ALEX SMITH NAMED ADRC SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

What is it that sets Alex Smith apart from other senior center directors? Co-worker Anna Maria Goodson, who has worked with Smith for 16 years, thinks it is his understanding that senior citizens want to have a good time. Goodson recalls her first impression of Smith, “Alex’s van was always the fun one. His passengers entered the center chuckling every morning. It was as if they knew something the rest of us didn’t,” she recalled. Back then, action pact transported congregate senior clients to the Bulloch senior center. Smith’s initial exposure to Seniors came when he was just 19-years-old and had his first job with then Concerted Services, Inc. delivering meals and transporting clients.

From that position, he moved up the ranks in the organization, working as a Case Manager and Program Assistant before becoming Director of the Bulloch Senior Center. Goodson thinks one of the things that makes Smith a stand-out in the field is his determination that senior clients have the chance to enjoy life to the fullest. “Alex does not think mature adults need to sit. He believes they need to line dance, plant gardens, practice yoga, fish, bowl, go shopping in Savannah, go to the movies, go to see shows, go for haircuts and manicures, have cookouts at state parks, take dolphin tours, and mark every holiday with a celebratory meal.” It comes as no surprise that the Bulloch Senior Center is always at capacity.

Goodson thinks the secret to Smith’s success is the love he pours into his work. “We had a meal client from India who was truly alone in the world. On Thanksgiving Day, when he was off work, Alex and his family took Mr. Sam a turkey dinner and visited with him so he would not be alone for the holiday.”

Goodson said Smith’s work is still characterized by that same willingness to go above and beyond what is required and into extra-mile territory: “How could Alex not be successful when he puts so much heart into his work?” she asked.