VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Doris Blount was raised in Burton Station. Now 89, she was honored at a graduation ceremony on the same ground where she grew up.
Affectionately named “the matriarch of the class,” Blount and more than a dozen other residents who live in Tranquility at the Lakes, a senior apartment community, recently completed a 12-week health and nutrition course.
They learned how to prepare healthy foods, the value of taking time to rest and the positive benefits of keeping a journal.
Burton Station is a historically Black community in Virginia Beach. Tranquility at the Lakes, an affordable housing complex operated by Seniors Unlimited Lifestyles, opened five years ago on Burton Station Road near Norfolk International Airport. It currently has 41 residents.
The Virginia African American Cultural Center funded the workshops with a grant from Sentara Healthcare.
City Councilwoman Amelia Ross-Hammond, who is chair of the VAACC’s board, said the senior community was chosen because many of the residents have not had access to education about health screenings and healthy eating.
On Friday, the students wore graduation caps and applauded each other as they walked to the front of the building’s community room to receive certificates of completion.
“Y’all made this so easy because you showed up, you participated, you never complained,” said Chef Grace Peart, who led the workshops.
She’s founder and CEO of Community of Destiny, a local nonprofit that specializes in culinary arts training in Hampton Roads and Atlanta.
Peart helped the residents plant an herb and vegetable garden at Tranquility at the Lakes. Guest speakers also led sessions on the value of self-care and appreciating oneself.
Resident Gail Darby, 77, was excited to be a part of the graduating class.
“It’s so important that we participated,” she said. “That’s what allows others to see that programs like this are important.”
