Charity Spotlight: SCAN Helps Elderly
Picture this scenario: An elderly man lives alone in Wilson County. Maybe his wife passed away a few years ago. His children live in other states. It is 90 degrees and his AC unit goes out. An AC unit is an expensive item to replace. He lives on a fixed income, can no longer drive, barely has enough income to buy groceries and doesn’t know where to turn.
That is where SCAN comes to the rescue. They replace the unit at no charge to him. After the volunteers find out he is low on groceries, they bring him food.
Those are just a couple of the many services that the Senior Citizens Awareness Network (SCAN) of Wilson County provides to the ‘forgotten’ senior citizens in the community. Their focus is helping lonely, isolated and financially-challenged seniors. SCAN is a volunteer-based unit of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department.
They are a non-profit, with absolutely no government funding, and they rely on support from private donors. The program began as a Leadership Wilson project and is still going strong after 20 years.
Andy May, an accomplished musician who resides in Wilson County, heard about SCAN and was inspired to use his talent to help.
“I heard Sergeant Witherspoon and Debbie Paré of SCAN speak recently, and I got so inspired that I said I wanted to do a benefit concert for them. Sergeant Witherspoon said that they used to do those and would love to have one. Leadership Wilson got behind it and has already raised over $9000 for SCAN ahead of the actual event. I’ve put together an all-star band to back me for the concert: Jeff Taylor on piano and accordion, Tony Paoletta on pedal steel, Nathan Smith on percussion, and Jeremy Shearer on bass. We’ll be playing ‘music from the heart,’ geared toward the senior audience, and MJ Lucas from WANT will be the emcee.” says May.
“We are so blessed to have Andy May and his talented friends provide such an opportunity for an afternoon of music for our seniors! The efforts by Andy and The Leadership Wilson Class have been phenomenal! Every one involved has gone above and beyond to raise awareness about SCAN and our efforts to assist seniors in Wilson County. We hope everyone comes out to join us – it will be an afternoon for making new memories!” says Paré.
The indoor concert is on Tuesday, April 23rd, at Tucker’s Gap Event Center, 2900 Callis Rd. Lebanon, TN from 2 until 4:30 pm. Tickets are only $10.
Andy May and his Band of Friends will be performing, and MJ Lucas from WANT-FM will be the emcee. Volunteers will bring in seniors from the community to enjoy the concert, and Tennova is offering free health screenings.
Shiloh Music Center is providing the sound for the concert, and David Hale will provide the stage and lights.
If you want to receive SCAN Services, wish to refer someone for SCAN services,or become a volunteer, contact the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department at 615-444-1412 , ext 499.
