November 27, 2017
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.
All donations benefit the Pinnacle Living Samaritan Program. This benevolent mission provides financial assistance to residents who have outlived their monetary resources and, through no fault of their own, become unable to pay some or all of their monthly charges. With medical advances over the years, the average life expectancy continues to increase. This puts older adults in our communities and across the U.S. in a vulnerable position financially.
To celebrate their longevity, residents from each of our seven communities gave advice for living a long, healthy life and sharing an important invention or event that occurred during their life.
The best advice she got was from her mother: “In life, in every situation, there are elements of good and bad. Concentrate on the good and choose that.”
“Papa Jack” believes that living a healthy life means keeping your mind sharp, having a positive attitude and being thankful for your blessings. “I’ve been blessed in some way, every day.”
In his opinion, the most significant invention of his time was military aircraft. He recounts his time in World War II and says with reflection and a slight smile, “The Germans were way ahead of us in aircraft technology but obviously, we caught up real fast!”
Her advice on a long healthy life is “be happy, get up, put your feet on the ground and do the best you can for the day”.
Having lived through the Prohibition, the best invention in her eyes is “the making of a good cocktail”!
Mrs. Joseph always watched her diet, ate healthy foods and even today makes healthy choices when eating.
The most memorable invention of her lifetime was the Ford car. Her dad would take the family for a Sunday afternoon ride and she would ride in the rumble seat.
Rachel’s advice for living a long, healthy life: nourishing food, exercise, education, staying active and keeping strong family ties. She believes staying mentally and physically active all your life is important as well as having a variety of hobbies. Rachel played a lot of tennis when she was younger, did many crafts, did some oil painting and writes poetry. She also loved her annual family reunions and believes keeping in touch with family is important. She is a graduate of Emory and Henry where she has been an active alumni for many years.
Getting electricity was her most memorable event. Rachel feels electricity was safer and made everyday work faster and easier. She remembers how dangerous kerosene lanterns were to use.
Virginia believes that a good relations with God, lots of prayer and seeking God’s will for life is the key to a long, healthy life.
Telephone and radio were the most impactful inventions on her life.
He says that his secret to a long and healthy life is “pasta and garlic” and the fact that he worked until he was 91 and he enjoyed it.
Mr. Zodda shared that the most impactful part of his life was his time as catcher with the Class “B” farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers (Baby Dodgers). He later became the business manager of the Newport News team. In between his time as player and subsequently manager of the baseball team, he attended college and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. When the baseball team was disbanded in the mid-1950s, Mr. Zodda opened a restaurant in Newport News. He started a hotel management business a few years later and continued working until five years ago.
To read the full Daily Press Article from June 2011 that highlights his impact on local Minor League Baseball: http://www.dailypress.com/dp-spt-teel-column-vic-zodda-dodgers-20110629-column.html
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