Meridian Bank CEO Chris Annas knows firsthand the value of what Surrey Services for Seniors provides the region’s older population.

“My mother lost her husband about three years ago, and for a long time, Surrey was the light in her day,” said Annas. “She loved their chair yoga and looked forward to a lot of their activities. She met new friends in their lunchroom and the personal camaraderie she shared with other people her age was priceless.

“She’s in her early 90s now and only recently moved out of her home. Surrey played a critical role in allowing her to stay in her home for so long.”

For more than 37 years, Surrey – a Devon-based nonprofit with additional locations in Broomall, Havertown, and Media – has been helping older adults live with independence and dignity as engaged members of the community.

Its status as a nonprofit, however, means that it must continuously seek out new and creative ways to raise money to support its myriad of services.

“(Surrey CEO) Bob Madonna and I were talking about the ongoing demand for their services, and I asked him how we at Meridian Bank could help,” said Annas. “We brainstormed a few ideas, and we came up with the idea of a golf outing.”

Thus, the Meridian Bank Golf Classic Benefitting Surrey Services for Seniors was born.

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The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, and there are a few foursomes still available. Proceeds will support Surrey’s transportation program, specifically its first-ever wheelchair-accessible van that will transport local seniors – many of whom are home-bound – to medical appointments, grocery stores, essential errands, and to its four centers.

PennDOT granted Surrey the 12-passenger van on the condition that Surrey, which provided 15,465 rides to seniors from July 2017 to July 2018, self-fund 20 percent of the total cost.

“Our organization’s roots are in transportation,” said Madonna. “By definition, surrey is a means of transportation. We started off by giving rides.”

Since its founding in 1981, Surrey staff and volunteers have worked with seniors in all types of situations, and with many different needs to develop and refine the complement of home and community-based services now offered to thousands of older adults and their families.

The following numbers illustrate of much of an asset Surrey is to the community:

• 6,200 older adults benefit from Surrey’s mission
• 55,600 meals annually delivered to homes
• 32,400 meals annually served at Surrey’s four centers
• 68,000 hours of home-care services – such as social companions, live-in care, and medical procedure transport – provided by Surrey
• 23 years of helping people downsize via Surrey’s popular consignment store in Berwyn

“Think about how important Surrey is,” said Annas. “As we age, we’re all going to be in that situation. All of us hope the services that organizations like Surrey offers will be there when we get older. They’re helping a lot of people stay in the game.”

Click here to purchase tickets to the Meridian Bank Golf Classic Benefitting Surrey Services for Seniors or learn about the number of sponsorship opportunities that are available. For further information, call Maureen Cislo at 610-647-9774.

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