400+) received a personal phone call check-in to ask if they needed anything, if they had any questions, and if they were prepared for the storm. This focus on connecting with people, especially during challenging times, is at the heart of who Susanne is as a person and volunteer. [caption id="attachment_3200" align="alignleft" width="295"] LeadingAge Presenters, Susanne Emge, Sarah Tipton, Kimberly Borts[/caption] In addition to her work in the apartment and cottage community, Susanne has faithfully visited Arcadia playing the piano and singing with residents. From fun show tunes to standards to even spiritual songs, Susanne brings tremendous joy to the residents of Memory Support with each visit. Susanne is a faithful and active member of the Catholic Church. The beauty of Bishop Gadsden’s ecumenical mission is that it encourages Susanne to practice and share her faith within and for Bishop Gadsden. Susanne lives out her spiritual mission in everything she touches. For the past number of years, Susanne has been instrumental in establishing a faithful Catholic fellowship throughout the Bishop Gadsden community. Along with playing the piano for each mass, Susanne works with the nearby Catholic Church to ensure a Catholic priest is present to preside at mass each week. In addition to coordinating the weekly Catholic service, Susanne delivers communion to those who cannot attend mass throughout the Bishop Gadsden Community. Susanne has a beautiful heart and a true desire to ensure one’s physical health does not prohibit them from being able to outwardly live into their faith.

The Gadsden GAB is a monthly publication that’s written by BG residents, for BG residents. Every two weeks, we’ll feature an article from the GAB on the Bishop Gadsden website. To read more, you can read the entire April edition here.