Local Retirees Paying it Forward

CEDAR PARK, TX -- For many, a person’s golden years are supposed to be centered on relaxation and leisure—a well-earned respite from the daily grind. Someone forgot to tell that to residents of the Lakeline Oaks Retirement Resort, who recently sent gift boxes to hundreds of youth in other parts of the globe.

Cedar Park spokeswoman Jennie Huerta Monday expressed gratification over a story idea she pitched to the Austin American-Statesman detailing the charitable work of some of the retirement community’s residents. For the holidays this year, residents—including 82-year-old Hazel Andrews—filled 200 boxes with gifts for low-income children and teenagers.

“It’s just the tip of the iceberg on what they do,” Huerta said, referencing the year-round pace of residents’ altruistic actions. Indeed, residents already have begun to gear up for 2016 in meeting the demand for gifts.

Their kindness is made more selfless given a lack of instant gratification in ever meeting the beneficiaries of their charity. Residents paid more than $1,200 to send the shoeboxes to a foreign country chosen by Samaritan’s Purse, a North Carolina-based relief Christian organization. The 200 boxes sent out is double the amount they mailed last year.

The 128-unit Lakeline Oaks Retirement Resort at 1905 S. Lakeline Blvd. offers independent living housing options for adults age 55 and older.