Mary Hamilton
Senior Resource Specialists (SRS), a Charleston-area family-owned senior resource navigation company, is using its summer community outreach to spotlight the people and small businesses that make the Lowcountry special.
Now entering its third week, the eight-week Support Local campaign is built around the message “Local Families Supporting Local Families.” Each week, SRS purchases approximately 60 products directly from a different Lowcountry-owned business, artist, maker or author and shares them with healthcare, senior-care and other professional offices throughout the region. SRS also uses its social media and community presence to tell the story of each featured business and encourage others to discover and support them.
“SRS was built here, and so much of our growth has come from the relationships, trust and generosity of the Lowcountry community,” said Anne Marie Long, CEO and co-founder of Senior Resource Specialists. “We wanted to be intentional about putting some of that support right back into the community that has supported us. For us, ‘Local Families Supporting Local Families’ isn’t just a campaign tagline—it reflects the kind of company we want to be.”
The first three weeks highlight three very different local entrepreneurs. Week one featured Katie Seidel Jewelry, created by a local teacher who has built a successful jewelry business outside the classroom. SRS purchased 60 custom “Support Local” bracelets designed by Seidel. Week two featured River Bluff Honey, a local apiary and honey producer, with 60 bottles of locally produced honey.
This week, SRS is featuring local children’s author Mary Hamilton, recently recognized as Best Local Author in Mount Pleasant. SRS purchased 60 copies of Hamilton’s Junior Officer Bubba and the Pizza Speedster for distribution throughout the Lowcountry.
In three weeks, the campaign has directed SRS spending toward 180 locally purchased products, with five additional local businesses and creators still to be featured.
“If we’re already investing in community outreach, we would much rather spend those dollars with a teacher building a business after school, a local beekeeper, an artist, an author or another family-owned company,” Long said. “If that introduction leads to a new customer, a recommendation or simply more awareness of what is available locally, that feels meaningful to us.”
The campaign reflects the same local approach SRS brings to helping seniors and families navigate senior living, memory care, in-home care and other aging-related resources at no cost to families. SRS plans to continue its community investment beyond the eight-week campaign, with its next initiative focused on free dementia education and training for local families, caregivers and communities.