Newspaper Page Text
Publisher’s Note
Did you know that 10,000 Baby Boomers are
turning 65 every day? I didn’t realize that so
many members of the “Woodstock generation”
are signing up for Medicare and Social Security
already!
With that in mind, we are pleased to
introduce Atlanta Senior Life, from Springs
Publishing LLC, parent company of Reporter
Newspapers and Atlanta INtown.
This new monthly publication’s target
audience is the flourishing 65+ active senior
population, which is the metro area’s fastest-
growing age group according to the Atlanta
Regional Commission.
Atlanta’s senior population is a large and
diverse market, filled with active adults who
have the means and motivation to enjoy their lives. Atlanta Senior
Life will provide its readers with fresh, timely and engaging locally-
focused information. The initial circulation of 20,000 copies will
be distributed to selected locations where active seniors live, work,
volunteer and play in the north metro areas of Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton
and Gwinnett counties.
Thanks for reading this inaugural issue of Atlanta Senior Life;
you can also find the digital edition online at atlantaseniorlife.
com. I welcome your feedback; please email me at publisher(a)
reporternewspapers.net.
Steve Levene
Founder & Publisher
Springs Publishing LLC
Atlanta Senior Life focuses on the interests, accomplishments and lifestyles of the
active senior population in metro Atlanta. It aims to inspire readers to embrace a
more rewarding life by informing them of opportunities to expand their horizons,
express their talents and engage in their community.
CONTACT US
Editorial
Kathy Dean
Contributing Editor
kathydean@atlantaseniorlife.com
Contributors
James Beaman, Joe Earle,
Collin Kelley, Phil Mosier,
Harry). Pinkney Jr.
Advertising
For information call
(404) 917-2200 ext 130.
Sales Executives
Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter
Jim Speakman, Jan Tassitano
Circulation/ Subscriptions
For distribution information, call (404) 917-2200, ext. 110.
© 2016 All rights reserved. Publisher reserves the right to refuse
editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no
responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions
expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of
Atlanta Senior Life or Springs Publishing, LLC.
Published By
Springs Publishing LLC
Atlanta Senior Life • Atlanta INtown
Reporter Newspapers
6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
Phone: (404) 917-2200
Fax: (404) 917-2201
Steve Levene
Founders Publisher
stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net
(404) 917-2200, ext. 111
Amy Arno
Director of Sales Development
amyarno@reporternewspapers.net
(404) 917-2200, ext. 112
Rico Figliolini
Creative Director
rico@reporternewspapers.net
(404) 917-2200, ext. 117
Deborah Davis
Office Manager
deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net
(404) 917-2200, ext. 110
FREE CIRCULATION
Each month, 20,000 copies of Atlanta Senior Life are distributed to selected locations where
active seniors live, work, volunteer and play in the north metro areas of
Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
OCTOBER 2016
ATLANTASENIORLIFE.COM
PHOTO BY JAMES BEAMAN
At Ronald McDonald House, Evan Blankenship, 7, plays on a donated
teddy bear that volunteer Tom Umstead secured from Costco.
Tom Umstead is the type
of person who can turn a
newspaper’s photo op into an
opportunity for charitable giving.
That’s exactly what he did one
recent morning.
Umstead visited the Ronald
McDonald House near Scottish
Rite to have his portrait made to
run with this article. He appeared
with his car’s trunk full of food,
flowers and baby-care items he’d
collected for the charity.
Umstead, or “Mr. Tom” to
those that
know him, isn’t
your typical
part-time
community volunteer. At age 82,
he gives his time to several local
charities and says he’s involved
in one volunteer job or another
seven days a week.
“I’m living an unbelievable
life,” said Umstead. “Over the
years I’ve built so many great
relationships.”
The Dorothy C. Benson Senior
Multipurpose Complex in Sandy
Springs reports he logged more
than 5,000 hours of volunteer
time from 2010 to 2015 at their
facility alone. “He’s a volunteer
legend,” Benson employee Bane
Stojanovic said.
Umstead now volunteers at
the Benson Center at least three
days a week, at Scottish Rite
children’s hospital and the Ronald
McDonald Houses on other days,
and still finds time to deliver
donated food to missions and
soup kitchens.
“He’s amazing,” said Marissa
Greider, director of development
at the Atlanta Ronald McDonald
House Charities. “Out of all our
volunteers, he is the most regular
and frequent. He has developed
great bonds with staff and other
volunteers.
“What’s so incredible is that he
came up with it himself,” Greider
added. “Mr. Tom doesn’t look for
appreciation. He does it because
he finds gratification.”
Ronald McDonald House
Charities builds facilities that
house families with children who
are receiving medical care.
Umstead says the Ronald
McDonald Houses are special to
him. “I love children,” he said. “I
get so much
more out of
them than they
can get out of
me. They don’t expect anything.
They just want you to play with
them.”
About 15 years ago, Umstead
started collecting extra food
from a Publix grocery store
and delivering it to the Ronald
McDonald Houses. At first he was
just gathering the day-old bread,
rolls, doughnuts and muffins that
would have been thrown away.
Then, the store started giving
him more and more food and
eventually flowers. Not long after
that, Costco, Kroger and Trader
Joe’s joined in, providing Umstead
with enough goods to deliver
donations seven days a week.
Around the same time,
Umstead and his wife, Lucrecia,
began spending time with
children at the Ronald McDonald
Houses. She would read to the
kids while Umstead would play
with them. “I do arts and crafts.
I play. Unfortunately I’m not
good at the Nintendo Wii games,”
Umstead said. “I tell them I’m
trying.” ■
- James Beaman
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