Michele LeBlanc

What happens when 32 high school juniors visit the senior adults at Southern Manor Senior Living with a mission to ‘Bridge the Generation Gap’? You get plenty of laughter, a few surprises, some good-healthy competition, and a lot of connection! On Tuesday, September 3, 2026, the Youth Leadership Bulloch Class of 2027 gathered with Southern Manor Senior Living Seniors (ranging in age from their 60s  to 105!) for an afternoon of sharing, learning, and meaningful connections.

For Valerie Lynn Morton, retirement is not an ending. It is simply the beginning of another chapter; one that promises more challenges, adventures, learning, and if Valerie has anything to say about it, a very full calendar. Born March 24, 1967, in Statesboro, Georgia, Valerie is the oldest of three daughters of Derman and Juanita Morton. Her father was a farmer, her mother a homemaker, and the girls: Valerie, Vicky (now Bryan) and Veronica (now Kilpatrick), grew up on the family farm in Stilson.

Some ministries are measured by programs, numbers, and budgets. Others are measured by something much simpler: a visit, a conversation, a thoughtful card, or the comfort of knowing that someone cares enough to come by. For more than four decades, Helping Hands Ministry of Statesboro First United Methodist Church in Statesboro, Georgia, has been doing just that.