A Legacy - And Your Help

What do you want your legacy to be?? Your legacy is the sum of your personal values, accomplishments, and actions intertwined with your professional choices, influence, and character.? That equation is not one that always works itself out in a spreadsheet.? But the result usually equates to making a difference, a lasting imprint of appreciated work.? However, to stop there, we would fall short of the encompassing definition of a legacy.? A legacy is not just about the past – it is not about what has been done.? A legacy is about the past, the present, and the future.? ?Your legacy is not a short-term map to success.? It is an atlas to significance.?

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As you build your legacy daily, you rarely see your work unfolding at once.? Brick by brick is how a house is built.? One day, you start with a dirt pile, and sometime later, you have a home.? There is direction, intentionality, and patience – but you make the right choices over and over.

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In 1998, a group of individuals, much like yourself, sat around a table and started to talk about what senior living could look like in Georgia.? That group was the first GSLA Board.? Although they functioned under a different name twenty-six years ago, they began to lay a foundation – their legacy – for the senior living industry.? On June 17, 1998, they made it official.? Direction and intention were set.? And here we are today, part of a legacy.

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Next week, we will gather as an Association to honor those in our industry who are leaving a new legacy – not different – just new.? On Wednesday, June 12, we will celebrate this industry and the important people who lead our communities.? Additionally, we will recognize nearly 220 GSLA Hero Award Nominees.? And it will be my favorite day of the year.? However, one more special thing is happening that night – something to do with legacies – and I need your help.

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At the 2024 GSLA Annual Awards Gala, GSLA, its Board, and its Members will recognize the legacy of Alex Salabarria with a Lifetime Achievement Award.? Alex was one of the people around the table some twenty-six years ago.? A founding Board Member, previous Board Chair, and Founder of Oaks Senior Living, Alex has left an indelible mark on our industry.? If you have ever worked with him, for him, or even just met him, you know his ability to see and value people is extraordinary.? While Alex's career has been marked by his focus on supporting communities across Georgia where seniors could live with dignity and respect, his unwavering appreciation for the staff who provided the care is a testament to his character and legacy.? You didn't have to be a staff member at an Oaks community for Alex to recognize your important role in the lives of Georgia seniors. His unwavering focus on the team members who care for seniors has set a standard of compassion and dedication.? His role as a mentor and leader has been invaluable to nearly every senior living executive in our state, demonstrating his commitment to others. Even in retirement, Alex continues to serve with a calming, loving, and faithful heart, upholding the dignity of our most vulnerable population.

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Earlier this week, while he was visiting the Oaks offices, the GSLA Staff and Board Members held a reception to surprise Alex with the announcement of this Award. Although he may not physically be able to join us in a large setting, we wanted him to know the legacy that he has imparted to so many people, me included.? I'll add a photo or two below (our communications team will yell at me for the length of this and the extra photos, but I think it's valuable).

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What I am asking of you – Many of you know Alex – you have worked with him, met him at a conference, or felt his influence through your leaders who have learned from him.? We have a few additional things up our sleeves for the Awards Gala, but one includes a box of notes from Members of GSLA to present to Alex.? I would love for you to write a note to Alex (it can be short, typed, e-mailed, or whatever works for you) and thank him for how he helped shape the Georgia Senior Living Association and the senior living industry.? Let him know the difference he has made in your life, the lives of those around you, and the lives of your residents.? Bring those cards with you to the Gala.? We will have a box there to drop them into.? GSLA will make sure that they are delivered to him.? If you are not coming to the Gala (why not?!??!), you can mail or e-mail your cards to GSLA:

GSLA | 2774 Cobb Pwky. NW? |? Suite 109? #359? |?Kennesaw, GA 30152 [email protected]

With your help, we can honor a legacy that continues to impact our world every day.? I am honored to walk alongside you as you build your legacies.

~Catie

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