Al Kuzio is one of a kind, a friend to
all the residents at Summit Place Senior Living in Little River SC. Al
is their friend, their helper, their sounding board, their morale
booster and their driver.
His business card says "Transportation and
Community Outreach," which is what he made the driving job all about
after answering an ad for a van driver back in 2003. Al was retired
from the printing business when he moved down but after a while he said
he was getting bored and the van driving job looked like fun. He's made
it fun. His happy nature is contagious, not just for the residents but
for all in the area with whom he comes in contact during his rounds of
taking Summit Place residents shopping, keeping doctors' appointments,
luncheons or just about wherever they need to go. His work earned him
last year's prestigious AGENTUM award from the nations largest senior
living association. The award is presented to people who provide
exceptional service to older adults in senior living facilities and out
of a thousand nominated, Al was one of only five recipients in the
nation.
The luncheon part of his job brought a dozen Summit residents who are veterans to VFW Calabash Post #7288 again on February 17th
where they all enjoyed a hearty lunch of meat loaf, mashed potatoes,
green beans and a beverage of their choice.
A couple of them wanted a
hot dog with french fries so that's what they got. They had their choice
of anything on the menu. The lunches are compliments of the Post, which
strives to fulfill the VFW Motto "No One Does More For Veterans."
As
much as they liked the food they enjoyed the company of some of the
Post members who always look forward to their regular visits. One of
the Summit residents at the lunch was Ed Warner, a Post member and
former regular at VFW Calabash Post #7288 functions who now resides at
Summit Place. Ed had the perfect retort when told where to find the
handicapped ramp outside the Post. "I know where the ramp is--I used to
live here!"
He also had no problem posing with Summit Place nurse Tiffany Marshall, who came with the entourage to help them get around...
Post members
will miss Ed and the other Summit Place residents but not for long.
They will return on a regular basis for the lunch and the camaraderie,
brought in their van with Al Kuzio at the wheel. He loves what he does,
calling it his "bucket list job."
