On Tuesday, September 9 the COA is hosting a Caregiver Retreat at the Amigo Centre in Sturgis. This one-day free event will feature activities, meals and snacks, a welcome gift and two amazing speakers. Respite care will be provided. We are pleased to welcome Christy McDonald as our afternoon keynote speaker and Jim Mangi, Ph.D. as our morning keynote speaker.
Christy is an Emmy-award winning TV anchor, speaker and moderator who has covered news in Detroit and Michigan for 30 years. Christy specialized in political coverage, in-depth reporting and live news events, most recently at WDIV Local 4. Prior to WDIV, Christy was Managing Editor/Anchor or WTVS Detroit PBS One Detroit for 11 years. A sought-after moderator, Christy has led lively discussions at the Detroit Economic Club and Mackinac Policy Conference. She also co-moderated Gubernatorial debates in 2014 and 2018.
She is currently the founder of Sammac Communications, Inc. and speaks to groups on resilience, owning your story and mastering the art of presence. Christy is a passionate advocate for colorectal cancer awareness after losing her husband Jamie Samuelsen to the disease in August 2020.
Jim Mangi, a retired business owner and environmental scientist, talks about his journey, caregiving for his wife since 2008, in his “Alzheimer’s: It’s a Disease Not A Disgrace”. In presenting this talk to dozens of groups throughout Michigan, Jim talks about the mistakes he made – especially in the early years of the journey, and how he learned to climb out of the Egyptian River—Denial and get on with providing the best care he could for his wife. The talk includes information on what Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias are, the problems they cause, and some ideas about how to deal with them.
Look for more details on this retreat in the August COA newsletter or call Marketing Manager Ruth Mancina at (269) 279-8083 for more information.
