Best in class: Woodstock club members brighten days for seniors

Woodstock High School's DECA marketing student association recently partnered with Woodstock Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center to create a positive relationship between high school students and senior citizens. Ryan Brusie, the club's vice president of community outreach, proposed the DECA Angels Program. Ryan, who is interested in working with seniors as a career path, said he hopes DECA Angels will continue after he graduates. "My goal is to enrich the lives for the seniors," said Ryan, adding he hopes to "bring back hope for the patients and their families." For its first activity, the students hosted a garden party at the Center with carnival games, 1950s and '60s music and refreshments. Seven students: Makayla Adams, Ryan Brusie, Jonathan Powell, Isharat Prokreety, Angelique Sayles, Matthew Wessler and Dorothy Wilson later spent an afternoon planting new shrubs and flowers at the Center. The planting project was in cooperation with Keep Georgia Beautiful, with donations of plants and soil from Twin Branch Nursery in Woodstock. Future plans include hosting holiday parties and providing music therapy programs for Alzheimer's patients.