Covenant Village

05/29/2026

The Covenant Village Security Team now has 11 CPR-certified officers. These officers respond with the nursing staff to every emergency call and are normally the first on the scene. Now they can start CPR immediately if needed. Assistant Security Director Todd Martin and Director Robbie Pendleton wanted the security team to be CPR-certified so they could help in an emergency.

"The Covenant Village Security team is always looking for different ways to make the residents, visitors, and staff have a safe environment to enjoy. Covenant Village officers are always on patrol throughout the campus. If someone needs CPR, the sooner it starts, the better the chance of restarting the heart," said Officer Martin.

Officer Martin contacted Nursing Director Stephanie Black Wellman, and she arranged for instructor Tina Dunford to teach the class. Attending with the Security Team members are Resident Care & Services Coordinator Donna Kennedy and Director of Technology Cory Sills.

05/27/2026

During this Season of Giving, May 1 through June 30, we are sharing video messages highlighting giving opportunities that support the five pillars of Legacy of Care. In this video, new residents John Yorick and Steve Trimmer talk with Debbie Windley about the benefits of the new Woodworking/Hobby Shop that is under construction in the lower parking deck of Stonecrest Villas.

The Woodworking/Hobby Shop is intended to enrich community life, providing a space for residents and staff members to discover a new hobby or renew one from the past. Working with a planning committee of current and future residents and staff, John and Steve have collaborated with future resident Don Howe on space planning and with current residents John McDonald and Bob Cinq Mars on policies and safety protocols.

The vitality of the new Shop will depend on community support. If nurturing creativity at every age and level of experience is important to you, consider strengthening all that the Woodworking/Hobby Shop offers by making a gift to the Life Enrichment & Innovation pillar of Legacy of Care this year.

Online - www.covenantvillagenc.com/giving

Thank you for ensuring the legacy of Covenant Village with a 2026 donation to Legacy of Care.

05/21/2026

Raising funds to support residents who have gracefully outlived their financial resources - through no fault of their own - has been the cornerstone of Covenant Village's non-profit mission since it opened in 1982. Resident Sarah Wentz has deep connections to Covenant Village. In this video, she explains why the Resident Benevolence Fund is vital to everyone who calls Covenant Village home.

05/18/2026

At the 2026 annual gathering of LeadingAge North Carolina, Amber Flowe, Assistant Director of Activities, began her yearlong experience in the NC Leadership Academy, alongside senior living professionals from other NC Life Plan Communities.

Did you know? At the Annual Conference earlier this month, a new class of fellows began their time in the North Carolina Leadership Academy?

These 20 staff members represent member communities statewide, and were selected from the largest applicant pool in our ten-year state leadership academy history! 👏 👏👏

Please join us in welcoming the following new fellows to the North Carolina Leadership Academy:

👉 Diata Albert with Trinity Elms - A Senior Care Community in Clemmons, NC

👉 Sawyer Baxley with Givens Highland Farms in Black Mountain, NC

👉 Jonathan DeBerry with Penick Village in Southern Pines, NC

👉 Amber Flowe with Covenant Village in Gastonia, NC

👉 Justin Grady with The Cedars of Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC

👉 Emily Kang with Galloway Ridge in Pittsboro, NC

👉 Jaclyn Kasey with Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville, NC

👉 Regina Kilgore with Givens Choice in Asheville, NC

👉 Matthew Martin with The Forest at Duke Continuing Care Retirement Community in Durham, NC

👉 Vanessa McQueen with Southminster in Charlotte, NC

👉 Danielle Miller with Grace Ridge in Morganton, NC

👉 Greg Moon with Elderhaus PACE in Wilmington, NC

👉 Whitney Moyle with Givens Aldersgate in Charlotte, NC

👉 Jessica Nathan with Brookridge Life Plan Community in Winston-Salem, NC

👉 Austin Parsons with Carolina Village in Hendersonville, NC

👉 Kayla Pearson with The Pines at Davidson in Davidson, NC

👉 Michelle Pooler with Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, NC

👉 Morgan Reese with Cypress Glen Retirement Community in Greenville, NC

👉 Catherine Sligh with Well•Spring, A Life Plan Community in Greensboro, NC

👉 Robert Underwood Jr. with Givens Estates in Asheville, NC

05/14/2026

Yesterday, residents and friends attended "Dox in a Box 2.0," an overview of the foundational principles of financial and estate record keeping to ensure that our most important documents are organized and secure. Anna McMahan Houser, CFP, of McMahan Financial LLC, provided a comprehensive checklist to guide the assembly of an organized "go box," including medical directives, personal information, health information, financial assets and liabilities, insurance, final instructions, one's digital life, and storage options. "We can never be too early, but we can be too late," Anna said about organizing our documents to help loved ones and trusted designees when we are gone. Dox in a Box 2.0 is one in a series of 2026 Lifelong Learning and Enrichment offerings, organized by Covenant Village leadership and Debbie Windley of Windmark Consulting, toward building an enriching lifelong learning community in the Gaston region.

05/13/2026

Every staff member has a remarkable story to tell about how they came to work at Covenant Village and what inspires them to serve with excellence – often over many decades.

In this video, resident John Weisenhorn interviews Donna Plummer about her 33 years working in the Housekeeping department. You might be surprised by Donna's response – and others – to the question, "What do you like most about working at Covenant Village?"

At Covenant Village, staff members are like family.

During the Season of Giving, May 1 through June 30, residents, residents' families, and friends of Covenant Village are invited to support Workforce Investment when they make an annual gift to Covenant Village through Legacy of Care. When you donate to Workforce Investment, you are funding scholarships, certification fees, tuition, conference fees, and other professional development opportunities.

Giving is easy
Online: www.covenantvillagenc.com/giving

Giving form: Return your check to the Finance Office with a giving form in one of the bright green envelopes available at the Main Entrances receptionist desk or the Resident Mail Center.

Or speak with Dale Melton or Debbie Windley about your plans for a legacy gift.

05/12/2026

Yesterday, our first residents moved into their new home in the Stonecrest Villas. By mid-June, the 21 villas and accompanying parking spaces will be filled with our new neighbors. Welcome home!

05/09/2026

The May edition of The Villager is filled with signs that Spring has arrived at Covenant Village: From pavilion parties and Nurses Week to the arrival of our Stonecrest Villa residents and our annual Season of Giving, these stories by residents, staff, and friends show vibrant senior living is possible in Gastonia.

This issue is filled with signs that Spring has arrived at our Village: From pavilion parties and Nurses Week to the arrival of new residents and our annual Sea

05/07/2026

In celebration of Mother's Day, female residents and staff members share favorite memories of their mothers and the strong impact their mothers have had on them, both as individuals and in their relationships with family and friends.

As we look for ways to remember our mothers this weekend, we hope you will consider making a donation to the Season of Giving 2026 as a tribute to the woman in your life for whom you are grateful. Mothers who are still living will receive appreciation cards and a notification that a donation has been made to the Season of Giving in their honor. If your mother has passed away, your investment will be a tribute to her legacy of love and commitment.

One resident, Martha Robinson, shared this about her mother:

"The thing that I think is extraordinary is that we three children KNEW we were the favorite child! And when she died, each of her friends said, 'You know that I was her BEST Friend.' She had a wonderful knack for making everyone feel so special."

Happy Mother's Day!

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Donating this week is easy:

Online at www.covenantvillagenc.com/giving

Or use one of the giving forms and a green envelope, available at the reception desks and in the resident mail center.