AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
It’s rare to find as amicable a gathering as the crowd of well-wishers attending the Thanksgiving Celebration held by sisters Winsome Brown and Danielle Morgan Brown to mark the successful first year of their business Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services.
Known for throwing wonderful parties, Winsome nevertheless worried that no one would come. However, from the moment she and Danielle opened the door to Lean On Dee’s office suite at 815 Ritchie Highway, friends and associates arrived in a constant stream. Self-appointed greeter Winsome was first joined by good friends Faith Harder Burns, Deborah Franz and Dr. LaVergne Andre.
Soon after, Courtney Capece from Committed Change Health & Wellness and Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce CEO Liz League arrived. Capece, a member of the chamber’s Wellness Connections group, was happy to see League and hear about plans for the Chamber’s 13th Annual Holiday Taste & Sip being held at Chartwell Golf and Country Club on December 5th.
“We’ll be using Chartwell’s ballroom and dining room and there will be two bars,” League said. “In addition to ‘tastes’ from 26 participating restaurants and businesses, we’ll have a Silent Auction and entertainment. We’ve sold about 270 tickets so far but, at 300, we’ll think about getting a tent for extra space.”
Fellow chamber members Severna Park Voice owner/publisher Diana Lancione and LaToya Nkongolo, a therapist and co-owner of Work Life Behavioral Health and Professional Training, LLC. chatted nearby.
Lancione said the Browns have been an advertising client of The Severna Park Voice since early days when, with just a small staff, Lean On Dee managed in-home care for Alzheimer’s patients, seeing six clients each day. She’s been amazed how the business has grown.
Everywhere one looked were guests associated with Lean On Dee in some way. Ellen Christian and her friend Dave McKay were comparing notes with friend Kristi Korwek. Christian’s business refers families to assisted living homes where there are patients cared for by Lean On Dee. Korwek is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist with JPAR Real Estate in Arnold.
“Actually, Ellen referred Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services to me when I was putting a senior provider group together,” Korwek said. “I like to have reliable services to refer clients to. Lean On Dee was so highly recommended by everyone who knows them. Then, on top of that, my father went through some very challenging problems with his health this past year. We were able to hire some amazing caregivers from Lean On Dee and they were top notch.”
As the celebration continued, many guests migrated to a lovely room hung with family portraits where a delicious buffet waited. There were chafing dishes and trays of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, sweets, wines and other beverages from caterer Lara Toronto. Dawn Jones, a provider of brochures and informational materials for Lean On Dee, enjoyed sampling them.
As seen in the opening photograph, the evening culminated with remarks from Winsome and Danielle (the Dee for whom the company is named) and the introduction of their team including sister Ingrid McDonald and brother Tony Clarke, who have worked alongside them.
Winsome Brown reflected briefly on the creation of Lean On Dee. After working in New York’s financial sector for over twenty years, she was unexpectedly thrust into the role of a caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010.
The sudden pressure to make life-altering choices on her mother’s behalf, without being prepared to do so, forever shaped her views about our health system and what was needed for seniors and caregivers. Soon, Brown and sister Dee, a registered nurse, formed Lean On Dee Senior Care Advocates, serving as Certified Senior Advisors and Certified Dementia Live Coaches and Caregivers. As demand for Lean on Dee’s services grew, they moved quickly from being a “no-touch” service doing home visits and assessments, and referring clients to other agencies, to a full care agency.
“A lot of you were at our opening and ribbon cutting for Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services last year on November 17th, officially one year” Winsome said. “We’ve grown now to employ 51 caregivers. We want to thank all of our referring partners in the room who’ve trusted us and helped build us from three little girls and one little boy from Jamaica to managing the health needs of 43 clients. We are so grateful.”
Danielle also thanked everyone for being there and for the privilege of connecting with everyone in many different spaces and places. She said the family and staff genuinely appreciate all the support they’ve been given.
Sister Ingrid added that, though a small family group, they’ve carried out their passion – the Jamaican culture’s practice of caring for their elderly in their homes.
“To see Winsome and Dee’s vision grow and blossom and come to fruition is just wonderful and we’re enjoying it,” she said.
Tara Frame, of Frame & Frame Attorneys At Law, interrupted the proceedings to sum up most guests’ feelings.
