Page 15 - Harnett Life Spring 2021

Project Not Forgotten

Remembers the Elderly

By Crissy Neville

holidays, the gregarious all-volunteer group has been hard at
work since September 2020, ever since, according to Surles,
“a little birdie prompted me to do something.”

“I call it a birdie, but you and I know it was God,” said the
owner of Jeffrey’s Florist at 121 E Broad St. in downtown
Dunn. “I refer to this as a burden. It has been God’s calling
on my life (to help the elderly). You see, my mom worked in
geriatrics as a registered nurse her whole career and devel-
oped a real love for senior adults. My siblings and I saw that
and knew that. She worked at the Golden Years nursing home
in Falcon for years, and as a child, I got off the school bus
there and visited and helped, too. As an adult, I have wanted
to honor my mom’s devotion to the elderly and her caregiv-
ing career. And, when God puts something on your heart, you
have to act on it.”

Surles’ 91-year-old mother lives at his Dunn home and has
around-the-clock caregivers in addition to the aid provided by
Surles and his sister. “My mom was a Rex School of Nursing
graduate, a garden club member and Sunday school teacher.
(Along with her professional nursing career) mom also cared
for my dad after his stroke until his death in 1997 and nursed
my brother when he was on dialysis. He died in 2006. Today
mom is blind from macular degeneration in both eyes and suf-
fers from White Matter Disease, a cousin to dementia.”
Have you ever forgotten your keys, your wallet or an appoint-
ment? While losing track of everyday objects and occurrences During the COVID crisis, elderly persons receiving in per-
is frustrating, imagine being a forgotten person, isolated and son contact and care from loved ones, such as Surles’ mother,
alone without visitors or family and friends to talk to. Such have been a minority. With stay-at-home and personal safety
stressors daily impact the lives of the senior citizens in our protocols in place, nursing home facilities have allowed no
midst, particularly during the pandemic. one to enter their premises except staff. Group activities and
events have been canceled, even dining room communal meal
Fortunately for Harnett and surrounding counties, Dunn florist times. Families have not been able to visit their nursing home-
Jeffrey Surles, an advisory board and an army of volunteers bound loved ones, not grandma or grandpa, nor mom or dad.
confront this problem. The 501(c)(3) incorporated not-for- Outside visitation like drive-bys and window-side visits, void
profit Project Not Forgotten spearheaded by Surles arranges of human contact, have been the norm.
and coordinates the delivery of bud vases and flower arrange-
ments, along with handmade cards from local kids to thou- This has been the case for over a year — and has only recently
sands of nursing home residents and senior adults in Harnett, begun to change. According to the American Association for
Cumberland, Johnston, Sampson and Wake counties. With the Retired Persons, with the rise of vaccinations nationwide and
goal of six deliveries a year across all four seasons and major new data showing a downward trend in COVID cases and

Harnett Life ~ Spring 2021 Page 15