Each year the Georgia Nursing Home Association recognizes nursing homes throughout the state for their community involvement, programs, and community relations. Hundreds of nursing homes compete for various awards including Volunteer of the Year, Total Community Involvement, In-House Newsletter, Best Photograph, Best Radio and others.

Southland Nursing Home has once again taken home numerous awards for its efforts in the community and with its residents. This year, Helen McNamee was named 2000 Volunteer of the Year and Jessica Malone was named the 2000 Teen Volunteer of the Year.

Southland once again won the Best Photograph award for a photograph taken by a Citizen Newspaper writer. Last year the Citizen won in two categories, Newspaper and Photograph.

Southland also won first place for in the Radio category when 101.5 Kicks radio DJ Moby interviewed Ms. Nettie Knight on her 103rd birthday earlier this year.

“I really appreciate all the support and involvement from our community,” said Southland administrator Gary Massengale. “We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful volunteer program and great family support.”

McNamee began volunteering at Southland when she admitted her mother in 1989. Since then she has become “so much more than a volunteer,” according to activity director Angie Brown. “Helen is part of our family and we are also her family.”

McNamee keeps up with residents' birthdays, works in the beauty shop twice a week, copies newsletters for the 155 residents and their families along with 100 for the staff each month, and purchases “in memory of” plaques which are posted in the front lobby in remembrance of past residents.

She decorates bulletin boards, recruits other volunteers, makes flower arrangements for the dining area and helps purchase supplies when needed. She baked 22 cakes for the home's annual bake sale in November.

Malone began volunteering at Southland at the age of 13. She started offering to do manicures on a daily basis during the summer of 1999 and, per Brown, “the residents and staff began to love her.”

Malone volunteered to do the manicures for the Southland Beauty Pageant in March and continues to volunteer her time when she is out of school and on holidays. “We are grateful to have such a nice teenager to volunteer and be a part of our nursing home,” said Brown.

While the main awards will be given out at a statewide banquet in October, Southland awarded certificates and appreciation baskets of goodies at its third annual 4th of July parade.

More than 100 residents chose to participate in the parade. They decorated their wheelchairs, dressed patriotically and either walked or rode in wheelchairs down cart paths near the home. They enjoyed the festivities so much that many chose to wind around the parade path twice.

After the parade volunteers, staff and family members treated the residents to a good old-fashioned cookout.

Southland is located in Peachtree City on Wisdom Road. For more information on the nursing home, call Gary Massengale or Angie Brown at 770-631-9000.