“When we first knew you, you were doing companion care with just five people who handled everything,” she said. “We’re all proud of you and want you to know that,” she said.
The evening ended with a raffle of some really fine items. Having considered several good health-related causes, they chose to donate proceeds from the raffle to the Parkinson Foundation.
Anne Arundel County Farm, Lawn and Garden Center moving to a new location
We’d heard earlier from owner Corey Stephens that Anne Arundel Co. Farm Lawn and Garden Center might be relocating. He just confirmed to us that the popular farm co-op will be moving from its current location on Jumper’s Hole Road in Severna Park to a new spot off Mountain Road in Pasadena.
For the moment, however, the Garden Center is still open and is having a big sale.
The sale taking place has some phenomenal bargains as we could see by signs posted across the property and inside the center.
Some bedding plants were being sold at reduced prices as well. Indoors, we saw that a few kinds of the grass seeds (the product the farm and garden store is most noted for) were discounted.
Outdoors, prices of some of the bedding plants were reduced. 
Indoors, there were price reductions for some turf building products and grass seeds.
We heard that some Christmas trees were due to arrive and would be sold from the Jumper’s Hole Road location until moving to Pasadena along with the business.
Stephens spoke with us while keeping an eye on business from his popular outdoor perch. He said he learned a few months ago that he’d need to vacate the Severna Park property by November 30.
“When we moved to this Jumper’s Hole Road location, we knew we had a short term lease here,” he noted. “We first had a three-year lease and then another two-year lease and then, finally, another year meaning we were here for six years. We’d known the property owner had a desire to build. The COVID lockdowns postponed the end of our lease, but we found that it was finally time to move on.”
Stephens added that he considered the property a wonderful spot and wished he could stay forever. Nevertheless, he felt blessed to have it for six years and to have the most wonderful crew to work with he’s had in the 40 years he’s been in the garden center business.
Anne Arundel County Farm Lawn & Garden Center is one of the highest rated centers in the county so simply closing it was not a consideration. Thus, Stephens and crew found a “beautiful place” in Pasadena at 224 Mountain Road right behind Arundel Seafood.
“The new space will have a different layout but there will be plenty of parking and an ability to pull right up to the door,” he said. “The interior of the store will have a real twist in that we’re incorporating legacy photos and items from Anne Arundel County farms including from my family’s heritage and holdings.”
The farm/garden co-op was established in 1927 in Brooklyn, then moved to Georgia Avenue in Glen Burnie in 1952 and stayed there through 1977. The business operated from 1977 to 2014 off Eighth Avenue and finally moved to Severna Park six years ago. Now 97 years old, Anne Arundel County Farm Lawn & Garden will shortly celebrate its Centennial.
In moving to Jumper’s Hole Road, the garden center brought many of its Glen Burnie customers along with it while growing a substantial customer base from Severna Park. They are very pleased that a majority of Severna Park customers say they’ll follow them to Pasadena.
Stephens said they will be closing the Jumper’s hole location November 30 and opening in Pasadena on December 4th just in time for the holiday season. The center will be decorated for Christmas and there will be free gifts during the opening. For information and directions to the new location visitAA Co. Farm Lawn & Garden | Severna Park, Maryland (aalawnandgarden.com).
A reminder: The Community Tree Lighting takes place December 1
The Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce Community Tree Lighting will be held December 1 from 5 to 6:30 pm. There will be cookies, hot cocoa, ice cream and a few other treats. Santa and The Grinch will be there too.
Cookies and Cocoa with Santa at Severna Park Community Center
Join Severna Park Community Center for a magical evening at the “Cookies & Cocoa with Santa” event on December 8, 2023, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. There will be a choir, cocoa, arts and crafts and a performance by the Star Elite Dancers. For information, visit Cookies & Cocoa with Santa – THE SEVERNA PARK COMMUNITY CENTER (spcommunitycenter.org)
The Dance Center of Severna Park will perform “The Nutcracker” on December 16
Another reminder that The Dance Center at Severna Park Community Center is staging its upcoming performance of “The Nutcracker” on December 16th at Severna Park High School. The performance will begin at 5:30 pm, and tickets are available for just $10 each.
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
