Amanda Simmons
amanda@bossierpress.com
A local nonprofit is working to meet the needs of low-income elderly residents in Shreveport-Bossier.
Twin sisters Sommer Graham and Shannon Walls are the visionaries behind Golden Age Ministries. Founded in 2015, their mission is to meet physical needs while sharing the love of Christ.
Shannon, an office manager at a local home health agency, and Sommer, a former director of social work at a local nursing home, understand the growing gap in coverage and care that the elderly needs. They’ve provided clothes, coats, blankets, space heaters, window units fans, and even food. Monetary donations have been used to pay for prescriptions and utility bills for seniors living on fixed monthly incomes.
Sommer and Shannon have also reached out to and partnered with Caddo and Bossier’s Council on Aging, adding that they don’t want to takeaway from the services they provide already.
“Our seniors deserve to have the necessities in life and Golden Age Ministries is meant to be a place to contact when all other options have been exhausted,” Shannon said. “We’re just filling in the blanks.”
The goal is to be a helping hand for the elderly, age 60 and over. Their ultimate goal is to continue sharing the gospel and leading people to Christ.
“We don’t go in and preach to them, but some have never even heard the gospel or what Jesus can do for us,” Sommer said.
After all, it was after many prayers that this non-profit took shape.
“I have prayed for a long time about what God is calling me to do – what work does he need me to do? Who am I to help?,” Sommer said. “So when he put this vision in my heart it made sense. I am to help the elderly.”
Little did she know that God was laying this on Shannon’s heart as well.
“My earnest prayer is that God will bless this organization and that all the glory for its success will go to Him,” Shannon said.
The sisters say this is also a way to carry on their parents’ legacy.
“God gave us the vision, but without our parents raising us in that Christian environment, we wouldn’t know what to do with it,” Shannon said. “They were a huge inspiration to us and they instilled our servant hearts and love for others.”
For more information on Golden Age Ministries or to make a donation, visit www.goldenageministries.com or check out their Facebook page. They can also be reached via e-mail at goldenageministries@yahoo.com.
